Dead Poets Society (1989)
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A group of students at a strict boarding school find inspiration and individuality through the unconventional teachings of their new English teacher.
The story
In the fall of 1959, Todd Anderson begins his junior year of high school at Welton Academy, an Episcopal all-male preparatory boarding school in Vermont. He is assigned one of Welton's top students, Neil Perry, as his roommate, and meets Neil's friends. On the first day of classes, the boys meet John Keating, their new English teacher. Keating teaches them the Latin expression carpe diem, encouraging them to "seize the day". During his classes, he employs unusual methods to encourage them to look at life differently and find their own individuality, which eventually draws the attention of the school's strict headmaster.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1959, students at the elite Welton Academy are inspired by their unconventional English teacher, John Keating, who encourages them to 'seize the day' and find their own voices. The students secretly revive the 'Dead Poets Society' to read poetry in a cave. While some students find success, such as Neil Perry winning a role in a play, others face consequences for their defiance. After a student, Neil, dies by suicide due to his father's pressure, the school's headmaster, Gale Nolan, investigates. A student, Charlie, is expelled for his activism, and the others are pressured into signing a letter of protest against Keating. Following Keating's dismissal, the students perform a final act of defiance by standing on their desks to honor him as he leaves.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Weir
- Writers
- Tom Schulman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Robin Williams · John Keating
- Genres
- coming-of-age; drama
- Themes
- individualism; non-conformity; the power of literature
- Tone and mood
- inspirational; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- academic; poetry; coming-of-age
- Content notes
- suicide
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing the portrayal of literature and others praising Robin Williams' performance. It was a box office success and became a cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 66; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; CinemaScore · score: A+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Film · British Academy Film Awards · 43rd · win
- Production trivia
- The script was based on the author's experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy.; The film was originally considered to have a different title, 'Sultans of Swing'.; The production team auditioned over 500 actors before finalizing the cast.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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