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IMDbPro

Dead Poets Society

  • 1989
  • PG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
583K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
487
8
Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
Watch Trailer[OV]
Play trailer2:35
9 Videos
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeTeen DramaComedyDrama

Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of sel... Read allMaverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.

  • Director
    • Peter Weir
  • Writer
    • Tom Schulman
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Robert Sean Leonard
    • Ethan Hawke
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    583K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    487
    8
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writer
      • Tom Schulman
    • Stars
      • Robin Williams
      • Robert Sean Leonard
      • Ethan Hawke
    • 897User reviews
    • 126Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Top rated movie #191
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 20 wins & 19 nominations total

    Videos9

    Trailer[OV]
    Trailer 2:35
    Trailer[OV]
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 1:48
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 1:48
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 2:25
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:36
    'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:17
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:26
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray

    Photos283

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    + 277
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    Top cast61

    Edit
    Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
    • John Keating
    Robert Sean Leonard
    Robert Sean Leonard
    • Neil Perry
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Todd Anderson
    Josh Charles
    Josh Charles
    • Knox Overstreet
    Gale Hansen
    Gale Hansen
    • Charlie Dalton
    Dylan Kussman
    Dylan Kussman
    • Richard Cameron
    Allelon Ruggiero
    Allelon Ruggiero
    • Steven Meeks
    James Waterston
    James Waterston
    • Gerard Pitts
    Norman Lloyd
    Norman Lloyd
    • Mr. Nolan
    Kurtwood Smith
    Kurtwood Smith
    • Mr. Perry
    Carla Belver
    • Mrs. Perry
    Leon Pownall
    Leon Pownall
    • McAllister
    George Martin
    George Martin
    • Dr. Hager
    Joe Aufiery
    • Chemistry Teacher
    Matt Carey
    • Hopkins
    Kevin Cooney
    Kevin Cooney
    • Joe Danburry
    Jane Moore
    • Mrs. Danburry
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    • Ginny Danburry
    • (scenes deleted)
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writer
      • Tom Schulman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      What attracted Robin Williams to the role of John Keating more than anything else was that he was the type of teacher he, in his school days, always wished he had.
    • Goofs
      Many mistakes in the band musical instruments used for 1959. Fiberglass sousaphones, metal drum carriers, tenor drums - all about 20 years too early.
    • Quotes

      McAllister: "Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man."

      John Keating: "But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be."

      McAllister: Tennyson?

      John Keating: No, Keating.

    • Alternate versions
      TV version shown on USA Network (and released on laserdisc) includes 14 minutes of extra footage not included in the original theatrical release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong with Battle Los Angeles in 18 Minutes or Less (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      'Water Music': Suite III in D 'Allegro'
      Music 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 reviews897

    Featured review
    9/10

    Anti-conformity at its most inspiring.

    Do not go where society tells you to. Find the things you love and pursue them with every fibre of your being until the day you die. That's the message I took from Dead Poets Society. Weird, inspiring and heartbreaking, DPS is a one of a kind film and one of the reasons Robin Williams is so renowned worldwide as not just a comedian, but a remarkable actor as well. After watching this movie you'll want to change the world. Amazing!
    • Lk1990
    • Jun 16, 2020
    • Permalink

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    FAQ1

    • when does this story take place?Fall and Winter of the 1959-1960 The Dead Poets Meet in a Cave, Where John Keating and The Original Dead Poets Met. They spend Time taking Turns Quoting Poetry. After Neil Perry Commits Suicide, It's Snowing So Winter and The Film Opens on a New School Term So Fall, and Miss October 1959 is in a Playboy Magazine in one of the cave Scenes.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 9, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • La société des poètes disparus
    • Filming locations
      • St. Andrew's School - 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, Delaware, USA(school)
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Silver Screen Partners IV
      • A Steven Haft Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $16,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $95,860,116
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $340,456
      • Jun 4, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $235,860,116
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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