Yes, he was smug and domineering, but a Caligula? For what--expecting that his students come to class with their lessons prepared? His whimpering students (none of whom looked a day under 25) made me laugh. As much as I like Bergman, this was obviously the script of a very young man.
shareWell most young people DO have domineering sadistic teachers, it's best for people to write about the things they know when they're still fresh and know them best. This was no Goodbye Mr. Chips, not Blackboard Jungle, it's Torment for a reason.
shareHe was relentless in his shaming of any pupil in whom he detected a weakness whether of character or Latin ability/knowledge. The fact that older pupils would feel terrorised by him was indicative of his being an utter bully. What we see would have been the result of years of terrorising on the part of Caligula. I think his character was well drawn in that his behaviour was subtle so that he did not become a 2-D caricature.
Keep silent unless what you are going to say is more important than silence.share
Ditto! The movie failed to convince me the Latin teacher was as horrible as he was supposed to be. I'm not saying he was a great guy or a good teacher; he wasn’t either. I found him creepy, annoying, and strict, but sadistic, cruel, tormenting? I didn’t see that!
‘Caligula’ didn’t seem to have a problem with the students who came to class prepared. The ones who feared him knew they couldn’t get away with anything so why did they try? If they were struggling they should have sought additional help instead of resorting to cheating and apathy.
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I found the teacher more menacing in relation to Bertha. What I didn’t understand though is why she put up with him and allowed him to continue that situation. She had no apparent tie to him so why not call the police or report him to some other authority?
Still, to say she feared him to the point of death seems laughable. Yes, weak heart, I heard that, but seriously? What are these Swedish doctors’ backgrounds? One's diagnosis of Jan-Erik is school-related stress; another two determine a young girl drank herself to death. I’m not saying these things weren’t possible but the moviemakers didn’t show us enough proof of that. We saw Bertha drink a couple of times, even to the point of excess, but not enough to cause her death. She also never showed signs of being sick or symptomatic of a weakened heart.
I think a movie needs to rely on more than just the words spoken by the characters. We need to see proof; something needs to support those words. That’s what I felt this movie lacked. That’s why, for me, it felt like I was watching a movie about people high on complaints but low on solutions. Their lives overwhelm them because they’re ill-equipped to handle even the most minor of obstacles.
The students come across as a little coddled. Life is hard; if they can’t cope with the pressures of school, which is fairly minor by comparison, how are they supposed to make it in the real world? By the end of the movie, even the tough teacher is complaining, and to his former student who he caused to be expelled, of all people. What was that about? Weird!
Yet another Swedish movie that doesn’t seem to make much sense!