“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
Firstly: What the fuck.
This movie had left me nothing short of speechless. Even at 2AM in all my exhaustion; Despite the (alarming) fact that I had a class at 7 the next day, I did not look away from my screen, not even once.
I think what I failed to recognise earlier is that people like you & I have a certain expectation of coming-of-age movies, and that is the reason why we forget that these teenagers are real people. Real people who, despite their lack of maturity, are also running a rat race of their own. So that was my little woke moment while watching.
Hats off to Peter Weir. The cinematography was done tastefully, and every intrinsic detail was woven into the story such that your second watch will definitely be as or even more chilling than your first one. Here’s one for the OGs— Dead Poets Society is abundant with fan favourites from Byron, Frost & Thoreau.
Ok. I’ll cut to the chase. Without further ado,
The plot & characters
Welcome to Welton Academy, an elite conservative boys’ school and a factory churner for Ivy Leagues.
The school is governed by Headmaster Gale Nolan, a strict man who oversees Welton with an iron fist. Welton’s English teacher is replaced by Mr. John Keating, an Honours graduate.
MR. KEATING (ROBIN WILLIAMS)
John Keating. Captain of soccer team, editor of school annual, Cambridge bound. Being an alumni from Welton himself, he’s not fresh meat, and his teaching methods are unlike any other— From marching in sync in the courtyard to verses, to making the boys stare intently at the legacy left behind by the boys that graduated before them while whispering “Seize the day” in their ears. His philosophy and motto of making the most out of one’s life by leaving his comfort zone and rebelling against oppression is admired by many of the boys and they begin to look up to him.
I find this to be a concept that should be treaded with caution IMO, in which they unfortunately didn’t do so throughout the movie— There is a fine line between behaving irresponsibly to risk losing bore fruit and living life to the fullest.
NEIL PERRY (ROBERT SEAN LEONARD)
Neil is portrayed as a popular and integral part of the Dead Poets Society. Growing up in a mediocre family, his gift of intellect is prized by Mr. Perry, Neil’s father, and so Neil takes on more responsibilities than he should. However, his father goes overboard with safeguarding his personal interests and disregards Neil’s. Neil is Harvard-bound, as his father will not allow him to pursue anything else but Medicine. Apart from this, Neil also possesses a gift of acting and wants to defy his father to become an actor.
After hearing this “Carpe diem” motto coming from his English teacher, he begins to stretch limits beyond his usual conformation to Mr. Perry’s wants and wishes to take the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the upcoming play without his father’s consent.
TODD ANDERSON (ETHAN HAWKE)
Todd is not your ordinary Welton boy. While most of them are naturally skilful in most pursuits, Todd has a fear of public speaking, unlike his valedictorian brother Jeffrey. Being the most timid boy in the Dead Poets Society, his peers, especially Neil, try their best to get him out of his comfort zone to embrace his fear head-on.
I think this is primarily what needs to be said about Todd so I don’t spoil too much for you. (I’ve got some feedback about this too…)
KNOX OVERSTREET (JOSH CHARLES)
Knox is the star-crossed lover boy of DPS. Having found interest in Chris Noel, Chet Danburry’s girlfriend, he is thwarted with bad luck. After listening to Mr. Keating’s motto, Knox gets inspired to go against all odds to woo Chris despite the fact that:
- Chris may not like him back.
- Chet, whose father has an extensive history of alliance with Knox’s father, would probably beat the shit out of him if he found out.
CHARLIE DALTON (GALE HANSEN)
Charles. Nuwanda. Call him anything but obedient.
Charlie is a cheeky boy who begun the spiral of trouble in the Dead Poets Society. Being one of Keating’s most loyal followers and Neil’s childhood friend, he undeniably commits the most wrongdoings in the movie, revolting against the oppressive and traditional setting of Welton Academy.
My verdict.
You may have seen the other boys involved in the Dead Poets Society like Pitts, Meeks etc.
No, I did not forget them. I just didn’t think that they held enough influential position for a character intro. Else they’d be one-liners.
Recently, I found out that Peter Weir had deleted some scenes from the original film, they can be found here. I think that these scenes definitely needed to be added in order to build more character development in each boy. An example of this would be when Neil stays up to recite A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the play and even when Todd helps Neil out with his lines, clearly displaying and reiterating Neil’s affection for acting, as well as Todd’s depth of friendship with Neil. Dinner scene should’ve been kept too. You can differentiate their personalities even by the way they eat.
But other than this, I think that Dead Poets Society is the embodiment of a much more profound coming-of-age movie. It’s tear-jerking. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s intimate. It hits in all the right spots, and I’m proud to say that after this you’ll never want to watch Mean Girls again.
Total: 9.5/10 roses 🌹
(Shoutout to my friend Aqilah who recommended me the movie <3)
The Rosy Retrospective 