Sokurov presents the emperor as effete and detached he mumbles to himself while piddling away the war years on marine biology and dramatizes his unquestioned authority over obsequious underlings, from servants to military commanders, on the basis of his ostensible divinity.

NEWYORKER: The Sun

Instead, teachers liked traits that ran counter to creativity, such as conformity, sincerity, reliability and unquestioned acceptance of authority.

FORBES: Do We Value People Who "Think Different"? In Schools: Mostly Not.

No longer would authority -- civic, religious or familial -- enjoy unquestioned its place in the great chain of being.

WSJ: Goodbye to All That