Does Kingsfield really not know who Hart is? Or was he just trying to be a typical teacher and avoid bias?
Discuss
He definitely knew who he was. He was a standout in class and Kingsfield would call on him without looking at the chart. Kingsfield never wanted to give his students the impression that they were on the same level. He is still a student and he is still a teacher. And, Hart knew that Kingsfield was playing this little game and he got it.
shareI think the point of this scene is to show Hart's realization that he cannot, in fact, get the recognition he has been seeking from Kingsfield. He's been fascinated by Kingsfield and has studied him to the point where believes he understands him, but Hart's interest has been a one a way street. Hart means nothing to Kingsfield, but Hart's presumption has been that, through all his efforts, he can somehow really make an impression on his professor. This has been his futile "paper chase."
This scene is key, I think, because the movie suggests that Hart's desire to be recognized and approved of by Kingsfield is actually a case of seeking self-esteem in the wrong place. Hart shows that he has moved beyond this kind of thinking when he throws his grades away, and, significantly, is shown in the last shot literally "standing on his own." He is, at last, self-confident and certain of his own abilities without the need for validation from "grades" or from Professor Kingsfield.
He's come a long way from throwing up on the first day of class.
Exactly!
Watch Hart smile that tiny amused/pleased smile when Kingsfield walks away.
You can see from his tiny smile and his amused expression that he realizes Kingsfield has just put him on when he turns with just the right amount of confusion and a bit of bland disdain, and asks Hart his name.
It's a very intriguing little smile Hart has. He's "over" Kingsfield at that moment. Brilliant acting.
Also, it is an illustration of what Kingsfield's daughter told Hart, that he could never have a normal relationship with her father. Imagine how they would have interacted if Hart became his son-in-law. Looks like it would have been a polite but somewhat distant and formal relationship.
shareI think this analysis is spot on.
I also tend to think that Kingsfield was thinking along the same lines, and that's why he pretended not to know Hart's name. It was, in a sense, his final lesson. Ironically, I think he probably would have been pleased to see Hart sail the grade report away without reading it.
ElRaisuli: Excellent! Eloquently stated.
shareKingsfield knew Hart by name. He was just maintaining his image as a crotchety old fart.
share[deleted]
I always thought the scene was intended to convey the fact that Kingsfield really did not remember Hart's name. It makes some sense, in light of the fact that Kingsfield didn't have much regard for the students' intellects, and also that fact that he had been teaching for many years. It is consistent with his overall personality and self-centered demeanor, too.
My real name is Jeff
In the dvd commentary, the film's producer said that Timothy Bottoms and Lindsay Wagner did not hit it off during the film's production. (I think it showed.)
By the way, Lindsay Wagner really looked like John Houseman's daughter (or grand-daughter) in this film, don't you agree?