#32 Film, Art, Vocation, and Community: Mr. Hollands Opus
In the film Mr. Hollands Opus, there is an intersection of art, vocation, and community. Glenn Holland (Holland) is a want-a-be composer. In the beginning of the film he believes that his vocation is that of composer and his art is the music he is creating. As a composer he seemingly has no community. Holland’s priorities seemingly change as he becomes a music teacher and a father. Holland finds his community by being a music teacher. Although his old love of composing music remains. throughout the movie there are several points of conflict. Such as when Holland learns his son can’t hear this causes him to withdraw some from home and focus more on composing his opus. This leads to the second point of conflict where a student of Holland Rowena tries to get Holland to drop everything and move to New York to be a composer. This is a defining point for Holland as he comes to define his vocation as a teacher rather than as a composer.
Holland’s encounter with Rowena is comparable to a Christian’s encounter with any vice. Holland wanted to go to New York with Rowena, he wanted to be a great man who was rich and famous, he wanted to compose his masterpiece. But Holland also did not want to lose his community. He didn’t want to lose his wife, son, friends, and his job. When a Christian decides not to sin it is similarly influenced by their desire not to lose their community.
Holland desired to create something artful. That is something that is easily recognized to be great. In the end it seems that Holland has created something beautiful a community based of confident musicians. When Holland was forced to retire, he was surprised by everyone he had influenced as a teacher showing up to celebrate his success and to play his opus. One of his previous students who was a clarinet player is there. She is now the governor of Oregon and delivers a speech to Holland. In this speech she says that Holland has achieved “success beyond riches and fame.” She finishes her speech by saying that “we are the music of your life.” This is to say that all of those students had become who they are through his teaching. Holland taught them a new way to see the world and gave them the confidence needed to achieve all that they have done with their lives.
