From master director Peter Weir (The Year of Living Dangerously and Witness) comes the inspirational film Dead Poets Society. Through Weir's skillful direction the film is imbued with a passionate message about self-expression and discovering your identity, and yet it never comes across as being preachy or pretentious.
The screenplay was written by Tom Schulman, who based much of the story upon his own experiences in school. The story is universal, showing how words and ideas can change us and how sometimes one person can affect the lives of all those in his or her proximity.
The film is enhanced by a stirring score composed by Maurice Jarre, who famously composed the music for both Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
Also adding to the film's overall impact is the beautiful cinematography, which was the result of director of photography John Seale's hard but rewarding efforts.
The story, which is set in a Delaware prep school during the late 1950s, follows a group of students, who are bonded by their love of poetry, as they are inspired by their new English teacher to live life to the fullest. Professor Keating, Welton Academy's new English teacher instills a newfound sense of freedom and passion to his students, teaching them the importance of self-expression and individualism. Among his students four of them, in particular, are given the drive to be themselves at all costs. The way that each student reacts to this new philosophy is different.
Todd Anderson, who had been insecure, shy, and repressed, learns to voice his thoughts and feelings with conviction and confidence. Neil Perry, who is constantly being dictated to by his overbearing father, learns to follow his dreams and desires. Charlie Dalton, who had always been rebellious, discovers the power of having a real cause to fight for. Knox Overstreet finds out that he must follow his heart and he learns that through persistence and patience he can find love.
Yet these boys' self-revelations begin to draw the attention of the school's ultra-conservative, authoritarian headmaster, Mr. Nolan, who holds tradition and discipline as being the greatest of virtues. Mr. Nolan, who already is uneasy about Professor Keating's unconventional teaching methods, is drawn into conflict with Keating, who has been teaching his class about the dangers of conformity. As a result, a small group of students, including Neil, Charlie, Knox, and Todd, reform the Dead Poets Society, a fraternity of sorts to which Keating had once been a founding member. The Dead Poets Society meets in a cave not too far off of the school grounds, where they read poetry, smoke, and discuss life.
While each of the students finds a new inner strength, they are also forced to face the fact that their aspirations may not come into fruition. When one of the boys commits suicide, feeling that he'll never achieve his goals and obtain the personal freedom that he so desperately craves, Mr. Nolan accuses Keating of encouraging him in his folly. After short deliberation Mr. Keating is fired and an investigation begins. But Keating's students, now empowered with their newly discovered self worth, give him a farewell that he'll never forget.
Dead Poets Society features a marvelous cast that includes Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson, Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry, Josh Charles as Knox Overstreet, Gale Hansen as Charlie Dalton, Norman Lloyd as Mr. Nolan, Kurtwood Smith as Mr. Perry, and Robin Williams as Professor Keating. Ethan Hawke, in an early role, gives what may be his best performance to date, playing the introverted Todd. Robert Sean Leonard brings depth and believability to the role of Neil. Kurtwood Smith is superb as Neil's disciplinarian father, who never really understands what's best for his son until it's too late. Norman Lloyd is terrific as the stern, old-fashioned, and often oppressive headmaster, Mr. Nolan. And what can be said of Robin Williams portrayal of Professor Keating? In a rare change of tone, Williams gives one of his best dramatic performances as the unorthodox and independent English teacher. Though at times over-the-top and occasionally letting too much of his comedic habits break through the exterior of his character, Williams gives the film a necessary emotional core and a sense of immediacy.
When Dead Poets Society was released in 1989, it was met with mixed reactions. Though most audiences and critics hailed the film as a tremendous achievement in dramatic storytelling, there were those who criticized the film as being overly sentimental and historically inaccurate. These claims had little merit, though it's true that the film's brand of comedy and some of the dialogue are anachronistic. But there were also other complaints. Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, felt that considering the title the film had little actual poetry in its story. With all due respect to Roger Ebert, I feel that he missed the point of Dead Poets Society. The film isn't meant to be about poetry per se, despite whatever implications lie within the title. Rather it's about learning the empowerment of self-expression and self-assertion, the value of individualization in the face of rigid conformity and pointless tradition. And as poets have been and always will be champions of self-expression and creative dissent, it's no wonder that they were chosen as the source of inspiration for the students, who are in fact the protagonists of the film and not the poets. The film is about the emotional drive, not the specific method of communication used to express those emotions.
Dead Poets Society was also aided by one of the most moving and memorable finales in film history. The film's ending remains one of the most iconic and compelling examples of peaceful protest ever, as the students quite literally stand up for what they believe in.
Since the film's initial release, Dead Poets Society has been regarded as something of a classic and has lead to many imitations. The "inspirational teacher" story has become quite the cliché and yet this film still holds up twenty years after its debut. Why? Because we can all relate to finding empowerment through someone else, be that person a teacher, a coach, a family member, a friend, or a lover. We can all understand what it's like to be strengthened by that kind of a relationship and we know how rare and unforgettable an inspiration like that can be. And above all, that's what Dead Poets Society is: unforgettable.
Dead Poets Society is a 1989 
As for title prejudice, what you have something against dead poets or is it society that ruffles your feathers the wrong way? ; )