Dead Poets Society (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Dead Poets Society' is director Peter Weir's inspiring, heart-felt 1989 drama starring Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard & Robin Williams in one of his best & favorite performances. Williams plays John Keating who, in the fall of 1959, arrives at Vermont's stodgy, repressive, prestigious & conservative Welton Academy, a private all-boy's prep school, to teach English. Personifying his liberal-minded philosophy of individualism, this magnetic & unorthodox teacher tells his buttoned-up, impressionable students to seize the day {"Carpe Diem"!}, pursue their dreams, & make their lives remarkable.
Keating's passion for poetry inspires his students to revive a clandestine club {The Dead poets Society} that he led when HE was a student at this Academy yrs. ago. They gather in a nearby cave to read poetry aloud & share their innovative efforts. Among those who are most influenced by their inspirational professor are Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a shy, reclusive chap who learns to stand up for his beliefs, Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), a love-sick student who uses poetry to romance a seemingly unobtainable girl, & Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), a budding thespian who defies his strict father's (Kurtwood Smith) orders to become a doctor and, instead, plays Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Keating's fervent belief that words & ideas can change the world turns out to be all-too-true when tragedy strikes the Academy and the conservative stick-to-the-rules administration turn him into the scapegoat and, in direct response ... his best pupils then become impassioned anarchists -- cue the tears & tissues. Robin Williams would win Best Supporting Actor at 1989's Academy Awards for his performance here and, I feel it is well-deserved. Williams tones down his innate comedic antics to lend a performance of utmost humanity & powerful simplicity. Everyone impresses; particularly Ethan Hawke as the painfully shy introvert, Todd; it's a haunting performance, really; and also Norman Lloyd as the stern headmaster, Gale Nolan. Also stellar is the production's authentic 1950s milieu; boy, did I want to attend that college. And the great Maurice Jarre lends a memorable music score.
This movie honors free-thinking & non-conformity and, that is a unique theme that you don't always find in motion pictures. This story's stirring, dramatic finale should move most hearts & minds of viewers who experience it. Yes, there are sentimental manipulations abounding in Tom Schulman's script, but the cynic in me gave way to the heartfelt emotions. This film was critically acclaimed, a box office hit, and garnered several Oscar citations, including a rightful Best Picture nomination. Schulman won Best Original Screenplay for his credible dialogues and, Robin Williams - in a shock to no one - added to the already great screenplay with his own off-the-cuff dialogue. Great film. Sad film. Uplifting film. 'Dead Poets Society' has it all.
Keating's passion for poetry inspires his students to revive a clandestine club {The Dead poets Society} that he led when HE was a student at this Academy yrs. ago. They gather in a nearby cave to read poetry aloud & share their innovative efforts. Among those who are most influenced by their inspirational professor are Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a shy, reclusive chap who learns to stand up for his beliefs, Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), a love-sick student who uses poetry to romance a seemingly unobtainable girl, & Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), a budding thespian who defies his strict father's (Kurtwood Smith) orders to become a doctor and, instead, plays Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Keating's fervent belief that words & ideas can change the world turns out to be all-too-true when tragedy strikes the Academy and the conservative stick-to-the-rules administration turn him into the scapegoat and, in direct response ... his best pupils then become impassioned anarchists -- cue the tears & tissues. Robin Williams would win Best Supporting Actor at 1989's Academy Awards for his performance here and, I feel it is well-deserved. Williams tones down his innate comedic antics to lend a performance of utmost humanity & powerful simplicity. Everyone impresses; particularly Ethan Hawke as the painfully shy introvert, Todd; it's a haunting performance, really; and also Norman Lloyd as the stern headmaster, Gale Nolan. Also stellar is the production's authentic 1950s milieu; boy, did I want to attend that college. And the great Maurice Jarre lends a memorable music score.
This movie honors free-thinking & non-conformity and, that is a unique theme that you don't always find in motion pictures. This story's stirring, dramatic finale should move most hearts & minds of viewers who experience it. Yes, there are sentimental manipulations abounding in Tom Schulman's script, but the cynic in me gave way to the heartfelt emotions. This film was critically acclaimed, a box office hit, and garnered several Oscar citations, including a rightful Best Picture nomination. Schulman won Best Original Screenplay for his credible dialogues and, Robin Williams - in a shock to no one - added to the already great screenplay with his own off-the-cuff dialogue. Great film. Sad film. Uplifting film. 'Dead Poets Society' has it all.