Dead Poets Society, a movie released in 1989, is set in Welton Academy, an academically rigorous all-boys high school with conservative attitudes that are reflective of its 1959 setting. In the film, we enter the lives of Neil Perry and Todd Anderson, two graduating seniors and roommates. Neil, a charismatic leader with a passion for acting, is unable to pursue acting because of his father. Todd, a timid student who has lived his whole life in his talented brother’s shadow, searches to express himself. These two are inspired by their newly-hired English teacher, John Keating, whose love for Walt Whitman’s poetry, insistence for independent thought, and dry humor serves as the catalyst for the film’s plot.
In Keating’s first lesson, he instructs his students to tear the introduction of their textbooks out, calling the section “excrement,” due to its overly pretentious analysis of how one should objectively measure a poem’s “greatness.” It is in his bravado where Keating shines brightest; his unique teaching methods create questions, questions that inspire both the general audience and his students in the film. In another lesson, he instructs his students to stand on desks, proclaiming that “just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way.” Keating prompts his students to question accepted authority and find passion, all while encouraging a general love for poetry. Keating’s teachings, done in the narrow scope of an English class, transcend generation.
The film, set in 1959, feels plausible today. Dead Poets Society’s accurate description of high-school life gives it relevancy that many older films have now lost. Welton Academy’s four pillars of “Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence” feel eerily similar to the four “core values” at IHS. The expectation and ambition to get into elite colleges and the difficult coursework loads that accompany such expectations hold true both in 1959 and 2019. Additionally, the immature and spontaneous behavior on the immaculate lawns of Welton is definitely comparable to behavior on the IHS campus.
While Dead Poets Society is the story of Neil’s struggle to become an actor, Todd’s dynamism throughout the film is perhaps its greatest plot point. Todd’s evolution from a quintessential shy boy to a passionate outspoken leader is basic on paper, but Dead Poets Society is well-crafted around Todd. His reluctance to read something out loud during class or engage in discussion even while in the company of friends feels so familiar; all of us know someone like Todd. Ethan Hawke’s performance of Todd is incredible, and Todd’s development through his friendship with Neil and teaching by Keating evokes one of the most heart-wrenching final scenes in cinema.
Unfortunately, Dead Poets Society is a couple of cuts and additions away from being a much better film. The romance that occurs between Knox Overstreet (Neil’s friend) and Chris Noel (a cheerleader from a different school) is unnecessary. It doesn’t further the plot and is not particularly well-done. Perhaps it is simply there to check off the “romance” box. In addition, the eponymous “Dead Poets Society” seems rather misused. Although it was started “to suck the marrow of life,” it eventually degrades into little more than a comedic meeting between Neil’s friends to illustrate their immaturity. Also, the lack of Keating’s character development leaves the viewer to make inferences and question his intrinsic motivation. After all, there has to be something more raw to Keating besides all the elegant Romantic prose that he continuously spouts. Dead Poets Society is a tragedy, despite all of its positive messages, and the manner in which the film deals with its most tragic moment feels insufficient. The carefully orchestrated scene of grief is barely believable, and it is pitiful that the film cannot reconcile with its tragic aftermath.
Another criticism of the film is how the film romanticizes student life. Student life is not filled with the eloquence of brilliant English teachers or the pursuit of true passion; instead, students largely exist on a survival basis, struggling to complete assignments by the due dates that always seem far too close. Frankly, our lives are methodical and usually far from passionate. While we do have artistic inclinations to pursue, existential questions to answer, and meaningful friendships to keep up, not all of that is possible within a mere twenty-four hours. When watching the film, there is a moment when Keating assigns a poem for his class to present. Unfortunately, that single instance is the only moment where the film stays grounded in a more believable reality.
For all of its faults, Dead Poets Society is emotionally gripping. It touches on moments of elation, grief, and regret from a high-school perspective in a manner that few films can match. Dead Poets Society’s greatest flaw, that it feels incomplete, is representative of its characters at both the beginning and end of the film; they still have much to grow, and Keating’s teachings seem to be a beginning. This feeling that growth is inevitable, that one will find and express one’s passions, is its greatest message, delivered best by Keating: “Life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”