Review of Dead Poets Society (1989) by Carocares — 17 Apr 2016

The movie takes place in a conservative elite boarding school in Vermont and is about six boys who get inspired by their English teacher to take certain risks and develop their own character: Todd Anderson a shy boy who always feels inferior to his older brother; Neill Perry a very good student whose father forbids him any pleasure so he concentrates on school; Knox Overstreet the romantic one who is in love with an engaged girl; Richard Cameron a disloyal overachiever, Steven Meeks and Gerard Pitts best friends and mischievous Charlie Dalton often tries to escape from the “prison” of the boarding school by playing tricks on the headmaster. These boys will form the Dead Poets Society throughout the movie.

The Welton Academy is a strict school, the lessons are hard and the boys do not have any chance to create individual thoughts . The new English teacher Mister Keating shows his students the beauty of poetry by giving unconventional lessons. His intention is to make them rethink their lives and what they want to achieve. He teaches them to feel poems and not to analyse them in a theoretic mathematical way. As a tribute to Walt Whitman he wants to be called Oh Captain, my captain.

When Neill finds out that Mister Keating was student of Welton and part of the Dead Poets Society. The teacher explains to his students that it was a group of boys who read poems together. The boys revive the Dead Poet Society and enjoy these moments when they cannot be caught smoking and laughing.

Meanwhile, Neill begins to act A Midsummer Night’s Dream without his father’s permission. Knox goes to a party were he gets into trouble with Chris's boyfriend because he touched the hair of sleeping Chris. Todd is troubled with Mister Keating’s homework where they must write their own poem because he is too shy to perform it in front of the classroom. Keating helps him by inspiring him with a picture of Walt Whitman. Todd invents a poem spontaneously and the whole class is impressed.

Few days before the opening performance Neill’s father finds out that his son acts without his permission and wants him to stop. Neill goes to Mister Keating who advises him to explain to his father that acting is what he loves to do. But Neill is too afraid of his father to tell him. Unfortunately, Neill’s father comes to the performance and sees his son on stage. Afterwards Neill is directly taken home where his parents tell him that he must join the Army and that he has to study medicine. When Neill tells them that this will take away ten years of his life and he does not want to do it, his father shouts at him and says that his son has to obey. In his despair Neill commits suicide while his parents are sleeping.

The Dead Poet Society is a movie that shows the beauty of poetry, love and friendship. One can understand what the boys are feeling. These boys have always been confined between the walls of the boarding school and with parents who expect too much of them. They have no chance to form their personality. The boys have often tried to escape but the lessons of Mister Keating make them feel important as an individual with their feelings and thoughts. Keating shows them the advantages and problems concerning conformity.

As Keating prefers the romantics, especially Walt Whitman, he has an optimistic view on the world and values passion. Mister Keating never tells the boys what they have to think. His only advice is: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." And this is what the boys are doing. The spectator can see how they start to enjoy lessons and question certain things even if others do not understand why. Knox risks everything when he meets Chris but he does it with passion and Neill loves acting. So they are living for themselves.

And yes even if it’s shocking: Neill’s suicide is a very important element concerning this way of thinking. Because even though they are very optimistic in general they do not want to waste their life by living in a way they hate. When Neill’s parents tell him that he has to join the army, he realizes that he would never be free. After his studies his parents would have dicided about his career, which woman to marry etc. And from his point of view this is not "Sucking all the marrow out of life”,as Mister Keating quoted from Thoreau. Neill considered that this life was not worth living anymore.

This movie shows the audience how poetry can touch and change people.

As far as I am concerned, I started to value and admire poetry in a new way. Since I have watched this movie I have even begun to read poetry in my spare time and memorize quotes I like. The six boys are all very different so everybody has one to identify with. Then we can start to reflect upon our lives and if this is the way we want to live if it makes us happy. I'm convinced that everybody wants to be or do something extraordinary.

This is definitely a movie everybody should have seen at least one time during his youth.