Apt Pupil (1998)

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Brandon Boyce (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

If you don't believe in the existence of evil, you've got a lot to learn.

Plot:

A boy blackmails his neighbour after suspecting him to be a Nazi war criminal.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Criminal | Blackmail | Holocaust | Male Nudity

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brad Renfro	...	Todd Bowden
Ian McKellen	...	Kurt Dussander
Joshua Jackson	...	Joey
Mickey Cottrell	...	Sociology Teacher
Michael Reid MacKay	...	Nightmare Victim
Ann Dowd	...	Monica Bowden
Bruce Davison	...	Richard Bowden
James Karen	...	Victor Bowden
Marjorie Lovett	...	Agnes Bowden
David Cooley	...	Gym Teacher
Blake Anthony Tibbetts	...	Teammate
Heather McComb	...	Becky Trask
Katherine Malone	...	Student
Grace Sinden	...	Secretary
David Schwimmer	...	Edward French

Also Known As:

L'élève doué (Canada: French title)
Un élève doué - Été de corruption (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong violence, language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

111 min | Argentina:112 min

Country:

USA | Canada | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Brazil:18 | USA:R (No. 35516) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Company:

Phoenix Pictures

Trivia:

One of the pictures of Dussander as during in the years of World War II was actually Heinrich Himmler but was digitally replaced with Ian McKellen's face.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Todd is walking down the hall to give Kurt Dussander the costume, the dolly track is visible on the floor in the hall.

Quotes:

Todd Bowden: What the hell did you do that for? Going to my school, pretending to be my grandfather? I was this close to turning you in!
Kurt Dussander: But you didn't. Didn't you like the way we put Mr. French on? I saved you from being suspended.
Todd Bowden: Well don't forget, I could walk right in there any time and pick up that phone!
Kurt Dussander: And do what? Do you really think that I would just stand by and let you turn me in without dragging you under with me? You American's self confidence is so bloated that you have forgotten the reality of the situation. 90,000 people died in that camp. To the whole world, I am a monster...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Too Much Of Nothing

If you read the novella, don't bother

I read the novella in high school, and I found it scary, disturbing, and a real grabber - I couldn't put it down until I was done.

As for the movie version, I'm sorry to say it doesn't work. While there have been much worse Stephen King adaptations, this is still pretty weak. Someone else here said it's been sugarcoated, and I agree. It's been watered down so much, that character's actions that were easy to understand in the book become "Whaa - why did he do that?" here. The ending is the worst part - though I can understand why they may not have been able to recreate the novella's original ending onscreen, couldn't they have thought of a new ending that was better than the one they used here?

The acting is good, one of the few things that works here.

In short: if you have read the novella, do NOT watch this movie - you'll be horrified in a way the filmmakers didn't intend. The positive comments here seem to come from people who haven't read the novella. I still wouldn't recommend this movie even for non-readers, but if you must watch this movie, I strongly urge you to read the novella after you've seen the movie. It'll really open your eyes (in more ways than one), and you'll see how much better the movie could have been.