I feel that Rowena's part in the movie was completely unnecessary. It was really just the director's need to put in a love interest because Holland's relation with his wife was nowhere near as hot. Anyway it took time and money away from their budget. Doesn't anyone else feel that the movie could have been better without Rowena?
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Not to touch on what one sees in the news everyday about teacher student liaisons, but Rowena illustrates for us non-teachers how such a thing might happen.... Rowena certainly didn't look like a high school girl when I went to school....the young governor did more so
"The Flagon With The Dragon Has The Brew Which Is True"
No, the point was that she was a way for Holland to escape his life and maybe end up being a famous composer. But he couldn't do that to his wife and kid-he realized that this was his life.
shareYou're kidding, right?
She lit up the film. Without her there would have been no middle-eight, cool jazzy piano riff in the middle. Basically, no middle. LOL - okay, I accept that my argument is a little wibbly, but so was I the first time I heard her sing!
She was the girl I wish had been at my school when I was the only student in love with musical theatre! When she suddenly appeared in the middle of Opus, I felt like a teenager again, but for the first time ever, I was a happy teenager!
She gave the movie added substance and warmth. A little innocent sexiness. Some moderate peril and conflict. And a reminder of what Holland might have been doing if he hadn't become a full time teacher.
Surely that's enough reason for her part in the movie?!
I honetly believe that every young male high school teacher at some point has an affair with a female student. They are living the same world. Its bound to happen. Especially if he is teaching seniors...
sharei agree with the person right under the OP... it symbolises how his life and his priorities have changed from see a chance and take it no matter what the cost tofinish what you started, don't run.
and its also another life he's changed...
but at first i thought it was just unnecessary
"Is that a boner, or did medeusa see a snake in your pants?!"
I thought it was a nice touch that they didn't bring the Rowena character back in the sequence celebrating Mr. Holland's career. Perhaps the viewer was being led to believe that Rowena didn't make it in New York and had "come a cropper", as our English friends say.
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I also thought it was wise not to bring back Rowena in the final ceremony; it would've been too contrived, not to mention unsettling to dig back up any animosity from his wife.
If she came back to the ceremony, the viewer would have had to make an assumption on if she "succeeded" on becoming a singer in New York based on what she wore, how she looked, and what she said.
Instead, we're left to decide for ourselves. She may have succeeded, became a Broadway or recording artist, and simply became too famous to attend (or even hear about this small town ceremony). Or like you mentioned, she may not have made it or was only moderately successful, and decided not to show.
Her role in the plot was crucial like many said. Although unrealistic, she provided Mr. Holland a way out of his everyday life of teaching. In the end, he chose not to sacrifice his family.
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I think they could have brought Rowena back for the finale; there could have been several ways it could have worked.
-- She could have made it big as a pop singer or film star, almost in the mold of Madonna (incidentally the year Rowena was supposed to have graduated was only a couple years after Madonna really did)
-- She could have had a medium-successful career in New York, maybe singing in Broadway shows
-- She could have tried being a performer for a few years, never really made it, returned to college and become a music teacher, following Mr. Holland's career path (that would probably have been my choice)
-- She could have stayed in NY a few years, returned home, taken over running the restaurant as her parents wanted her to, but still kept singing in community theater, etc etc, for the enjoyment of it.
I don't think in any case Iris would have had any seething animosity toward Rowena.
Iris knew Glenn had been tempted, and knew he had decided to stay with her instead of running off with Rowena. After 15 years or so, she would probably be happy about it, figuring if he hadn't decided to be unfaithful then, he wasn't ever going to.
Actually I think not bringing Rowena back in the finale was a huge mistake. It was the one glaring omission in my opinion.
I would have loved to have seen her "all grown up" and whether she really succeeded or not was irrelevant. It would have been a touching moment either way to see Mr. Holland react to her presence there. I feel he would have been moved simply by seeing her and knowing his impact on her decision to go and try to make it. The ceremony after all was about his impact on so many people and he certainly had an impact on her as much as anyone so she needed to be there in some form.
I could have seen 2 ways to go that could work really well.
1. She did make it as a big broadway star and (prior to the performance of the opus) she is introduced and comes out and performs some broadway-esque song for him and the crowd. He is touched and moved and they embrace after and then she goes off again (as a starlet would) and the rest of the scene moves on as it was with the governor and all that (the bigger impact is his opus performance so you still end with that).
2. Her level of success is not indicated as she is just one of the many people there in the crowd but seated prominently leading to any conclusion we might draw. She is one of the people he is surprised and please to see there and they share an embrace as well and she thanks him (generally not indicating anything specific) for everything he did which would then indicate that whatever happened she is happy with her decision. The rest of the scene then plays out the same with the governor and the opus, etc.
Either way there would be the dramatic reunion I wished for while seeing this and some conclusion for it rather than leaving it open ended. And yet it does not change or affect the story at all.
I agree with those that think there should have been at least *something* about Rowena at the end. Her part of the story takes up over 20 minutes of the movie, which is a pretty big chunk.
I'd like to have known what happened to her. Did she succeed big? Did she succeed small? Did she fail completely & now performs only at the local American Legion Hall? Was she sold into white slavery? What?
Along with that, Airmark's second scenario would have fit right into the story, as it would leave the focus on Mr. Holland (where it should be).
For whomever asked, yes, Ms. Kelly has a BEAUTIFUL singing voice. There was until fairly recently, a clip on YouTube of her (on the David Letterman Show) performing "Someone to watch over me" that is THE best version of the song that I've ever heard. Just fabulous. Sadly, someone objected & its been pulled. If we're all very lucky, it'll return someday.
Sean
Hated the whole Rowena storyline... but have to agree with the second posters thoughts on why it was there.
Let not your heart be troubled...
She must have been all flirty with Holland because of his' stache That thing was pimp.
shareIn real life, who do you think they would have brought her back as? What female broadway star could she have been?
sharein my opinion it seems like most the people who came back were probably people who didn't leave the state. How else would they have heard about it? Also no matter much you want to know if a student did well after you stopped teaching them, unless you keep in contact; you don't know. As great a teacher he and as much as people loved him, they couldn't have all come back, and that's life. The film seemed complete without here coming back, she may have been a big part of the plot but Mr Holland was the subject of them. It's his Opus after all.
shareI was a little surprised that she wasn't there, since all the others are back, Stadler, Lang. Yeah, Russ is long dead, but you figure you'd want to know how she turned out. I guess they just felt that wasn't important.
shareShe reminded me of a classmate of mine. I graduated in 1965 and a girl in my class was Rowena personified. She was straight laced and won every award in school. I did not see her for 40 years. She became a middle aged hippie. She had been an only child and was a product of her parents and the times. When they died she shed herself of all of the baggage of the baby boomer age and let her hair down. An amazing transformation.
shareHolland and his wife were struggling but married folks will encounter struggles (i.e., distractions) throughout their married lives. In this case the distraction was a young high school girl with a lovely voice. In the scene where Holland was listening to vocal auditions, Rowena's voice put a smile on his face. Remember the movie is about the 30 year career of a high school music teacher. And throughout those 30 years Holland's life gets a little complicated. One complication was the subplot involving Rowena. Rowena was very attractive and she had a freshness that was not present in his marriage. In time Holland came to realize that saving his marriage was more important and there was a rebirth in his relationship with his wife. The movie may have fallen flat if all it portrayed was Holland's struggle with his music and teaching. It made sense that Rowena was put in as a subplot. In reality teachers may to deal with such distractions. And unfortunately there's nothing new about a teacher having sexual relations with his/her students.
Glenne Headly (aka Iris Holland) did a superb job of being an encouraging and supportive wife. When Rowena came along Iris had to deal with the attention her husband gave her. Of course he had to justify the extra time he spent w/Rowena. The screenwriter did a good job of cleaning this mess up. The Holland's marriage survived and life moved on. Real life situations don't always clean up so nicely.
There's a scene where Rowena basically tells Mr. Holland that she should come with her to New York so he can really write great music, essentially telling him, "if you come with me, you can do something great with your life." It's a temptation for Holland, since what he's always wanted to do with his life is to really do something world-changing, and it seems like she's offering him that chance.
"...and you can't come because you DON'T SPEAK FRENCH!"
Rowena forced Mr. Holland to make a major life decision whether to go for his dreams of musical greatness vs. remaining loyal to his family and relatively mundane life as a school teacher. She also offered the prospect of some young tail but probably just a tease anyway. My first viewing in 1995 I though Rowena really lit up the movie, but now with repeat viewings and being older myself I see her more and more as a selfish temptress with an OK singing voice who realised she could maniplulate an aging would-be musician to compensate for her own insecurities. Anyway now that the movie is on HBO about five times a week I just switch it off at the Rowena part. "Someone to watch over me"? Nah girl you're just a home-wrecker ;-)
shareYes, I agree. Rowena added nothing and her role is the main reason I dislike this film.
shareRowena represents decision in Holland's life. By the time of the Gershwin revue, he has become more and more entrenched in the teaching life. She offers him, for one last time, the dream of wider success; he rightly stays with his family, seeing the dream for what it is. There is no way he could go with her.
Whether Rowena succeeds or not is irrelevant, but given the sheer number of quality singers who head to the big cities seeking fame and fortune, her chances would be minimal.
When Rowena leaves on the bus, Holland gives up his ambitions of fame. He knows it, and is okay with the decision.
The bus scene is quite a powerful moment of clarity for Holland's character.