Dead Poets Society Peter Weir

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman. The film, starring Robin Williams, is set in 1959 at a fictional elite boarding school called Welton Academy,[4] and tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry.

Dead Poets Society was released in the United States on June 2, 1989. The film was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $235 million worldwide, became the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1989, and received generally positive reviews from critics. The film received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, as well as a Best Actor nomination for Williams. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film,[5] the César Award for Best Foreign Film and the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film. Schulman received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work.

In 1959, Todd Anderson begins his junior year of high school at Welton Academy, an Episcopalian all-male preparatory boarding school in Vermont. Todd is assigned one of Welton's top students, junior Neil Perry, as his roommate, and through Neil, he meets his friends: Knox Overstreet, Richard Cameron, Steven Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton.

On the first day of classes, the boys are taken aback by the unusual teaching methods of their new English teacher, John Keating. A Welton alumnus who studied English Literature at Cambridge, Keating encourages his students to "seize the day", referencing the Latin expression carpe diem.

Keating has the students take turns standing on his desk to demonstrate ways to look at life differently, tells them to rip out the introduction of their poetry books that explains a mathematical formula for rating poetry, and invites them to make up their own style of walking in a courtyard to encourage their individualism. Keating's methods attract the attention of strict headmaster Gale Nolan.

Upon learning that Keating had been a member of the unofficial Dead Poets Society during his time as a student at Welton, Neil restarts the club, and he and his friends sneak off campus to a cave, where they read poetry. Keating's lessons and their involvement with the club encourage them to live their lives on their own terms. Knox pursues Chris Noel, a cheerleader who is dating Chet Danburry, a football player from a local public school, and whose family is friends with his.

Neil discovers his love of acting, and gets the role of Puck in a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, despite the disapproval of his controlling father, who wants him to attend Harvard to study medicine. Keating helps Todd come out of his shell and realize his potential when he takes him through an exercise in self-expression, resulting in his spontaneously composing a poem in front of the class.

Charlie publishes an article in the school newspaper, on behalf of the club, recommending that girls be admitted to Welton. In response, Nolan paddles Charlie, attempting to force him to reveal who else is in the Dead Poets Society; but Charlie remains defiant. Nolan also confronts Keating, advising him that he should discourage his students from questioning authority. Keating admonishes the boys, warning them that one must assess all potential consequences of one's actions.

On the eve of the play's opening performance, Neil's father discovers his involvement in the play and demands that he quit immediately. Keating advises Neil to stand his ground to prove to his father that he takes acting seriously. After Neil performs in the play, his father retaliates by withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him in Braden Military School. Lacking any support from his mother and unable to explain to his father how he feels, Neil commits suicide using his father's gun.

At Neil's parents' request, Nolan investigates his death. During the investigation, Cameron shifts blame onto Keating to avoid punishment for his role in the Dead Poets Society, and he names the other members of the group. When Charlie confronts him over this, Cameron urges the other students to let Keating take the fall. Charlie punches Cameron and is expelled. Each of the boys is called to Nolan's office to sign a letter confirming Cameron's false allegations. When Todd's turn comes, he reluctantly signs the letter under the pressure of his parents, and Keating is fired as a result.

Nolan, who had taught English at Welton prior to becoming headmaster, temporarily takes over Keating's English class. As Keating interrupts the class to gather his belongings, Todd confesses that the boys were pressured into signing the letter that led to his dismissal. Keating assures Todd that he believes him. Nolan threatens to expel Todd and anyone else who speaks out of line. Despite the threat, Todd stands up on his desk and says "O Captain! My Captain!". The other members of the Dead Poets Society, except for Cameron, along with several other students in the class, follow suit. Touched by their support, Keating proudly thanks the boys before departing.

• Robin Williams as John Keating, new English teacher
• Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry
• Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson
• Josh Charles as Knox Overstreet
• Gale Hansen as Charlie Dalton
• Dylan Kussman as Richard Cameron
• Allelon Ruggiero as Steven Meeks
• James Waterston as Gerard Pitts
• Norman Lloyd as Dr. Gale Nolan, headmaster of Welton Academy
• Kurtwood Smith as Thomas Perry, Neil's domineering father
• Alexandra Powers as Chris Noel, Knox's love interest and a cheerleader at Ridgeway High.
• Melora Walters as Gloria, Tina's friend.
• Welker White as Tina, invited into the Dead Poets Society by Charlie.
• Leon Pownall as George McAllister, Latin teacher[6]
• George Martin as Dr. Hager, mathematics teacher
• Carla Belver as Mrs. Perry, Neil's mother who is scared of her husband.
• Jane Moore as Mrs. Danburry
• Kevin Cooney as Joe Danburry, Chet's father and a friend of Knox's family.
• Colin Irving as Chet Danburry, Chris's boyfriend and a football player at Ridgeway High.
• Matt Carey as Kurt Hopkins, a student at Welton.
• John Cunningham as Mr. Anderson
• Lara Flynn Boyle as Ginny Danburry, Chet's younger sister (scenes deleted)

Development

The original script was written by Tom Schulman, based on his experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, particularly with his inspirational teacher, Samuel Pickering.[7][8][9]

Jeff Kanew was originally hired as the director, and Kanew had envisioned Liam Neeson in the role of Keating.[10] Other actors considered for the role were Dustin Hoffman,[11] Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks and Mickey Rourke.[12][13] Robin Williams, who was Touchstone Pictures's preferred choice, was ultimately cast, but on the first day of shooting outside Atlanta, Williams did not show, for he did not want to work with Kanew.[14] The studio burned down the already-built sets, and replaced Kanew with another director.[14]

In late 1988, Peter Weir met with Jeffrey Katzenberg at Disney. Katzenberg, who oversaw Touchstone Pictures, suggested that Weir read Schulman's script. On the flight back to Sydney, Weir was captivated, and six weeks later returned to Los Angeles to cast the principal characters.[15] It was when Weir was given directing duties that filming began in earnest.[14]

In Schulman's manuscript, Keating had been ill and slowly dying of Hodgkin lymphoma, with a scene showing him on his hospital deathbed. This was removed by Weir, who deemed it unnecessary, claiming that it would focus audiences' attention on Keating's illness, rather than on what he stood for.[16]

Early notes on the script from Disney also suggested making the boys' passion dancing rather than poetry, as well as a new title, Sultans of Swing, focusing on the character of Mr. Keating, rather than on the boys, but both were dismissed outright.[15]

Filming

Filming began in November 1988, and wrapped in January 1989. After filmmakers scouted more than 70 different universities and private schools, they decided that Dead Poets Society would take place at St. Andrew's School and the Everett Theatre in Middletown, Delaware, as well as at locations in New Castle, Delaware, and in nearby Wilmington, Delaware.[9][17][18] Classroom scenes with Keating were filmed in a replica classroom built on a soundstage in Wilmington.[9] To emphasize a film set back in time, storefronts in Delaware towns were transformed, with all modern conveniences removed.[18] During the shooting, Weir requested that the young cast not use modern slang, even off camera.[19] Weir also said that he hid a half-day's filming from Disney executives to allow Williams free range to use his comedy improvisational skills.[20]

Dead Poets Society held two open casting calls, in which more than 3,000 extras were used.[18] During filming, Williams cracked many jokes on set, which Ethan Hawke found irritating. However, Hawke's first agent signed with Hawke when Williams told him that Hawke would "do really well".[21][20]

Box office

The worldwide box office was reported as $235,860,579, which includes domestic grosses of $95,860,116.[3] The film's global receipts were the fifth-highest for 1989, and the highest for dramas.[22]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Dead Poets Society holds an approval rating of 85%, based on 65 reviews, with an average score of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Affecting performances from the young cast and a genuinely inspirational turn from Robin Williams grant Peter Weir's prep school drama top honors".[23] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 79, based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade on a scale of A+ to F.[25]

The Washington Post's reviewer called it "solid, smart entertainment", and praised Robin Williams for giving a "nicely restrained acting performance".[26]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times also praised Williams' "exceptionally fine performance", while writing that "Dead Poets Society... is far less about Keating than about a handful of impressionable boys".[4]

Pauline Kael was unconvinced about the film and its "middlebrow highmindedness", but praised Williams. "Robin Williams' performance is more graceful than anything he's done before [–] he's totally, concentratedly there – [he] reads his lines stunningly, and when he mimics various actors reciting Shakespeare there's no undue clowning in it; he's a gifted teacher demonstrating his skills."[27]

Roger Ebert's review for the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four. He criticized Williams for spoiling an otherwise creditable dramatic performance by occasionally veering into his onstage comedian's persona, and lamented that for a film set in the 1950s, there was no mention of the Beat Generation writers popular among college students of the era. Additionally, Ebert described the film as an often poorly constructed "collection of pious platitudes.... The movie pays lip service to qualities and values that, on the evidence of the screenplay itself, it is cheerfully willing to abandon."[28]

On their Oscar-nomination edition of Siskel & Ebert, both Gene Siskel (who also gave the film a mixed review) and Ebert disagreed with Williams' Oscar nomination. Ebert said that he would have swapped Williams with either Matt Dillon for Drugstore Cowboy or John Cusack for Say Anything.[29] On their If We Picked the Winners special in March 1990, Ebert chose the film's Best Picture nomination as the worst nomination of the year, believing that it took a slot that could have gone to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.[30]

Film historian Leonard Maltin wrote, "Well made, extremely well acted, but also dramatically obvious and melodramatically one-sided. Nevertheless, Tom Schulman's screenplay won an Oscar."[31]

John Simon, writing for National Review, said that Dead Poets Society was the most dishonest film that he had seen in some time.[32]

Richard Schickel wrote for TIME Magazine, commenting, "Williams, who has comparatively little screen time, has come to act, not to cut comic riffs, and he does so with forceful, ultimately compelling, simplicity."[33]

Kevin Dettmar wrote for The Atlantic, "The beloved film's portrayal of studying literature is both misleading and deeply seductive." He commented further on how literature was taught in the film (by Robin William's character John Keating), describing it as "the literary equivalent of fandom," and "anti-intellectual."[34]

Accolades

American Film Institute Lists

The film was voted #52 on the AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers list, a list of the top 100 most inspiring films of all time.[48]

The film's line, "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.", was voted as the 95th greatest movie quote by the American Film Institute.[49] [50]

Legacy

After Robin Williams' death in August 2014, fans of his work used social media to pay tribute to him with photo and video reenactments of the film's final "O Captain! My Captain!" scene.[51]

Upon hearing about Robin William's death, many teachers came forward to pay him their respects online and even revealed that were inspired to become a teacher because of his character, Mr. Keating, from Dead Poets Society.[52]

Novelization

Nancy H. Kleinbaum's novel, Dead Poets Society (2006), is based on the movie.[53]

Stage play

A theatrical adaptation written by Tom Schulman and directed by John Doyle opened off-Broadway October 27, 2016, and ran through December 11, 2016.[54] Jason Sudeikis starred as John Keating,[55] with Thomas Mann as Neil Perry, David Garrison as Gale Nolan, Zane Pais as Todd Anderson, Francesca Carpanini as Chris, Stephen Barker Turner as Mr. Perry, Will Hochman as Knox Overstreet, Cody Kostro as Charlie Dalton, Yaron Lotan as Richard Cameron, and Bubba Weiler as Steven Meeks.[56][57]

The production received a mixed review from The New York Times, with critic Ben Brantley calling the play "blunt and bland", and criticizing Sudeikis' performance, citing his lack of enthusiasm when delivering powerful lines.[58]

In 2018, the theatrical adaptation of the film, written by Tom Schulman and directed by Francisco Franco, premiered in Mexico. The Mexican actor, Alfonso Herrera, played the main character.[59]

An adaptation was made for the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele in Germany, also with the assistance of Tom Schulman. It premiered in July 2021, and was still staged two years later. The lead actor was Francis Fulton-Smith.[60]

Parodies

The ending of the film was parodied in the 2009 Community episode, "Introduction to Film".[61]

The ending of the film was parodied in the 2016 Saturday Night Live sketch, "Farewell, Mr. Bunting", with Fred Armisen playing Williams' role. The sketch is a largely faithful recreation of the scene, until a student (Pete Davidson) is decapitated by a ceiling fan when he jumps on top of his desk.[62]

1. ^ "Dead Poets Society". BBFC. February 5, 1999. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
2. ^ "Dead Poets Society (1989)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
3. ^ a b "Dead Poets Society (1989) daily". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
4. ^ a b Canby, Vincent (June 2, 1989). "Dead Poets Society (1989) June 2, 1989 Review/Film; Shaking Up a Boys' School With Poetry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
5. ^ "1990 Film Film | BAFTA Awards". Awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
6. ^ "LitCharts". Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
7. ^ "Real-life professor inspires 'Dead Poets' character". TimesDaily. Florence, AL, USA: Tennessee Valley Printing Co., Inc. Associated Press. July 10, 1989. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
8. ^ Henderson, Bill (January 12, 1992). "Williams and Then Some". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2007.
9. ^ a b c "Dead Poets Society (1989)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
10. ^ Meil, Eila (2005). Casting Might-Have-Beens: A. New York: McFarland. ISBN 9780786420179.
11. ^ Brady, Celia (March 1989). "Bring Back the Kids: Hollywood's Littlest Stars and Biggest Egos in their Middle Ages". Spy: 107.
12. ^ Walsh, Keri (2014). Mickey Rourke. London: Bloomsbury. p. 2. ISBN 9781844574308.
13. ^ "Secret Heartbreak, Unbreakable Bonds and Bombed Auditions: 30 Secrets You Might Not Know About Dead Poets Society". E! Online. June 2, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
14. ^ a b c "Dead Poets Society - Script to Screen". University of California Television. March 7, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
15. ^ a b King, James (2018). Fast Times and Excellent Adventures. London: Constable. p. 430. ISBN 9781472123725.
16. ^ McCurrie, Tom (March 15, 2004). "Dead Poets Society's Tom Schulman on the Art of Surviving Hollywood". Writersupercenter.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
17. ^ Cormier, Ryan (August 12, 2014) [Originally published April 4, 2014]. "25 'Dead Poets Society' in Delaware facts". The News Journal. Pulp Culture. Wilmington, Delaware, USA: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
18. ^ a b c Sohrab (June 14, 2024). "The Making of a Classic: The Story Behind the Dead Poets Society". D23. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
19. ^ King, James (2018). Fast Times and Wxcellent Adventures. London: Constable. p. 433. ISBN 9781472123725.
20. ^ a b Bloomenthal, Andrew (June 6, 2019). "Dead Poets Society Retrospective with Tom Schulman, Peter Weir, and Ethan Hawke". Script. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
21. ^ Bailey-Millado, Rob (August 30, 2021). "Ethan Hawke: Robin Williams was 'incredibly irritating' on 'Dead Poets' set". New York Post. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
22. ^ "1989 Worldwide Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
23. ^ "Dead Poets Society Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
24. ^ "Dead Poets Society reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
25. ^ "Why CinemaScore Matters for Box Office". The Hollywood Reporter. August 19, 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
26. ^ Howe, Desson (June 9, 1989). "'Dead Poets Society'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
27. ^ Pauline Kael, Movie Love, pp. 153–157, reprinted from review that appeared in The New Yorker, June 26, 1989
28. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 9, 1989). "Dead Poets Society". Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
29. ^ "Oscar Nomination Surprises for 1990". Siskel & Ebert. Season 4. Episode 22. February 17, 1990. Buena Vista Television. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
30. ^ Siskel & Ebert: If We Picked The Winners. March 24, 1990. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
31. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. New York: Plume/Penguin. p. 328. ISBN 9780452289789. OCLC 183268110.
32. ^ Simon, John (2005). John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982–2001. Applause Books. p. 225.
33. ^ Schickel, Richard (June 5, 1989). "Cinema: A Bothered School Spirit". TIME. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
34. ^ Dettmar, Kevin (February 19, 2014). "'Dead Poets Society' Is a Terrible Defense of the Humanities". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
35. ^ "The 62nd Academy Awards (1990) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
36. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Casting Society of America. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
37. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1990". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
38. ^ "Best Cinematography in Feature Film" (PDF). British Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
39. ^ "The 1991 Caesars Ceremony". César Awards. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
40. ^ "1988–2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. January 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
41. ^ "The 42nd Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
42. ^ "Dead Poets Society". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
43. ^ "1989 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
44. ^ "Film Hall of Fame: Productions". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
45. ^ "6th Warsaw Film Festival". Warsaw Film Festival. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
46. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
47. ^ "11th Annual Youth in Film Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
48. ^ American Film Institute. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers". Afi.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
49. ^ American Film Institute. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes". Afi.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
50. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (July 16, 2019). "Dead Poets Society: 30 years on Robin Williams' stirring call to 'seize the day' endures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
51. ^ "Robin Williams death: Jimmy Fallon fights tears, pays tribute with 'Oh Captain, My Captain'". Sydney Morning Herald. August 13, 2014. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
52. ^ Townsend, Lucy (August 13, 2014). "The real teachers inspired by Dead Poets Society". BBC News. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
53. ^ Kleinbaum, N.H. (1989). Dead Poets Society. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-4013-0877-3. OCLC 71164757.
54. ^ Clement, Olivia (February 29, 2016). "CSC to Stage World Premiere of Dead Poets Society". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
55. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (August 16, 2016). "Jason Sudeikis to Star in Stage Version of 'Dead Poets Society'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
56. ^ Clement, Olivia (September 14, 2016). "Dead Poets Society Finds Its Complete Cast". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
57. ^ Clement, Olivia (October 27, 2016). "The World Premiere of Dead Poets Society Begins Tonight". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
58. ^ Brantley, Ben (November 17, 2016). "Review: 'Dead Poets Society,' Starring Jason Sudeikis as the Idealistic Teacher". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
59. ^ "La sociedad de los poetas muertos". carteleradeteatro. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
60. ^ "Das dichtende Klassenzimmer: Umjubelte Premiere des "Club der toten Dichter"". www.hna.de. July 3, 2021.
61. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (October 2, 2009). "Community, "Introduction to Film:" Carpe diem!". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
62. ^ Silverberg, Nicole (May 23, 2016). "Behold, a New Classic 'SNL' Sketch". GQ. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2016.

• Munaretto, Stefan (2005). Erläuterungen zu Nancy H. Kleinbaum/Peter Weir, 'Der Club der toten Dichter' (in German). Hollfeld: Bange. ISBN 3-8044-1817-1.

• Dead Poets Society at IMDb
• Dead Poets Society at Box Office Mojo
• Dead Poets Society at Rotten Tomatoes
• Dead Poets Society at Metacritic