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| Dead
Poet's Society |
Studio executives summary / pitch
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| Freethinking Robin Williams character teaches his students to think freely in straight-laced college setting... but there'll be tears and standing on desks before bedtime. |
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Short plot
summary |
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Welton Academy: John Keating (Robin Williams) plays a teacher intent on encouraging his students to seize the day: to suck the marrow out of the bone of life - to not discover that, when they come to die, that they have not lived.... The story follows a group of characters affected by Keating: Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), Charlie Dalton (Gale Hansen), Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggiero), Gerard Pitts (James Waterston). The students discover Keating's old school book which mentions the term Dead Poets Society. They ask Keating about it. He is vague, but secretly provides them with a book of poetry which was used in the original Dead Poet's Society meetings. They meet in the woods to read poetry and discuss women. Freed by the sentiments of this group, and some of Keating's less mainstream lessons, Neil Perry takes up acting but his father does not approve. |
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What snack should I eat while watching this movie? |
| Any cookies with raisins in. Alternatively: cookies and milk with your preferred illegal drug. |
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What our
panel of critics thought |
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"The wonder of this movie is the sheer quantity of poetry read out. And it's all out of copyright too! An accounting triumph!" [More] |
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Please
tell me the ending
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| Following a show stopping Shakespeare performance, Neil Perry kills himself when his controlling father says he is no longer allowed to act. Keating is sacked. Class stands on desks at end to show their support of him. |
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What our panel of critics thought |
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"The wonder of this movie is the sheer quantity of poetry read out. And it's all out of copyright too! An accounting triumph!" "Oh
Captain! My Captain! I would not like to serve on a ship that you commanded: Wash
the floors! - I
choose to exercise my right to not wash the floors. Wash
them! - I
choose to exert my right to wash the floors using dental floss. Wash
them properly! - I
will only wash them if I can be naked. No! wash them with your clothes on. OK bitch I get your message, I was just kidden widcha!" "Walt Whitman's poetry has never been more accessible to those who never learnt it at school, even though it has been in the bargain bin for most of the last century." "Oh, the difference between the public's perceptions of Walt Whitman and Walt Disney. It's amazing what a difference a multi billion dollar marketing budget can make." "Carpe Dieum - Seize the day. A triumphant gathering of rosebuds, Mr Williams. Firstly you were a standup comic, then a comedy actor, always a hairy man and now a gardener? There is no limit to what you can do!" "My dear! funny you should mention it, but I had a seizure the other day. My left leg wouldn't bend at the knee. I had to get my neighbors to help me out of the bath - it was quite fun, they didn't know where to put their hands." "A definitive Robin Williams movie. A masterpiece, if the acting is a little over zealous at times." "They should make a sequel of this movie set in an inner city school. Or has that been done already? |
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Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand. From
theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia
|
| If there is one life changing movie of the last twenty years, this is it. Truly subversive, but not totally dark, more hopefully dark if that is possible. This poem reading effort is truly a joy to behold. New England in the fall has rarely been captured so well. The message behind the story (excellence is not always awarded/ tradition can uphold illogical ideas) is truly of import. One of those once in an occasion movies which really blows up your skirt. Bravisimo Totalitanismo! I'll have a Grande with chocolate on top! |
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Quotable quotes (real) |
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"When
I was at Welton, I was a 9 stone weakling : I would go to the beach and people
would kick copies of Byron in my face." "Dare
to strike out and find new ground." "I
sound my barbaric yawp on top of the world." |
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If I were to
watch this at home how best should I sit? |
| Behind a desk, ensure it is strong enough to take your weight should you wish to join in at the end. |
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Could this
movie be improved with more hand jiving? |
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There is no hand jiving of consequence (see Grease) in this movie, a missed opportunity. The boys rig up a radio and hear contemporary music at one point; however, they appear to be just waltzing fast to it, rather than swivvling their pelvises suggestively like we assume everyone did when Elvis was about. |
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Is there enough
sub textual subject matter for your media studies seminar on movie analysis? |
| The main lessons are tradition has its place, but this can be illogical. Tradition can be used to control people into not thinking for themselves, blindly following what they are told, fearing to challenge the stories that society believes. The other one is that excellence is not always rewarded. |
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Would
your exotic pets enjoy this movie?
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| The watery eyed moose of Maine will become inconsolable at the end of this movie. Ensure a year's supply of tissue is on hand to mop their weeping brow. |
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What can I take from this movie to make me a better person? |
| Seize
the day. If it doesn't work out, shoot yourself. |
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Estimate number
of poetry nuggets in this movie. |
| 54 |
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How much would
you pay for a copy of this movie in goods? |
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A soiled football vest from the nearest school. |
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Would this
movie win awards for performances of the f-word? |
| Nope. Yawp is the strongest language. Sadly some of the more explicit poems were not quoted in this movie. One for the remake/sequel perhaps. |
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Other comments
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| This movie is a rare gem. A truly life affirming movie which has changed many people's lives, if only for the briefest of moments. The sad-but-triumphant ending merely enhances the underlying point of this movie, which is to seize the day, if only to sound your 'barbaric Yawp across the top of the world'. |
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Date of review |
| November 6 , 2002 |
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