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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Bachelor of Arts remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Should you watch Bachelor of Arts? If you have a soft spot for black-and-white college dramas where everyone speaks in complete, slightly theatrical sentences, you’ll probably get a kick out of it. If you’re looking for something with a modern pace or zero melodrama, you will hate it. It’s definitely a product of its time, but there’s something weirdly charming about how seriously it treats the stakes of a fraternity pin.
Alec Hamilton is the kind of guy who needs to be knocked down a few pegs. Watching him go from spending his dad's money on a car he doesn't need to actually selling his own blood to help a professor is... well, it’s a lot to process in one sitting. It's the classic "rich boy learns humility" arc, but it feels grounded enough that I didn't roll my eyes too hard.
There is this one moment where Alec tries to drag Mimi to a radical rally just to prove a point. It’s so awkward. You can practically feel the movie trying to convince you he’s being deep, while he’s really just being a loud, annoying teenager. It’s the most realistic part of the whole film.
The fraternity initiation scene lasts way too long. It starts out funny enough, but then it just becomes a haze of people yelling and drinking. It feels like the director forgot to yell 'cut' and just let the cameras roll until everyone got tired.
I found myself thinking about Please Get Married while watching this. Both films have that specific, dated obsession with marriage being the ultimate trophy for a young couple. It’s a bit suffocating, honestly.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute we are dealing with high-minded anti-war speeches, and the next, we are watching a guy get arrested for reckless driving because he’s mad at his girlfriend. It doesn't flow like a modern movie, but it has a weird, jumpy rhythm that kept me awake.
I can’t believe they really put in a scene where someone pawns a watch and sells blood to solve a moral dilemma. It’s such a 1930s way to manufacture nobility. Still, I was rooting for him. Maybe I’m a sucker for a redemption arc.
The stuff with the professor's wife feels like it belongs in a different, much sadder movie. It’s heavy, and it clashes with the college comedy vibes, but it gives the story a bit of weight it otherwise would have been missing.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even that great of a movie. But it’s got a weird, earnest pulse that makes it worth checking out once. Just don’t expect it to change your life. 🎓
IMDb —
1922
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