A tremendous film of passion and independence

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2007)

A ridged boarding school nestled within the New England countryside. A promising young professor is inspiring his students using unique, if untraditional, methods. A small group of independent boys are challenging the establishment by re-instituting a secret literary society. These are the forces at work in the movie Dead Poets Society. A movie about an independent spirit caged within a structured realm. A movie about the power of learning and the passion that comes from applying what you know to what you love.
Robin Williams plays Professor John Keating a poetry teacher at a traditional male boarding school. His unorthodox methods strike an immediate chord with his students, most notably Neil Perry. Neil is the only son of an overbearing father and driven to excel. Keating's class focuses on the passion of poetry, not the mundane qualities of meter and verse. Keating's enthusiasm is contagious and leads Neil and several of his classmates to create the 'Dead Poets Society', a secret literary club that meets after hours. Such activity is against school policy. Neil is further lead to the stage and his true love, theater. He does so in knowing defiance of his father's wishes.
The conflict in this film is the very height of hypocrisy. The boarding school prides itself on raising the best young men in society. Yet the overseers are threatened by free-thinking youths. They value good grades and accolades, but shun original ideas and independent thought. While applied knowledge and excitement for learning should be embraced, the school views such activities as immature distractions from the greater goal of academic excellence.
Keating is the exact opposite. He values free thinking and expression. He encourages his students to follow their hearts and dreams. It is not that he does not value academia. We know he is an alumnus of the school and understands the rigorous standards by which all the boys are measured. But he is a firm believer that information learned can be information lost without context. As a poetry teacher, the context he gives is to understand the emotion that drives both the author and the reader. As a teacher with a love for the subject, he feels duty bound to instill that energy in his students. He succeeds admirably.
Robin Williams is a master at delivering a dramatic performance while not losing his comic edge. Known for slapstick comedy, he can tone it down when appropriate. Physical comedy is replaced with clever wit. Overblown antics are replaced with perfect comic timing. As a teacher, he is engaging, witty and funny. As a mentor to Neil, he is compassionate, insightful and supportive. The delicate balance between humor and drama that Robin Williams can bring to a role is a talent that he has perfected.
Dead Poets Society is a film with multi-faceted plot layers. We are enthralled by Keating's unique classroom instruction and the backlash unleashed by the establishment. We are intrigued by the secret Dead Poets Society and its mystical qualities. We are torn between Neil's desires to pursue acting and his father's pressures of medical school. No plot line is independent. Each one flows together with effortless fluidity.
The film gels around the central theme of passion; a passion for teaching, a passion for theater, a passion for academic excellence. Every character is passionate, even those we do not agree with. Neil's father is passionate about the road he has mapped out for his son. This is in direct conflict with Neil. Conflict leads to turmoil and ultimately to tragedy. Each character's passion and beliefs is instrumental in stoking that fire.
We applaud people with passion, as too much of daily life is devoid of it. Dead Poets Society reminds us that passion is a powerful force worth embracing. In the same way, Dead Poets Society is a tremendous film worth embracing and enjoying, again and again.