When I first saw Dead Poets Society, it wasn’t exactly like I was going into it blind. I’d seen it referenced before: I knew “Seize the day”, and I even knew the image of kids standing on their desks originated in this film. I even knew that Roger Ebert’s review was lukewarm at best.
What I didn’t know was anything else about it, the context.
When I sat down to watch Dead Poets Society for this blog, I was considerably more impressed by the film than Roger Ebert was. I found myself genuinely invested in the lives of these boys, and of their teacher, genuinely pulling for each one of them and wanting them to discover how to make their lives extraordinary. I loved Robin Williams as John Keating, and I found myself totally enthralled by his ‘classes’, even as someone who doesn’t like poetry.
With that said, I think that the film is on the average side…until the ⅔ mark.
We’ve seen this movie done before in many different ways: kids finding themselves, a child proving himself and his interests to a disapproving, strict parent, changing the status quo…and it seems like that’s the direction the film is going for a long time.
Until the ⅔ mark.
Right at the point where Neil commits suicide, the film makes a switch between standard coming-of-age-film to drama focusing on the fallout of ‘following your heart’. Until that point, it’d be easy to predict the exact moment where Neil’s father would relent, bowled over by his son’s passion or talent, but…he wasn’t. There’s no moment where the school changes how they do things. There’s no impassioned speeches by Keating to keep himself in the school, or even any of his students.
At the end of the film, it seems like a quick uprising has been quietly stifled, and all that’s left to the heroes of the story is a last moment of seizing the day, one last chance to prove to their distraught teacher that his words meant something to them. And that final stretch is what has given this film its legacy.
If not for the final third of this film, Dead Poets Society would be solid, but not ‘great’, a traditional coming-of-age story among many, but it is in this last third that Dead Poets Society takes a different approach: showing that sometimes, ‘seizing the day’ doesn’t really work out the way we want it to. It’s a mature look, one that took me aback, without compromising the message of the film: we are to always keep trying to make our lives extraordinary.
I enjoyed this film’s structure, as well as the genuine performances and heartfelt atmosphere of the whole movie. I appreciated the thoughtful, and thought-provoking tone, and I understood why it was that those images and quotes were as memorable and iconic as they were.
Dead Poets Society’s demographic is hard to pin down, but I’d say it’s aimed at the youth, a cautionary tale about those who are young and ready to break away on their own paths, but who go about it in a way that ends badly. It’s a noble goal, but the path to do so in a successful way is not an easy one. People who can identify with these feelings, whether young or old, will be able to understand this film on a fundamental level, and connect to the characters and message.
Obviously, I’m not alone here. Dead Poets Society has been beloved by many for years, hailed as an inspirational film that has changed people’s lives. It’s a classic for a reason, a compelling, grounded story that’s very good at ‘looking at things from a new perspective’, and will continue to change people’s lives as long as we value the power of words.
Personal Stats:
Favorite Character: John Keating!
Favorite Scene: Any scene where Mr. Keating is teaching the kids outside. There’s a lot of energy in those scenes that’s infectious.
Favorite Line/Dialogue: “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”
Movie Ranking: Objective 9/10, Subjective 9/10
Thank you so much for sticking with our study of Dead Poets Society! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you in the next article.
Twentieth Century Fun With Film 