Dead Poets Society Film Review

By Caroline Zuba

To be taught to stand on your own is the greatest gift a student can get. Education serves a tremendous good in exercising the mind, but is fruitless if the educated cannot stand in the face of opposition and be able to argue for what they believe in. Dead Poets Society reminds the individual of the power that self-awareness and self-worth have.

Newly-hired teacher Richard Keating, played by the late, charismatic Robin Williams, walks into the classroom at the strict all-boys school Welton Academy. His students are aghast when he dared them to refer to him as ‘O Captain! My Captain!’, an echo of the Walt Whitman poem. They are shaken when he brings them outside of the classroom to photographs of former Welton students to demonstrate the idea of ‘carpe diem’ (Latin for ‘seize the day’).

His unconventional teachings resonate with the story’s focus group of friends – the promising group leader Neil Perry, shy Todd Anderson, people-pleaser Richard Cameron, rebellious Charlie Dalton, Steven Meeks, and Gerard Pitts. Despite warnings from headmaster Nolan, Keating continues to encourage the boys to look at the world in different perspectives, and, using a quote from Walden, has the boys stand on his desk to look out at the classroom.

The boys eventually discover Keating’s role in an illicit club during his time at Welton. They restart the Dead Poets Society, and meet in the forest surrounding the Vermont boarding school. Together, they read aloud poetry and prose they find speaks to them, and they proudly share their personal works. It is here that viewers begin to cheer for the boys who are learning to be themselves, but it is also here that the boys begin to act out – notably Charlie Dalton and Neil Perry.

Following the death of a Dead Poets Society member, Dean Nolan launches an investigation into Keating. Keating is fired as his students are pressured into signing confessions blaming him for the student’s death.

Keating, at the dramatic final scene, walks into the classroom now taught by Nolan to collect his belongings. As he exits, Todd leads the boys of the Dead Poets Society in standing on their desks one by one, raising the cry of “O Captain! My Captain!” while the other classmates follow their lead.

Robin Williams gave a heartwarming performance as Keating. While a natural comedian, he holds back just enough to truly give off the appeal of a friendly yet professional teacher. Young Robert Sean Leonard gave life to a wishful character, and viewers fell in love with Neil’s passion for life, friendship, and acting. Todd Anderson, who is played by Ethan Hawke, reminds viewers of their own personal growths, and for that he is welcomed and praised as a much-needed character.

The most powerful scene filmed is the student’s death scene (who will remain unnamed here), with exquisite focus on details surrounding him. His death is also symbolic of a greater culture of academic, societal, and parental pressures to strive towards unattainable, and unwanted, goals.

The warm colors of the backgrounds lulls viewers into a sense of sad calm. Yet, what captivates the audience is the relationship between teacher and taught, between the students and their own emotions. The group of boys the audience is introduced to are individuals with personality held down by the strict, unrelenting atmosphere of their school and families. They have been taught to follow and obey.

A man who dared to be himself brought them salvation by teaching them the principles of ‘carpe diem’. He inspired them to be unapologetic, to seek out what makes them happy, to challenge the words that figures of authority demanded were seen as right and just. The audience hopes for nothing but the best for these darling characters as they grow into their own skin. It is why the death of one of the boys hits the heart so heavily – all of the boys are supposed to succeed.

The commentary on the power of art within the movie is equally powerful. Keating uses poems and prose to teach the boys self expression. In fact, the most radical and disavowed school group is a group dedicated to expression through words. Dead Poets Society makes it clear that art is a transformative experience.

Dead Poets Society stands as a reminder to be unapologetically yourself. It reminds students to resist an oppressive classroom and administration. It stands as a reminder that you can always find yourself in art or hobby. The movie is a true testament to the works that Robin Williams was a part of – daring, funny, and emotional. It holds up the premise that, as Keating fondly stated, for students it is “time to inherit the earth.”