Always question authority

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2017)

The conformist 50s get a look in Dead Poet's Society. Seen through the eyes of several prep school kids it's only that several of them really grasp what Robin Williams is trying to teach them that we see hope for the future.
Williams is one of those rare teachers whose unorthodox methods make him stand out. There will always two or three for me in every level of learning that I had who stuck with me. The kids at Welton Prep actually enjoy his poetry class, they even found a little private club the Dead Poet's Society and will quote Byron, Browning, and the Bard back and forth to each other.
The difference between Williams and someone like Norman Lloyd the headmaster at Welton Prep is that Lloyd sees himself as training the future membership of the establishment and he's giving them the lessons they need to get by, Williams says that his function to tell the youth to question authority. Always ask why this is so. Progress is only made by those who ask questions.
The film is mainly the story of two students in his class Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke. Leonard is a shy kid and Hawke is a popular one. But Hawke is not from a wealthy family. His father Kurtwood Smith has made many sacrifices to get him into that prep school. Hawke wants to be an actor and Williams says follow your dream. Their clash sets in motion the dramatic events of the climax.
Dead Poet's Society won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director as well. Williams got a nomination for Best Actor. Dead Poet's Society maybe set in the 50s, but it expresses a universal theme about always question the status quo until you get a satisfying answer.
Progress never happens any other way.