Dead Poets Society (1989)

Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writer:

Tom Schulman

Stars:

Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke

Top Rated Movies #207 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 19 wins & 19 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 roommate, Neil Perry, 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 does so in his own way, and is changed for life.

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Plot Keywords:

professor | education | suicide | english teacher | poet | 

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Taglines:

He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

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 Two from his seminal work, Walden. 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 lipstick marking on Nuwanda's right cheek switches positions between shots as he is talking to the girls in the cave. The dimensions of the original marking change.

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Quotes

Charlie Dalton: [answering phone] Welton Academy, hello. Yes, he is. Just a moment. Mr. Nolan, it's for you. It's God. He says we should have girls at Welton.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in The Commish: Dead Cadet's Society (1993)

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Soundtracks

Let's Have a Party
Written by Jessie Mae Robinson
Performed by Wanda Jackson
Courtesy of CEMA Special Markets (Capitol Records, Inc.)

User Reviews

Make Your Lives Extraordinary

So today is August 12th and news has broken of Robin Williams' untimely death. I just felt compelled to review my favourite movie of his. On a rainy day back in 1980- something, my mother sat my brother, sister and me down and put on the movie, Dead Poets Society. Little did I know what a profound impact that movie, and its characters would have on me. The film is bursting with quotable material, and my siblings and I quote it to this day: O Captain My Captain, Carpe Diem, Seize the Day, and of course, Make Your Lives Extraordinary. It's not until we grow older that we can look back on a teacher like John Keating and see what he really meant to us, the chances he made us take, the way he made us feel alive. I look back now on Robin Williams' performance and see one of the most flawless performances of all time. When you watch the movie, it's hard to think of hammy, manic Robin Williams giving such a nuanced and subtle performance. It's almost as though Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting is who John Keating became. And funny how his most subtle performances may be the ones he's most remembered for. When I heard the news of Robin's death, I was taken back to this film and really felt how integral this movie actually was to my childhood. I think it was the first time my 10 year old self was truly "moved" in the way that adults can be moved by art. All I can say is watch this movie. You won't be sorry.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

9 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Poets Society

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$16,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$340,456, 4 June 1989

Gross USA:

$95,860,116

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$235,860,116

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, A Steven Haft Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 140 min (laserdisc)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1