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IMDbPro

Dead Poets Society

  • 19891989
  • PGPG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
498K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
647
9
Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
In the mood for tears? Whether you want a happy cry from 'Rudy' or a fast cry from 'Up,' we've got the perfect list of all the movies you should watch ASAP.
Play clip1:48
Watch What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
8 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDrama
Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
498K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
647
9
    • Peter Weir
    • Tom Schulman
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Robert Sean Leonard
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Peter Weir
    • Tom Schulman
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Robert Sean Leonard
    • Ethan Hawke
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 770User reviews
    • 118Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #206
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos8

    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 1:48
    Watch What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 2:25
    Watch What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:36
    Watch 'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:17
    Watch Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:26
    Watch Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:48
    Watch Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Head Back to School With These Classic Movies and TV Shows
    Interview 3:06
    Watch Head Back to School With These Classic Movies and TV Shows
    When You Need a Good Cry
    Video 1:51
    Watch When You Need a Good Cry

    Photos227

    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams and Dylan Kussman in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams and Allelon Ruggiero in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, and Gale Hansen in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)

    Top cast

    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)
      • Peter Weir
      • 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
      Keating's impression of Marlon Brando is not an anachronistic reference to The Godfather (1972) but to his role as Mark Antony in Julius Caesar (1953).
    • 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 reviews770

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    The 9/10 movie I'll never watch again.
    Personal Rating: 9/10

    This movie shattered me. There's the expression that something "tugs at your heartstrings," well this movie ripped mine out.

    I'll be honest, I could find things to critique about this film, the instance of a scene that was used twice and felt sloppy perhaps; but this movie never claimed to be perfect, just to be emotionally moving, and that it certainly is. This review is written by a boy who also finds himself on the edge of adolescence and adulthood, does that mean I'm biased, absolutely, but everyone who watches this film is, everyone can relate. Your feelings I can assure you will be the same as mine when the credits start rolling, rolling like the tears down your cheeks.

    This movie makes you think. Conformity is easy, conformity is comfortable, conformity gets you good grades, trust me you're listening right now to a past perfect GPA teacher's pet. The thing conformity doesn't give you though, is a life, one worth living. For something to be beautiful it must also have a side of danger, and that's what freedom of thought is, as is mentioned in the movie "we must constantly look at things in a different way," and that's beautiful! Yes, it means at times we don't agree, yes it means you might give this movie a 4/10 but I'll be damned if that changes my opinion of it.

    The themes this movie explores such as, never letting a moment slip by where you don't think for yourself, where you don't seize an opportunity, it does so beautifully. Robin Williams was not acting he was believing, everything in this movie comes across as genuine, a slice of reality, a harsh but beautiful one at that.

    Will I watch this movie again, I don't think so. But please, please watch it just once, you won't ever regret it.

    Carpe Diem.
    helpful•58
    6
    • Sethtro
    • Jun 17, 2020

    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)
      • United States
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • St. Andrew's School - 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, Delaware, USA
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Silver Screen Partners IV
      • A Steven Haft Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 8 minutes
      • Color

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