Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American coming-of-age film directed by Peter Weir and written by Tom Schulman. It stars Robin Williams and is set in 1959 at a fictional boarding school called Welton Academy, and focuses around a select group of boys, who over time take several pieces of advice from their English teacher, John Keating (Williams).
Schulman wrote the script for Dead Poets Society in 1985 based on his own experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. Jeff Kanew was originally hired as director, but was eventually replaced by Weir. Weir met with Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of Disney in 1988, who suggested Weir read Schulman's script. Weir was interested and later flew back to Los Angeles to begin casting. Shooting began on November 14, 1988, around several locations in Delaware, and wrapped on January 15, 1989.
Dead Poets Society was released on June 2, 1989, initially as a limited theatrical release, before receiving a wide release in the United States on June 9. A novel based on the film was also released the same year. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing how the study of literature was portrayed, and others praising Williams' performance. It grossed $235,860,116 at the box office, against its $16.4 million production budget, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 1989. The film also received many accolades, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film at the 43rd British Academy Film Awards, with producters Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, and Weir collecting the award.
Plot
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: Knox Overstreet, Richard Cameron, Steven Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton.
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 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 form their individualism. These unusual 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, Neil restarts the club. He and his friends sneak off campus to a cave to read poetry. Keating's lessons and the conversations in the club encourage them to live on their own terms.
Knox pursues Chris Noel, a cheerleader who is dating Chet Danburry, a football player whose family is friends with his. Neil discovers his love of acting and wins the role of Puck in a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream despite the disapproval of his authoritarian father, who wants him to attend medical school. Keating helps Todd come out of his shell when he takes him through an exercise in self-expression, resulting in his spontaneous composition of a poem in front of the class.
Charlie publishes an article in the school newspaper on behalf of the Dead Poets Society recommending that girls be admitted to Welton. In response, Nolan paddles Charlie, attempting to force him to reveal the names of the other members of the Dead Poets Society; Charlie refuses. Keating gently admonishes him, advising the boys 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 and demands that he quit. Neil performs in the play, but his father retaliates by telling him he plans to withdraw him from Welton and enroll him in Braden Military School in preparation for Harvard Medical School. Lacking support from his mother and unable to explain his feelings to his father, a devastated Neil dies by suicide.
At Neil's parents' request, Nolan investigates his death. 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. Charlie punches him for his betrayal and is expelled. Each of the boys is called to Nolan's office to sign a letter confirming Cameron's false allegations. Todd reluctantly signs under his parents' pressure, and Keating is fired.
Nolan 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!". Several other members of the Dead Poets Society, along with several classmates, follow suit. Touched by their support, Keating proudly thanks the boys and departs.
Cast The cast of Dead Poets Society is as follows:
Production Development and casting
Dead Poets Society was written by Tom Schulman in 1985, based on his experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. Originally, Jeff Kanew was hired as director and had envisioned that Liam Neeson would take on the role of Keating, as well as Dustin Hoffman, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks, and Mickey Rourke also starring. However, Kanew was subsequently replaced by Peter Weir, after Weir met with Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of Disney in 1988, and suggested that Weir read Schulman's script. Weir was captivated by it and six weeks later returned to Los Angeles to begin casting. 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.
Dead Poets Society held two open casting calls, during which more than 3,000 extras were used. Robin Williams cracked many jokes on set during filming, which Ethan Hawke found irritating. However, Hawke's first agent signed with Hawke when Williams told him that Hawke would "do really well". The production team auditioned over 500 actors before finalizing the official cast. Weir had many ideas about who would make the perfect Mr. Keating, and eventually cast Williams, who was later nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
Filming Principal photography began on November 14, 1988, with a budget of $16.4 million. The film was shot around several locations in Delaware, with filming mainly taking place at St. Andrew's School. Classroom scenes with Keating were shot in a replica classroom built on a soundstage in Wilmington, Delaware. Filming at St. Andrew's mainly occurred during over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, primarily to avoid disruption to the school's academic system. To emphasize a film set back in time, storefronts in Delaware towns were transformed, with all modern conveniences removed. Weir requested that the young cast not use modern slang during filming, even while off camera. Weir also stated that he hid a half-day's filming from Disney executives to allow Williams free range to use his comedic improvisational skills Filming concluded on January 15, 1989.
Release Dead Poets Society was released theatrically in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto on June 2, 1989, before expanding to a wide release on June 9. A novel based on the film, written by Nancy H. Kleinbaum, was also released later the same year. It was also shown at the 46th Venice International Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film was released onto VHS on March 28, 1990, and on DVD on November 10, 1998, being distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. A LaserDisc version of the film was also released, which includes additional extended footage.
Box office Dead Poets Society was a box office success. During its first week of release, it earned $340,456. The film then jumped to a total of $7,540,464 the week of June 9, before earning $9,102,459 the next week. During its third weekend, it was the third best-selling movie, surpassing Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). It dropped to number five during the week of June 23, earning $7,344,976. During its fourth and fifth weekends, it grossed $6,708,768 and $5,186,264 respectively, with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) passing it in its sixth. In its final week in August 1989, it concluded with $963,442 at number 17. By the end of its theatrical run, Dead Poets Society had run across 1,109 theaters worldwide, grossing $95,860,116 in the United States and Canada, along with $140,000,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $235,860,116, becoming the fifth-highest grossing film of 1989.
Critical reception Dead Poets Society received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Dead Poets Society holds an approval rating of 85% based on 66 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." On Metacritic, the film received a score of 79 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade on a scale of A+ to F.
The Washington Posts reviewer called it "solid, smart entertainment", and praised Robin Williams for giving a "nicely restrained acting performance". 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." Luke Buckmaster, writing for The Guardian, praised the film for the way "O Captain! My Captain!" was incorporated into it, and said he felt "inspired" by it. In contrast, film historian Leonard Maltin gave the film a more mixed review, writing "Well made, extremely well acted, but also dramatically obvious and melodramatically one-sided. Nevertheless, Tom Schulman's screenplay won an Oscar." John Simon, writing for National Review, said that Dead Poets Society was the most dishonest film that he had seen in some time.
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." Roger Ebert gave the film a two-star review, saying "Dead Poets Society is a collection of pious platitudes masquerading as a courageous stand in favor of something: doing your own thing, I think." Kevin Dettmar, writing for The Atlantic, criticized Dead Poets Society for its portrayal of literature studying, which he called "misleading" and "deeply seductive", and labelled the lessons that Mr. Keating's character gives as "anti-intellectual".
Accolades