Friday Flix Movie Review: Dead Poets Society

Set in 1959, at the fictional elite conservative Vermont boarding school Welton Academy, this story will take you on an unforgettable journey of friendship and life around invaluable statements related to sexism, friendship, youth, and education, and existential crisis, and this movie is “Dead Poets Society.”

Cast And Crew

Dead Poets Society’s cast includes Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Norman Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggerio, James Waterston, Alexandra Powers, Leon Pownall and George Martin, and others. The movie is directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman. The cinematography is by John Seale. The movie was a commercial success and received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actor for Robin Williams. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film, the César Award for Best Foreign Film, and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film. Schulman received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work.

Plot

The story is mainly viewed through the eyes of Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a newcomer to Welton, and his roommate Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard). Todd is painfully shy and terrified that what he could say is insignificant and meaningless. This is particularly a bothering element because it is repeatedly said that he has “big shoes to fill” being the younger brother of an old ValedicTorian. Neil, on the other hand, is bright and full of ambition, which is unfortunately immersed by his domineering and controlling father. Mr. Perry dictates all the details of his son’s life, including extracurricular activities, future plans, and more precisely what others think of him.

On the first day of their semester, they are surprised to find that their new English teacher, Mr. Keating, is both entertaining and unorthodox. Keating was himself a Welton alumnus whose innovation in the classroom brings English Literature class alive. He encourages his students to make their lives extraordinary and summarizes this sentiment by extorting them in Latin “carpe diem” (seize the day). Unfortunately, this is in direct contrast to the ethos of the school where living a traditional and conformist life is preferred to living an extraordinary one.

John Keating’s inspirational classes also include remembering standing on his desk at the front of the study hall as a representation to his students that they should attempt to take a gander at life from an alternate point of view, and advising them to tear out the introduction part of their verse books which clarifies a numerical equation used to rate verse. He also encourages them to make their own way of strolling across the patio to urge them to be unique and individual. Uniqueness is the direct opposite of Welton’s ethos, and of course, his teaching techniques go to the consideration of Gale Nolan, the strict and archaic headmaster of Welton Academy.

The revival of Dead Poets Society

During the semester, Neil Perry finds out that Mr. Keating was once a member of the secret and unsanctioned “Dead Poets’ Society” when he was a student at Welton. Neil starts the club again and each night he and his friends sneak out of the campus without permission and go to a cave where they read English poetry, and write and recite their own written compositions as well.

As the school year goes on, Mr. Keating’s classes and their association with the Club keep on motivating them to carry on with life on their own terms; Knox Overstreet seeks after Chris Noel, a young lady who is dating a football player and whose family is companions with his. Neil Perry finds the energy for acting and wins the lead part in a neighborhood production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in spite of the way that his cold and oppressive dad needs him to go to clinical school not seek after a carter in the theater. Mr. Keating additionally assists Todd with becoming friendlier and takes him through activity in self-assessment to assist him with understanding his latent capacity. The activity comes full circle with Todd precipitously composing a poem before the class.

The Foolish Attempt to Seize The Day

The students’ endeavors to “Seize the Day,” propelled by Keating, become progressively reckless and silly. Charlie Dalton pens an article in the school paper in which he guarantees that women should be admitted to Welton, and signs it “The Dead Poets.” To ensure his colleagues, Charlie approaches and concedes he composed the article—he’s given corporal punishment by Nolan however doesn’t disclose to Nolan anything about the Dead Poets Society. In response, Knox is welcome to a party with Chris and Chet—at the gathering, he becomes extremely inebriated and, revealing to himself that he’s simply “holding onto the day,” he touches Chris’ breasts, infuriating Chet. In response to his students’ wild activities and the doubt he’s been getting from Nolan, Keating attempts to show his students to be reasonable, “endure” school and feign their courses through expositions about horrible books that do not merit perusing.

Neil’s father discovers he is performing in the play and demands that he quit on the eve of his first performance. Neil becomes sad and turns to Keating for advice; he advises him to stand up to his father to explain his seriousness about acting. The following day Keating asks if he has spoken to his father and Neil lies, saying that he had and that he will be permitted to pursue an acting career provided his schoolwork does not suffer. The lie later gets discovered when Neil’s father unexpectedly appears at the performance, taking his son home and then forcing him to go to military school so that he can go to Harvard and study medicine. Terrified of his father and at a loss for what to do, Neil commits suicide.

The Teary Ending

Investigations started and students were brought into Nolan’s office and forced to sign a document stating that Keating corrupted them with his free-thinking lessons and thereby led Neil to commit suicide. Todd refuses to sign the document and Nolan places him under strict probation. The class was then taught by Nolan himself with his old dull teaching techniques. Todd crosses paths with Keating and explains to him that they were forced to sign the document that got Keating fired. Keating smiles and nods, showing that he understands. Todd stands on his desk, just as Keating did during his first lesson at Welton. Slowly, and despite Nolan’s cries to stop, the other students join Todd in an inspiring show of solidarity with Keating.

The movie overall is gripping and beautifully directed, each and every dialogue is well written and the classic cast made this movie a definite watch, and a re-watch for me, MAKE THIS MOVIE YOUR WEEKEND PARTNER AND SIEZE THE DAY!