Dead Poet's Society

Kitanna

Kitanna

New member
Five years ago my English teacher showed us the first ten minutes of this movie so we could compare it to whatever book we had been reading at the time. So a few days ago I finally saw the movie in full and it was fantastic. I regret not watching it sooner.
Based in a time when conformity ruled and the young men in the story were expected to do exactly what their father's had planned for them and free thought was looked down on at their private school, a group of students form a club dedicted to the great poets and thinkers of the past. And even nowadays conformity is present in schools, peer pressure is ever present and pressure from parents so I really loved the message of anti-conformity in Dead Poet's Society. I was just curious what others think of this movie.
 
Yep, a truly wonderful movie that. There is a new DVD special edition coming out this week too i think. Was thinking about buying it.

tg
 
I totally love this movie, it is incredibly well done and very moving. It really makes me want to read and write poetry even though I am a scientist :), and it also makes me want to think for myself even if it goes against conventional wisdom.
 
tgraveline said:
Yep, a truly wonderful movie that. There is a new DVD special edition coming out this week too i think. Was thinking about buying it.

tg
Click to expand...
*GASP* Are you serious? Our old VHS has seen better days so if this is indeed true I might have to make a special point of buying it on my next outing.
 
I enjoyed some parts of the movie, and I agree that it is an interesting paralell to the suppression of thought in today's schools, but I ended up disliking the movie because spoiler alert! one of the boys ends up committing suicide, and I'm not sure that I like the way it is presented in the movie. He does it because his father is unwilling to let him pursue a career in acting, and instead, he wants to send him to military school. Instead of rationally discussing it, and saying "Acting is ALL I want to do, ever, I WON'T go to military school, end of story" he wont discuss it, and instead selfishly takes his own life. I realize that his parents were probably not open to a rational discussion of thier sons life plans, but anything, running away even, would surely have been preferable to commiting suicide. I don't think the movie makers tried to glamorize the suicide purposefully, but I think it could be seen that way, that some people would think that was his only option, when it really wasn't. Maybe I'm not remembering the movie accurately enough, I haven't seen it for a while. Perhaps we are supposed to see him as someone who didn't "seize the day" entirely. I'd be interested in more discussion on this topic, and any opinions from people who really like the movie.
 
The way I see it is that everyone thought Neil, the boy who committed suicide, would go places. He would be the one who would be able to do what he wanted once he was out of college. He was the one who was pushing the others to "seize the day" and all of that. And his roommate Todd was the quiet one who was probably not going to make it because no one expected him to live up to his older brother.

Watching the movie it looks like Todd is the one who will crack under the pressure, when in fact in the end it's Neil who simply can't handle it. Though suicide is never the option I think Neil's character just suffered this nervous break-down and could no longer handle his father and to him there was simply only way away from it.

Then the overbearing father feels that it is the teacher's fault and not his. So the teacher is fired and the students closest to Neil are forced under the pressure of their parents and the deans to say "yeah Mr. Keating did push Neil to disobey." Then in the end Todd is the one to "seize the day" by stnading up for Keating and standing on the desks to make a stand and all that jazz.

So what I'm trying to say, in the longest way possible, is that I think part of the ending is to show something about expectations and the role reversal of Todd and Neil. If that make sense. Neil was the one going places, the outspoken, the one to bring back the Dead Poet's Society. Todd was just the quiet one who didn't like speaking up for himself. Then the two switch places where Neil can't stand up to his father and Todd makes one last stand for Mr. Keating.

that some people would think that was his only option, when it really wasn't.
Click to expand...
Of course it wasn't his only option and any rational thinker could see that, but I think the film makers just wanted him to snap under the pressure and suffer that breakdown resulting in his own suicide. Also it's slightly more dramatic for the movie goer than him just running away. If he hadn't died then Keating probably wouldn't have been fired and Todd couldn't make his stand...
 
*** movie spoilers ***
Kitanna said:
Also it's slightly more dramatic for the movie goer than him just running away. If he hadn't died then Keating probably wouldn't have been fired and Todd couldn't make his stand...
Click to expand...
This is very true! Arguably the best moment of the movie is when Todd jumps up on his desk at the end. It could not have been accomplished without the suicide of his pal. I think the hideous reality of Neil's death is portrayed starkly enough that it wouldn't make people want to imitate him ...
 
I do see the points that you are making about the movie. Maybe I don't like it because I know people like the ones in the movie, and in real life they just make me frustrated. They go and jump into fleeting romantic relationships just because they're guys at school, and it's expected of them, and while I don't know someone who is suicidal, I do know people who are so wrapped up in themselves that they can't see anyone else. Maybe I dislike it because the end is only semi-hopeful. I realize real life is like that sometimes, but I find more hope in it than they seem to. Maybe I feel bad for them because they haven't really discovered what life is about. Maybe I just feel like going and witnessing to them. I'm not knocking your movie, that is just my opinion on it. Thanks for sharing yours.
 
What didn't you like about it specifically? (I love it by the way, Kitanna:D) Do you not like the actors/atresses, plot, the suicide, or what? I didn't know there was anything to not like about it. I thought it was great how the teacher (what's his name?) taught the kids how to appreciate poetry, and how to think outside of the box and society. Oh, do you not like poetry so you can't relate? :)
 
well i don't like the poetry i'm nbot a poetry kind of person but i also thought the plot was dumb i don't know any guy that would form a group to talk about poetry and if the guy wanted to they wouldn't tell anyone especially another guy he would get made fun of so much
 
Back
Top