Movies-TV

A film that inspires writers.

I saw this movie last year in my high school creative writing class. I can easily tell why my teacher felt this film this appropriate to show to students who are becoming writers: it helps inspire writers. First of all, the inspiring teacher played by Robin Williams gives a few important lessons. He tells them to rip out the serious, practical pages of the book in order to focus on unordinary, creative ideas. He tells them to "Sieze the day", not by actually stating it, but you would have to see the movie to understand what I mean. Other staff at the school become displeased with him because they find his lessons to be untraditional. It goes to show that sometimes people have to go beyond the ideas of the world and come up with their own ideas. Second of all, the characters include some very silly, callow young boys who learn about poetry. As a teenager, I saw my own generation in these youth, though the setting I believe is about forty or fifty years ago. The viewer sees how these normal juvenilles end up learning some important lessons in life and discover their intellectuals. This is an excellent inspiration for young people of today(it's no wonder why so many college students like this movie). In the end, the story gets pretty intense. Someone ends up dieing in the end, but it's not one of those pointless, sentimental scenes we see in some types of movies. It leads to questions, which makes the viewer really think. After all that happens in the end, the young characters never give up their hopes or loyalty. This is truely a very thoughtful film and inspiring, as I said before. It also had many very good lines that I would just love to list and quote. So if you are a yound, avid free-lance writer, this would be the film for you to invest in and learn from. I was surprised to learn it is more well known and popular than I thought, which is a good sign because it shows that many know where to look for inspiration.

Spoiler, venom.

Warning, spoiler...If ever o ever a strawman there was the Dead Poets Society is one because because because of the never ending cavalcade of unblinking cliches that constitutes it's "plot". Raised only by the ultimate expression of entitled teen angst, the ineptly over played suicide of "the sensitive boy", this movie comes across like a verbose sixth graders attempt at drama. One dimensional characters bounce around the screen, avoiding any semblance of complexity or depth. Highly overrated, obvious and insipid.

One of the greatest movies ever made!

In my opinion this is one of the greatest movie ever made! It's just perfect, it has got everything a good movie should have, and a bit more.. It has passion, drama, love, tragedy, and it made me both laugh and cry. (I have to admit I cried in the end, it's the first movie that has ever made me cry!). The end scene, where the students stand on their desks, is the best end scene in movie history, (at least I think so.) It's perfect! And all the characters are perfect. I've always thought that if an actor can play a part where everybody hates him, and you still kind-of hate him when you see him in another movie, thats when he's a great actor! I hated both Cameron (Dylan Kussman) and Mr. Perry (Kurtwood Smith), and I still do.

lack of personal views

A thin good idea but overwhelmed by too many american "good" feelings... About Robin Williams, I should advise that excess is often insignificant !

Seize the day !!!

This story's setting is Welton Academy,which is a traditional concervative and strict preparatory school.The main characters are Mr.John Keating, Neil,Todd,Cameron,Charlie and Knox.These boys never have had freedom.They always have to obey their parents.However,thanks to Mr.Keating,who is a free-thinking teacher,they get the chance to know how they should send their lives.In the end ,Mr. has to leave from them but these boys never forget him and Mr. Keating is their "captain" forever. Perhaps this film shows us that we must not regret our lives but seize the day. For our generation, this movie reminds us what we have forgotten, that is, to not do what everyone else does. We recommend to whatch this movie to someone who always accept someones opinion and follow them because they would find that they could change their lives somehow and that is the better way to send their lives.

'O captain, my captain!'

Anyone who hasn't seen this movie is no friend of mine! I first saw this when I was young and didn't quite get most of it. But then I rented it again and afterwards I bought it! This movie is truly fantastic and I can't help it, Ethan Hawke was HOT! Besides that this film is about a bunch of guys at a Catholic school with a teacher played by the hilarious and inspiring Robin Williams who teaches them a lot about life. They form the Dead Poets Society and begin to do crazy things, like go to public school's and ask out the girl of their dreams. But then things go wrong. Not like murder wrong, but amiss as in Robin William's teaching isn't considered appropriate under the watchful eyes of the school officials and he is fired. To fully enjoy this movie, you're gonna wanan see it a couple of times, meaning it's such a great movie that you'll not want to take it back! Since I've gotten this movie I watched it at least seventy times and I'm still crying at the end when they all stand on their desks! And with them I stand on my couch and shout 'O captain! My captain!' I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm serious. This movie is stunning and amazingly well acted and there is no possible way that you cannot find some reason to enjoy it!

The most important movie any teenager could possibly see

People tend to compare this movie in relation to other movies: The quality of the acting, of the story. I believe that is entirely beside the point.Like the pupils do with their introduction to poetry, determining in callous fact what is a good poem and what isn't -- tear it out, throw it away.It's about ideas, and its purpose is to teach those ideas. The movie is a sermon, a lesson, as shown by the countless teachers who decide to have their students watch it.The lesson is to live intently, to defy conformism, to make your life your own, even at the cost of said life. I believe this is a literally invaluable lesson, and the movie does an excellent job of teaching it.Sic transit gloria mundi - the beauty of the world is fleeting. Grab it, hold onto it, suck every last drop of pleasure from it.

Good movie!

It's the beginning of the school year in Welton, a conservative prep school in an age where crew cuts rule and all boys wish to be bankers, lawyers, doctors - all that their parents wish them to be. We're introduced to a group of boys who study in this school: Neil (Robert Sean Leonard, in a good performance here unlike some later movies), the leader of his group, who's in constant odds with his dad about practically everything: his dad wants him to go to med school, and to give up all extra corricular activities that aren't directly contributing to his career 'choice', such as editing the school paper or acting. His room mate, Todd Anderson,is the shy new boy, who is overshadowed by his older brother (Ethan Hawke, as good as always). Their friends include Meks & Pitts, the 'geeks', Charlie Dalton the nice class 'Bad Boy', Cameron, the not - very - nice teachers' pet, and Knox Overstreet - a sensitive & quiet boy (by the way, has anyone else noticed that all of these guys are sensitive except for Cameron, who's the total & obnoxious opposite?).

Robin Williams, Mr. Keating, or 'the Captain' as he likes to be called, is a graduate of Welton school,is hired as an English teacher. He tries to inspire his students to live their lives to the fullest, and to enjoy poetry even thoguh they might think it's 'useless' for their lives and future careers, and just live their lives to the fullest. He also inspires them to recreate the 'Dead Poets Society" he and his friends had formed while in school - a group that gathered to enjoy poetry.

Slowly this is taking effect: Knox decides to go after a girl he likes, and Todd seems to be coming out of his shell. But this attitude takes a disasterous turn with Neil: he decides to join a play without telling his dad (which he knows won't approve) and his dad finds out, and tells him to quit it. Neil is upset, and asks for Mr. Keating's advice, which is reasonable: don't go against your father, but try to convince him, and if that doesn't work, just wait until you're on your own. Neil still decideds to go aheard with the play, and is discovered by his father. When his dad decides to send him to military school, Neil commits suicide. Eventually, Mr. Keating is blamed for Neil's death, and is fired from the school.

On the most basic level possible, this movie is a classic teens against grownups that just don't understand, while Mr. Keating is the adult who's 'cool' enough to understand the boys. But on a different level, the movie also question's the 'CARPE DIEM' philosophy - Knox gets in trouble with his love interest's boyfriend, and Neil, after all, chose to lose his life to follow it. The movie has a very extremist attitude towards this issue - the school 'wrongly' accuses Mr. Keating in Neil's death, but the questions of how far to take his ideas are still there for people who are looking for them...

This film will inspire you to make your life extraordinary!

This film had the brilliant timing of being released in the summer before my Senior year in high school. Though I didn't watch it until it came to the $1 theater in the fall of 1989, by that point, I had already been in a government class with a teacher who was nearly exactly like the one Robin Williams played. For that reason, and many more, this film quickly became one of my all-time favorite films (only "The Sound of Music" endears me more).

I have a well worn copy of this film on VHS and waited to buy it on DVD because I suspected that Touchstone would re-release another version with more bells and whistles. They did so with "Beaches", another film I was glad not to buy the first DVD version. I've been waiting for a special edition DVD that features deleted scenes, interviews, and most important...a director's commentary track. This dvd is well worth the wait and I can finally replace my VHS copy.

Though Robin Williams was nominated for Best Actor with this film, he is actually a supporting character to the boys he inspires with his unconventional teaching. His Mr. Keating is a new teacher who soon gets into trouble for breaking out of the box of teaching methods, as he tries to get his students to challenge their thinking and ways of viewing the world. Memorable scenes include the marching in the courtyard as a lesson in nonconformity; standing atop his desk for a new perspective; the ripping out of Mr. Jay Evans Pritchard's rhyme and meter measurement theory; and the moment he is able to draw out a shy student's inner poet (I especially love the line "truth like a blanket that always leaves your feet cold").

The cinematography and location is absolutely perfect. So enamored of this film in my "impressionable age" that I made a pilgrimage to St. Andrews School in Middleton, Delaware and took a roll of photos, with me acting out some of the scenes (like Niwanda's refusal to march in the courtyard; and the phonecall from God at the podium of the chapel). The film really does bring out a magic and I would suspect that St Andrews School benefitted from the film. It really is beautiful there in person (if you go, go in the fall).

Though this film was criticized by some Christian groups during the 1990 Academy Awards for its "humanism", I guess if inspiring people to think for themselves and having the courage to go against the flow is considered "humanist", what does that say about Christianity? I can see Mr. Keating as an atheist, though it really isn't spelled out. His unconventional ways of teaching runs against the standard and rigid structure of tradition, so it's not surprising that he becomes the scapegoat for the resulting tragedy when one student goes against his parents' wishes.

Everytime I watch this film, I receive an initial burst of inspiration that feels too good to let go. With the tributes to Henry David Thoreau ("sucking the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone," Mr. Keating tells his students) and Walt Whitman ("a sweaty tooth madman"), you'll want to make sure you have copies of both "Leaves of Grass" and "Walden" to read when you finish watching. It also says something about the quality of this film when "School Ties" and "The Emperor's Club" came out. Both films were inevitably compared to "Dead Poets Society", and while there is no comparison ("Dead Poets" remains the standard bearer), imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery.

So, if you love this film as much as I do and want to see the imitators, watch: "School Ties", "Renaissance Man", "The Emperor's Club", "Sarafina!", "Dangerous Minds", "Mona Lisa Smile", and "Summer School"...all films about a teacher having an impact on his/her students. But make no mistake, they'll never make a film as perfect as "Dead Poets Society".

I may be crazy, but the story-line was a big disappointment.

Well, I finally watched this. I was enjoying it until near the end, with the plot twist (STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS) that, if you have seen the movie, you know what I mean. I think that this movie had the potential to be a very inspirational film, but, I'm sorry, suicide doesn't inspire me. Basically, what the teacher was trying to do was great.. but the suicide was the ultimate failure.. basically the boy was admitting that he could not "sieze the day" and stand up to his father and live his own life. I mean.. if you wanted tear-jerking, you can have the death of someone (I read that William's character was originally supposed to die of leukemia.. MUCH better plot idea than the suicide one, IMO).. you could even have a tragic death of one of the kids.. but not suicide.. doesn't work for an "inspirational" movie.. as I said.. it was a FAILURE of everything that the teacher was teaching the students.. I dunno.. it just left a bad taste in my mouth.. True, it was emotional, true, it was well- acted.. but I felt it slapped us in the face and ruined what could have been a great story.. And I didn't find it believable that anyone (even a stuffy school) would "Blame" a teacher for his student's suicide under those circumstances. Investigate and fire?? No.. not for what that teacher did..doesn't make sense.. not believable.. as I saidBasically after the suicide everything went sour...the plot fell apart.. LOL.. maybe part of it is I'm a real House addict, and had been enjoying Robert Sean Leanoard (looking VERY young and almost "yummy" LOL) and well.. I thought his suicide was the worst plot twist I'd ever seen.. It just went against everything the movie was about.. So there you have my opinion.. COuld have been great, but a shocking suicide just doesn't fit with an "inspirational" story like this. If I want to go be inspired, I'll go watch Apollo 13, October Sky, Mr. Holland's Opus,

What Do They Really Want From Life?

The students at Welton school are destined for the Ivy Leagues. In time, affluence and power is theirs and their parents eagerly wait as their children climb a golden ladder to the elite professions of banking, law, and medicine. Their futures are filled with great things, but it seems to these remarkable and privileged students that something is missing from their lives.

They are taught by snappish old professors who are constant disciplinarians. The students are expected to do as they are told without any thought. There are no questions to be asked. It is their job to listen. These boys are among the brightest students in America, but none of the adults really take them seriously as human beings. They are too young to think freely according to the older generation and are to be guided; forcefully if necessary.

It is an inescapable fact for these people that they have no control over their lives and their frustration mounts.
Then Robin Williams arrives as a new teacher at Welton College and the way his students think about life begins to change...

Life Changing Experience

This film is especially to be seen by young people around the ages of 13 to 17, I'm sure for most of them the movie will be the turning point of their lives and it will let them gain a different perspective.Generally I can say that the movie touched me, and still touches me every time I see it. A must see for everyone..For those who wish to have an idea about the story; The movie brings the lives of young high school students into your hearts and you feel the uniqueness and different qualities of each person(make projections to your own social environment. These children are studying in one of the "best" schools in the country, which strictly relies on traditional education methods but their life starts to change and their identities to vivified when a new teacher, Mr Keating who is a former graduate from the same school, starts lecturing there.. The rest is for everyone's taste and I can assure you that no matter who you are or where you live, you will find something from yourself in this movie. Don't miss it.

OVERRATED!!!!

Dead Poet's Society is beautifully filmed. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say for it. Rebellion is a good thing when it's directed towards a meaningful purpose (advocating free speech, protesting an unjust war, etc.) However, the rebellion pictured in Dead Poet's Society is just rebellion for rebellion's sake and doesn't have anything meaningful to say. The kids in "Dead" get together to read poetry and little else. That's it. There's no greater cause other than "seizing the day." Robin Williams, as the teacher, doesn't direct his student to do anything worthwhile with this rebellious spirit -- just being rebellious should be enough. The characters are cardboard cutouts ... Williams and the students: good; the school administrators, parents and students who cooperate with the administration: bad. It's so manipulative that when the climax of the film began, I just knew the student were all going to stand on their desks to show solidarity with Williams' character. Sure enough, they did. Ho-hum. Filmmaking by the numbers. Just a clue: If you're going to make a film about rebellion, give your characters something worthwhile to rebel against.

I went to the wood...

"I went to the wood because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived..........."

The film Dead Poet's Society is based on the novel by Nancy H. Kleinbaum and brilliantly produced and directed by Peter Weir. He has chosen the best actors as possible, for example Robin Williams as Mr. Keating, a man full of enthusiasm, full of energy and also able to catch the pupil's attention, who encourages his students to seize the day and make their lives extraordinary by following the motto "carpe diem!" This is a stark contrast to the conservative boarding school and especially the headmaster Mr. Nolan a typical representative of a very exclusive and traditional boarding school. He is narrow minded and treats the students like little soldiers. Discipline and conformity are the most important things for him.But the students try to become individuals and try to go their own way although this is exactly not what Mr. Nolan wants the boys to be. And this is the film about. The vigourous problems between some boys and their parents (because of their attitude against individualism) because they don't follow the parents guidelines and the parents and teachers problems with Mr. Keatings kind of teaching
As well as Robin Williams, the boys are all likeable and big-hearted. The story leaves the audience thoughtful and makes one think about the important things in life. It's a story of fighting against the familiar world and the break with it. The closer feeling to the character is fantastic, also the identification especially that with the boys. However, the end is unfortunately surprising but it inspires us to think about certain things especially our life. Neil, his father has already intended his further life and he is also one of the conservatives and strict parents, commits suicide because his father doesn't accept his wishes to become an actor and to plan his further life by himself. So Neil's suicide is his last resort.
All in all the film with it's stark contrast to the characters, the break with the familiar world and the "carpe diem" motive evokes a lot of emotions and makes the audience thoughtful. This is exactly what a good film should achieve.

What a wonderful word "Carpe Diem" is!

In the country side of New England. Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) teaches at one of the preparatory schools. He teaches poetry in a different way which impresses his students. One of his students, Neil, restarts the "Dead Poets Society" in which Mr. Keating used to belong. Members seem to enjoy themselves through reading the poetry their point of view changes a lot. Mr. Keating has his own ideals such as untraditional teaching. We think that he's very important teacher to his students. The scene which one of characters, Todd, makes a poem in front of all other students during Mr. Keating's class was most interested. For we could see his mind changing bit by bit. Perhaps this film shows us that we should find the way which we want to go. This film makes us impressed so much, and we enjoyed a lot. We'd like to recommend this film to those who are in the same generation as we. This film is one of our favorite ones ever.

Truly Moving and Inspiring

If someone has not been deeply moved and inspired by such a wonderful film as "Dead Poets Society", I really don't know what can do the trick for him/her... "DPS" was the nice surprise of the late 80s: Appeared out of nowhere (no big-time promotion, smallish budget, not-very-well-known actors at that time apart from Robin Williams) and instantly stole the hearts and minds of virtually everybody who watched it. Within a short while, "carpe diem" and "oh captain, my captain" became familiar and beloved phrases. Moreover, the film became a legend for its spirit of free-thinking and its message of "seizing the day" and managing one's destiny."DPS" is about a newly-arrived teacher Mr. Keating (Williams) into Welton, a traditional, respected, and rigid school in the late 50s. Not only is Mr. Keating himself a graduate from "Hell-ton", but he is also carrying with him a free-thinking and innovative style which is utterly incompatible with the ways the Welton pupils had been used to. The professor transmits his magic to his pupils, including among others Todd Anderson (Hawke), the shy brother of a famous Welton graduate, and his room-mate, Neil Perry (Leonard), a talented boy who is kept under the wings of an oppressive father. Mr. Keating's magic transforms his boys' beliefs and ideals, but unfortunately not all good things in life last forever...Williams is simply unforgettable as Mr. Keating, a role which for many people (including me) has been forever associated with him. What is even more striking, is the astonishing performance of all the young boys: From the then-unknown Ethan Hawke, to Gale Hansen as Charlie "Nuwanda" Dalton, and of course, to Robert Sean Leonard as Mr. Keaton's star pupil, Neil Perry.This is a movie everyone should watch: It may have no dazzling shoot-outs and special effects, star actors and sexy actresses, and all the other usual Hollywood block-buster elements, but it is one of those films that you never forget. 10/10.

Pound

This movie was alright but some of the parts were very interesting.In the beganing of the movie mr.k was trying to teacher something that I did not know about until I look at the movie.He was teaching poety that you would not find in a poet book.He was a teacher that taught kids that poet came from the heart.In the movie mr.k used great teaching skills to keep the students intersted in poety. Last but not least which i think was the best thing in the movie was he taught young boys how to stick up for themselves.

Breathing Life into School

`Dead Poets' Society' feels like a classic from start to finish. The movie finds Robin Williams in a break-out role that transcends his earlier, comedic work. Which is not to say he isn't funny at times in this movie; it's just that he's more well-rounded. If we didn't care about the poor lads at Welton Academy, the whole film would fall apart. A boarding school with the highest academic standards, Welton is presented as the epitome of 1950's conformity and convention.

It all begins when alumna, John Keating (Williams) replaces a deceased English professor at the aforementioned school. It's school motto is "Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence". It lives up to the standards, even if the emotional needs of the all-male institution don't seem to be met. Keating comes into the classroom, tearing at the textbook--literally, as well as metaphorically--while giving a context and a passion to find the meaning of poetry in their young lives. Digging out his old yearbook, they discover he was a decorated academic figure with a colorful past: He belonged to "The Dead Poets' Society," a secret, male-bonding organization off the school's extracurricular path. Wanting to emulate their "Captain, My Captain," as he takes from Walt Whitman, they reinstate his contraband club by skirting curfew and meeting in their teacher's former lair, a cave, where they perform pagan rituals of passion and enjoyment. Of course the whole affair is bound to bump heads with tradition and the administration, but the developments admirably keep our studied interest.

While columnist George Will has stated objections to the movie, noting that gratitude back then was higher and the tragedy presented in the film was far lower, the main mentor is a mouthpiece of caution. Good judgment is part and parcel to enjoyment of life. Who then can argue that pursuing one's passion is the goal and impetus to avoid making life "a life of quiet desperation," as he quotes Thoreau? In a separate column, Will did argue that the fifties weren't "The Dark Ages" they have been reported to be, significantly citing the advent of Alan Ginsberg, a Beat Poet, as his evidence. Nevertheless, 'Dead Poet's Society' supports a vision to grab the gusto in life and jealously guard one's dreams. Even though the actual cave scenes sometimes leave something to be desired, they are important for the development of the flow and the plot of the movie. They certainly are genuine. Making poetry a living art to try and match the soul is work of a real mentor. Even taken with a grain of salt, the movie's message is convincing and important.

Review of Dead Poets' Society

The film "Dead Poets' Society" was very interesting for me. It showed a very conservative boarding school in the USA in the 50s. It was a very difficult life for the students. Today the students have more rights than in the past. The actors played the roles of Mr. Keating, Neal and his friends very well.

A Truly Great Film

Dead Poets Society is a truly great film. If you want a film where you can sit back and just watch without thinking, then do NOT see this film. However, if you wish to see a film that shows us to never underestimate ourselves and to always strive for the best, this is the film for you. Robin Williams delivers one his best dramatic performances in a film where he teaches his students that nothing is impossible if they "Carpe Diam." If you wish to view an intellectual film that inspires you to achieve, then do yourself a favor and go see this film.