What do Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Alec Baldwin, Greer Garson, Rodney Dangerfield, Sean Connery, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton and George C. Scott all have in common? They have made movies set in private schools.
There are several classic movies which are set in private schools. Aside from lovely shots of manicured campuses and grand buildings, most of these films don't represent private schools accurately. But then, that was not their intent.
For example, the Harry Potter series gives a romanticized view of life in an English boarding school. The dining hall and faculty gowns still exist in many English schools. Everything else is delightful fantasy. Goodbye Mr. Chips! is a two tissue tear jerker. Dead Poets Society always leaves a lump in your throat. School Ties shows the kind of nasty prejudice which was the norm way back when.
Hollywood tends to view private schools the way media does in general. It plays private schools as bastions of privilege and wealth. Military schools are an easy backdrop for shoot 'em ups. In any case there is much more to private schools than those themes. Here are a few titles to add to your collection.
The List
- Angel (1984) with Cliff Gorman, Susan Tyrrell, Dick Shawn
- Anne of Avonlea (1987) with Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, Marilyn Lightstone
- Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) with Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette
- Charlie Bartlett (2007) with Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis
- Chasing Holden (2003) with DJ Qualls, Rachel Blanchard, Colin Fox
- Children's Hour (1961) with Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner
- Dead Poets Society (1989) with Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke
- Down A Dark Hall (2018) with AnnaSophia Robb, Uma Thurman, Isabelle Fuhrman
- The Emperors Club (2002) with Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch and Joel Gretsch
- Evil (2003) with Andreas Wilson, Henrik Lundström, Gustaf Skarsgård
- Finding Forrester (2000) with Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) with Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Terry Kilburn
- Gossip Girl (2007-2012) with Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley
- The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) with Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford, John Turnbull
- Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (2001) with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris
- The Hole (2001) with Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank
- Little Men (1998) with Mariel Hemingway, Michael Caloz, Ben Cook
- The Lords of Discipline (1983) with David Keith, Robert Prosky, G.D. Spratlin
- Lost and Delirious (2001) with Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré, Mischa Barton
- Outside Providence (1999) with Shawn Hatosy, Amy Smart, Alec Baldwin
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) with Rachel Roberts, Anne-Louise Lambert, Vivean Gray
- Private School (1983) with Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell, Matthew Modine
- The River King (2005) with Edward Burns, Jennifer Ehle, Thomas Gibson
- Rushmore (1998) with Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams
- Sacred (2004) with Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin
- Scent of a Woman (1992) with Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn
- School of Rock (2003) with Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack
- School Ties (1992) with Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell
- Taps (1981) with George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton
- Tart (2001) with Dominique Swain, Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips
Got a movie or TV series set in or having something to do with a private school? Please let us know via Facebook. @privateschoolreview
