Dead Poets Society

... and yet it has grown on me to where it is one of my favorites.

When I first saw this in the theater I felt disappointed and baited and switched. Robin Williams may be top billed, but he is not the center of the film although he is the motivating character. He is a new teacher at an elite private school for boys that has traditions that probably nobody remembers the reasons for. Williams' character is out of step with the rest of the faculty at the school and encourages his students to seize the day. Anyone who grew up with the overbearing-we-expect-more-out-of-you parents, or even attended boarding school, or grew up in some similar environment can identify with the students in the film.

Every aspect of this film is powerful. From screenplay to direction, casting to acting, the movie drags us into a world of teenagers that are REAL. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes rebellious ... sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. This is very much a Peter Weir film. The screenplay is one the most powerful ones ever, and one characteristic of this movie is the evolution the characters go through. Just like Truman Show, Witness, The Last Wave and Fearless, Weir drags his characters into the story and changes them. He evolves them so that, in the end, his characters are more human and feel something beyond traditional beliefs and codes; Things that people have died for throughout history: Freedom, Respect, Pride... things that may not be that important to an average person, things that make one a hero.

Dead Poets Scoiety. I suppose if you were in High School sometime between 1990-2008, one of your teachers thought I'd be a good idea to watch this movie and I still remember my reaction and the ones of our fellow classmates: Yeah, probably a boring movie that will try to make the school look better and encourage us to do our homework and study for our tests. I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie definitely changed my way of thinking to a certain extent and there are very few films who have moved and touched me like this one.

The movie plays in 1959 and centers around a private academy somewhere in New England. The curriculum is extremely difficult and the teachers have no humor and are very strict. The new English teacher though, Mr John Keating (Robin Williams), who graduated from the very same school, uses unorthodox, but quite effective methods to teach the students about literature, and poetry. During their first lesson, he tells them that they can either call him Mr. Keating or "Oh Captain, my Captain", based on a quote by Walt Whitman. He encourages them to come out of themselves, use their energy to make their lives worth living and beautiful - Carpe Diem, Seize the Day! The plot also centers around two students: Neil (Robert Sean Leonard), who is funny and popular, but fails to gain his fathers pride, because of his wish to become an actor, and Todd (Ethan Hawke), who is very shy and unsure of himself, and is inspired by Keating to use his imagination and eventually we find out that he is very talented when it comes to poetry. After they find out about a club Keating was a member of while he was a student, the Dead Poets Society, which was forbidden by the school, they decide to reestablish it, what ultimately gets them into a lot of trouble.

There are several key factors, that make this movie as brilliant as it is. First of all there is the acting. Robin Williams, who I really like as a Comedian, really proves that he is a great actor, who can get deep into a character and play him with such passion and energy that you will forget he's an actor. Keating, whose teaching methods are indeed unusual and will probably make you laugh a couple of times, is a very interesting role, the teacher we all would have wanted, but not because he doesn't give homework or makes up very easy, open-book tests. No, because Keating shows us that we have to come out of ourselves, make the best of our lives and especially that there is a poet in everyone of us. Then there is the terribly under-appreciated Robert Sean Leonard, who also gives a very moving performance as a student, who is kept back by his father, and therefore fails to make his dreams come true. In my opinion he is very underused as an actor, and should have gotten a lot more leading roles. As for Ethan Hawke, he definitely was the best choice for the character he plays. We can literally feel his fear and shyness when he stands in front of the class and gets no word out, because he's so embarrassed.

Peter Weir, who is probably most known for his recent movie "Master and Commander" shows what a great director he is with this film and it definitely deserved the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and the nominations for Best Picture, Director and Leading Actor for Robin Williams.

Some of you may have heard about Roger Ebert absolutely negative review of this movie and that "he wanted to throw up at the end of the film". I can understand why people might not like the ending (I won't put any spoilers), but I think it just adds to the the beauty and drama of this film, a film that should definitely be on the IMDb Top 250 Movies. This is a movie, you must have seen!!

It was with a sad reason that I re watched Dead Poets Society, as we lose yet another talent and an all round good person in Robin Williams. This being my favorite Williams film, I took it upon myself to honor his memory by remembering his best body of work, in my opinion. Mr. Keating is the teacher that I wish I had, and granted this might be a mixed opinion within the film's context, but the matter of the fact is that he was no ordinary teacher, and that's something you don't see very often.

The thing about this film is that it doesn't shorten its importance to Williams's performance. The supporting cast is one that balances the film like no other. Every one of those students that revived the DPS is, in one way or another, influenced by Mr. Keating, be that positively or, unfortunately, negatively. The story being an Oscar winning screenplay, is one that I think mostly resonates with younger people, and with this movie being part of my 10th grade Portuguese course, I, personally, embraced its essence and of course its driving message of seizing the day.

As I've seen here on IMDb, this movie might not gather nearly uncontested praise, but it is very much highly regarded today as it was 25 years ago. The final scene still gives me chills to this day, and in the midst of our sad goodbye to Mr. Williams I just wanna say Thank You My Captain. It was a pleasure learning to become my own motivated person. May we all Carpe Diem

Rating: 9/10

First of all, this is movie is my all-time favorite, out of all the hundreds of films I have seen. However, every time I mention this film, I have to answer most people's quizzical looks with "It's a beautiful little 80s film that stayed in the 80s." After seeing it for the 24th time since I first saw it 5 years ago, on my 13th birthday, I can gladly say that this movie went far and beyond the 80s, and the power and inspiration of the message can be felt every day.

Dead Poets Society is a most underrated film by a most underrated director whose inspiring, uplifting and moral tales firmly grounded in reality are not nearly as appreciated as they should be. Here, we see one of his very personal and cradled projects, and he shows the visual style and concentration on characters in which he is so affluent. His control of the camera and the characters are very strong and very smooth. The cinematography is near perfect, with every shot, along with the editing, seamless. Also very compelling are the color-tones in every scene, perfectly matching the mood and events of the scene. Could you say this is art? Absolutely.

Then we have the performances. Robin Williams continues in stride as one who has to-date remained the most touching, heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring comedians with inarguable acting talent (he still remains my most favorite performer on the film screen). His Professor John Keating is a man who embodies every professor who you thought was cool and respectable, every person who taught or enlightened you in something out of the ordinary. In fact - dare I say it? - he teaches something EXTRAORDINARY! We have the tragically underrated Robert Sean Leonard in his role as the free-thinking catalyst student Neil. Why is this man not a household name/Hollywood heavyweight? His roles are always full of inspiration, energy, and tragic emotion that never fail to move an audience. His role in this movie is fresh, unhindered, and never pretentious as the cautionary tale of the movie. And then we have Ethan Hawke in one of his earliest roles as the point-of-view character. The entire supporting cast is very strong, also, providing the foundation and serve as the various emotional ties that further involve us in the story. Josh Charles's role as Knox Overstreet is a role that almost all guys can relate to wholeheartedly. And of course, all the actors who are in that Dead Poets Society do a fine job.

And lastly, the story. I won't summarize it since it's been summarized many times here, but I will say that it is one of the best coming of age stories for not only adolescents, but anyone. I have personally heard from nine-to-fivers who were inspired by this movie to change the situations of their jobs, careers, relationships for the better. I first saw this movie when I was 13, and immediately stamped, crowned and elevated this movie as my all-time favorite. Now that I am 18 and living on my own, with very different concerns than back then, I turn back to this movie over and over again, to find inspiration, solace and of course, entertainment. It is still my all-time favorite, and it still inspires me to seize the day and make my life extraordinary.

Do not go where society tells you to. Find the things you love and pursue them with every fibre of your being until the day you die. That's the message I took from Dead Poets Society. Weird, inspiring and heartbreaking, DPS is a one of a kind film and one of the reasons Robin Williams is so renowned worldwide as not just a comedian, but a remarkable actor as well. After watching this movie you'll want to change the world. Amazing!