Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Holland's Opus
Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Stephen Herek
Produced by	Scot Kroopf, Patrick Sheane Duncan
Written by	Patrick Sheane Duncan
Starring	Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis
Distributed by	Hollywood Pictures Interscope Communications/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (now Universal Studios, but rights to this film in certain countries are now owned by MGM)
Release date(s)	December 29, 1995 (limited) January 19, 1996
Running time	143 Minutes
Language	English, American Sign Language
Budget	unknown
IMDb

Mr. Holland's Opus is a 1995 drama film in which Richard Dreyfuss plays Glenn Holland, a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while trying to compose one memorable piece of music to make him famous. The movie is a re-imagining of the 1966 Disney movie, "Follow Me, Boys!" which starred Fred MacMurray and Kurt Russell.

The plot follows Mr. Holland's teaching career over a thirty year span. The film features American history from the 1960s to the 1990s, including the Vietnam War, assassination of John Lennon, and the Watergate scandal. The story also deals with the issues of attitudes towards the deaf and the cutting of arts programs in public schools across the United States.

The film features an orchestral score by Michael Kamen and many pieces of classical music. Kamen also wrote An American Symphony, the work Mr. Holland is shown working on throughout the movie.

The movie was written by Patrick Sheane Duncan (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination) and directed by Stephen Herek. Dreyfuss was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. It also stars Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy, Alicia Witt, Terrence Howard, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Joanna Gleason.

This movie was rated PG, for mild language (including cursing in American Sign Language) by the MPAA. It was filmed in Portland, Oregon and vicinity.[1]

In the United States, gross domestic takings totalled US$ 82,569,971. International takings are estimated at $23,700,000, for a gross worldwide takings of $106,269,971.

Cast

• Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland
• Glenne Headly as Iris Holland
• Jay Thomas as Bill Meister
• William H. Macy as Vice Principal Gene Wolters
• Olympia Dukakis as Principal Helen Jacobs
• Nicholas John Renner as Cole (6 Years Old)
• Joseph Anderson as Cole (15 Years Old)
• Anthony Natale as Cole (28 Years Old)
• Jean Louisa Kelly as Rowena Morgan
• Alicia Witt as Gertrude Lang
• Terrence Howard as Louis Russ
• Damon Whitaker as Bobby Tidd
• Joanna Gleason as Gertrude Lang (adult)

Soundtrack releases

Two soundtrack albums were released for this film in January 1996. One is the original motion picture score, and includes all of the original music written for the film by Michael Kamen. The second album is a collection of popular music featured in the film:

1. "Visions Of A Sunset" - Shawn Stockman (of Boyz II Men)
2. "One, Two, Three" - Len Barry
3. "A Lover's Concerto" - The Toys
4. "Keep On Running" - Spencer Davis Group
5. "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" - Stevie Wonder
6. "Imagine" - John Lennon
7. "The Pretender" - Jackson Browne
8. "Someone To Watch Over Me" - Julia Fordham
9. "I Got A Woman" - Ray Charles
10. "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
11. "Cole's Song" - Julian Lennon & Tim Renwick
12. "An American Symphony (Mr. Holland's Opus)" - London Metropolitan Orchestra & Michael Kamen

The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation

Inspired by the motion picture, its composer, Michael Kamen, founded The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation (MHOF) in 1996 as his commitment to the future of music education. [2]

Financial Aspects

In the United States, gross domestic takings totalled US$ 82,569,971. International takings are estimated at $23,700,000, for a gross worldwide takings of $106,269,971. Rental totals reached $36,550,000 in the US.

External links

• Mr. Holland's Opus at the Internet Movie Database
• Boxoffice information
• The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation
• [3]