'Dead Poet's Society,' is another sensational and emotive film

SEIZE THE DAY!

‘Dead Poet’s Society,’ is a sensational and emotive film, directed by Peter Weir. It features attention-grabbing and naturalistic performances by the leading players, Robin Williams (John Keating), Robert Sean Leonard (Neil Perry), Ethan Hawk (Todd Anderson) and Josh Charles (Knox Overstreet).

The highly acclaimed film opens with the Welton Academy’s opening school mass where the strong traditions of the academy is portrayed, it establishes a high spirited and proud mood. The purpose of the mass is to give the viewers an introduction to the Welton Academy (an exclusive American school) and to a new staff member by the name of Mr. Keating. The introduction informs that Mr. Keating has taught in the highly regarded Chester school in London and also he was an honour graduate of the Welton Academy. The title of this compelling film refers to a secret club to which Mr. Keating belonged to when he was a student. The four pillars of Welton Academy, honour, excellence, discipline and tradition state clearly that this is an authoritarian school where boys are expected to conform. The presentation for the title of the film is shown using large underlined letters in a bold text. It is shown adjacent to a lightened candle against a pitch-black background. It is effectively shown this way to capture the audience’s attention and to make them curious of what is going on.

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The film, which is set in the year 1959, unfolds chronologically through the growing up of the boys at the Welton Academy. Mr. Keating, an inspirational and brilliant mentor, is engaged to teach a class of intelligent and impressionable young men. He ignores the conventional teaching procedures and inspires his students to pursue individual passions. The students access a world of ideas and creativity that changes their lives. Although Mr. Keating’s unorthodox methods delight his pupils they also lead them into troubles, which will astonish them. One of the students of the academy, Neil Perry, who comes from a professionally successful family, takes Mr. Keating’s advice to become a performer. Mr. Perry (Neil’s father) who has struggled to send his son to an expensive school, wants to see value for money. He wants his son to become a doctor but in the end he pushes him too far. As a result Mr. Keating was to blame for the consequences. The film shows the passage by an individual through a particular stage in life. ‘Dead Poet’s Society,’ is concluded very strongly with a marvelous and extremely emotional ending that shows a long shot of some of Mr.Keating’s former students standing up on their desks saluting him. By doing this the students display their gratitude and respect for their sacked teacher, Mr. John Keating.

The music of this superb film which was put together by Maurice Jarre has a powerful impact by emphasizing moods and the atmosphere of the films visuals. The sound is established by the use of rhythms from instruments such as drums, trumpets, saxophones, pianos and vocals. An excellent example of the music heard in the film was the repeated humming, when Charlie Dalton, a student of the academy, named himself ‘Wunda’ and painted his face with lipstick to look like an Indian chief of a tribe. The instruments provide a contrast of tone, colour and pitch with the dynamics altering and expressing the mood to suit a particular scene. Silence does also effectively takes place in this film because it captures the audience’s attention to what is happening on screen.

The role of Mr. Keating is outstandingly played by the talented Robin Williams who portrays his passion and empathy when playing the character. Mr. Keating is a very progressive teacher who believes there is more to learning than following a textbook. He is a teacher, who shows warmth and humour towards his students. Mr Keating is a charismatic English Teacher who uses his wit and wisdom to inspire his students to ‘Seize the Day’ and make their lives extraordinary. The character Neil Perry (played by Robert Sean Leonard) presents another excellent performance. Other characters through discussion reveal extra information about Neil. An example is shown between the trustworthy relationship of Mr. Keating and Neil Perry. This student would mostly seek answers to his problems from Mr. Keating. Through the dialogue and actions of the characters a lot of their emotions and personalities are revealed. The main characters in the film have convincingly suited and performed their roles magnificently. This film is difinetly an affirmation of the individual.

The major issue in ‘Dead Poets Society’ is the pressure among students by their parent’s expectations. Neil Perry is sympathized by viewers because he is the victim of this issue. The other important themes that are raised by the film is freedom, individuality and conformity. The membership of the dead poet’s society which changes the boy’s behavior and causes the boys defiant act at the end of the film show that they have become free thinkers and individuals.

Dead Poet’s society is a wonderful drama that is undeniably powerful and is one of the best school movies ever made. It features naturalistic performances by the cast, effective dialogue and music throughout the film and a superb scrip by Tom Schulman. All these factors have combined and the outcome is the making of a truly amazing film. This film was thoroughly enjoyed and is recommended to anyone else who loves watching great dramas.

BY KEVIN GOUVEIA.