Dead Poets Society (1989)

English teacher John Keating inspires his students to a love of poetry and to seize the day.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writer:

Tom Schulman

Stars:

Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	John Keating
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Neil Perry
Ethan Hawke	...	Todd Anderson
Josh Charles	...	Knox Overstreet
Gale Hansen	...	Charlie Dalton
Dylan Kussman	...	Richard Cameron
Allelon Ruggiero	...	Steven Meeks
James Waterston	...	Gerard Pitts
Norman Lloyd	...	Mr. Nolan
Kurtwood Smith	...	Mr. Perry
Carla Belver	...	Mrs. Perry
Leon Pownall	...	McAllister
George Martin	...	Dr. Hager
Joe Aufiery	...	Chemistry Teacher
Matt Carey	...	Hopkins

Storyline

Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His room-mate, Neil, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each, in their own way, does this, and are changed for life.

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Plot Keywords:

english teacher | teacher | professor | poet | student | 

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Taglines:

He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

La sociedad de los poetas muertos

Filming Locations:

Everett Theatre - 47 West Main Street, Middletown, Delaware, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,400,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$95,860,116 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poem by Henry David Thoreau that is featured on the front page of the poetry book Neil receives is not an original poem by Thoreau. Rather, it is a rearrangement of sentences from his work "Where I Lived", Chapter 2. The passage containing the quotes seen in the movie actually reads "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, ..."

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Goofs

The Thoreau quote read at the beginning of each meeting is incorrect. In fact, if you look very closely, in the scene where Neil opens the book that Mr. Keating had placed on his desk, you can see three dots after some lines, indicating that the sentences had been taken out of context. However, it is indeed "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately", and not, as quoted in the film, "wanted".

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Quotes

John Keating: We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid ...

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Connections

Referenced in Being Human: Always a Bridesmaid, Never Alive (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Water Music, Suite III in D"
: Allegro
Composed by George Frideric Handel
Performed by Stuttgarter Kammerorchester (as The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)
Conducted by Karl Münchinger
Courtesy of London Records
A Division of PolyGram Classics

User Reviews

this movie is the greatest movie, with excellent cinematic techniques.

The film Dead Poets Society is a film that explores the idea of "Carpe Diem" (seize the day) from the viewpoint of a classroom of young men at an all boys boarding school. Their teacher Mr. Keating (played by Robin Williams)helps them stretch their minds, and exercise their right to defiant acts of love for life and poetry, rebuttlng society. The director Peter Weir treats you with eye candy by using various camera shots of beautiful scenary, and neat techniques. Weir takes you on a roller coaster that leaves you gripping your seat, enjoying life, and thinking "Carpe Diem" in your own life. There are some very depressing scenes, but they are very artful, and teach you of appreciation for those brave members of society that dare stand up for their beliefs, and rights to wrestling around with life. I thought Ethan Hawke (Todd Anderson) gave a true life twist to the film, Robin Williams (Mr. Keating or also known as Captain my captain) added an element of excitement, and Robert Sean Leonard (Neil Perry)added passion that leaves you mesmerized. I just saw this film in English class, but I immediatly fell in love with it, as I know you will.