Dead Poets Society
Research papers on film and the artistic elements within a film include the study of contemporary films such as Dead Poets Society. Paper Masters has film critics and art experts that can explain how Dead Poets Society fits into the category of a great film.
Dead Poet's Society is a 1989 film starring Robin Williams as an English teacher at a conservative, aristocratic boarding school who inspires in his students a love of poetry. The film was written by Tom Schulman and directed by Peter Weir, who also directed the following:
- Witness
- The Mosquito Coast
- The Truman Show
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Dead Poets Society received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the BAFTA award for Best Film.
The Setting in Dead Poets Society
Set in 1959, the story follows shy senior Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and his roommate Neil Parry (Robert Sean Leonard) at Welton Academy. Together with their group of friends, they are at first taken aback by the eccentric new English teacher, Welton alum John Keating (Williams). The students learn that Keating was a member of the "Dead Poets Society" while at Welton, and resurrect the group.
Inspired by Keating, Neil discovers a love of acting and enrolls in a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Charlie publishes an article in the school newspaper demanding that girls be admitted to Welton, and is caned by the headmaster. Events come to a head when Neil's father makes him drop out of the play. Enraged, Neil's father pulls him from Welton and announces he will send the boy to military school. Neil commits suicide, and Keaton is blamed. At the end, the students stand on their desks in defiance and thank Keaton, shouting "O Captain, my Captain!" a line from Walt Whitman.