How does the director of "Dead Poets Society" prepare us for the suicide of Neil Perry in the preceding scenes?
"Dead Poets Society" deals with the angst of growing up in a public boys' school, with the typical themes of pressure to achieve academically and the themes of rebellion featuring heavily. Several young boys' worlds are changed forever when Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) arrives at their school. The director of the 1989 film, Peter Weir, utilises a variety of techniques to subconsciously signal to the viewer that all is not well in the Perry household. Through these techniques, it becomes evident that Neil is unhappy with life. This triggers the assumption from the viewer that he will commit suicide.
This section of the film focuses on the important return of Neil to his home after the play. The entire sequence is set in the father's study.
Weir utilises the camera efficiently while filming the characters to reflect their relationships. Their body language is also essential as this implicitly reflects their stance within the situation and secondly it suggests the archaic nature of the family's lives.
The entrance of Neil and his Father conveys tension within the study, with no ambient sound or music, the scene effectively evokes emotion within the viewer. One is then concerned for Neil's welfare. When Neil, his mother and father are all present in the study, Neil's father stands tall while Neil is seated. This difference in height suggests that the Father is in control, while it could also suggest that Neil is less of a person in calibre than his father. However, I believe that the positioning reflects Neil's suppression; which is also conveyed through his body language later in the scene where his shoulders become less pronounced and he withdraws into the foetal position.
Mrs. Perry resides in the background where she remains out of focus for the majority of the scene. She is positioned between Neil and his father. This suggests that she is unimportant within the situation and possibly in the family. It could also suggest that her view on Neil's withdrawal from Helton School lies between her family's opinions. This is possible as she later seems to empathise with Neil. However, it is more plausible that Neil's mother is inconsequential, which is reflected both through her being ostracized from the discussion, and also that this reflects the archaic nature of the household.
Neil's suppression, and the fact that his Father has expressed his wish for Neil to attend Military School, leads to an insurgent outburst in which Neil confronts his Father. This follows his Father's speech in which Mr. Perry uses a variety of pronouns to express the disparity between Neil and his father's lives. When Neil is told that he has opportunities his father never had, I think this invokes guilt within Neil. The combination of these factors leads to Neil's withdrawal into his chair, into the foetal position. I think this represents the inauguration of Neil's contemplation of ...
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Neil's suppression, and the fact that his Father has expressed his wish for Neil to attend Military School, leads to an insurgent outburst in which Neil confronts his Father. This follows his Father's speech in which Mr. Perry uses a variety of pronouns to express the disparity between Neil and his father's lives. When Neil is told that he has opportunities his father never had, I think this invokes guilt within Neil. The combination of these factors leads to Neil's withdrawal into his chair, into the foetal position. I think this represents the inauguration of Neil's contemplation of suicide. At the end of the scene, Neil's mother kneels down behind him and smiles softly. I think this is suggesting to the viewer that his Mother does not wish him to attend Military school.
This idea is maintained in the next scene in the parent's bedroom. Mrs. Perry is sitting on the bed, her back to the camera and Neil's father. Again, this could suggest that her views differ greatly from those of Mr. Perry. Weir utilises props and colour in this scene to convey the general atmosphere of the house and to also subtly express the views of Neil's parents. The initial camera shot that the viewer witnesses is of the pure white bedroom, which conjures imagery of good and heaven which could be linked to the state of mind that Neil was in after his performance. Neil's father is wearing a black evening gown, which links back to the preceding scene where he is wearing a black tie. As Neil's suppressor in this section of the film, it is fitting that he is wearing this colour, as black evokes imagery of evil and suppression. It also conjures sadness, with black featuring heavily at times of death, especially funerals. Could Weir be preceding the death of Neil Perry through his father's attire? I believe so. When the symbol of suppression, black, is removed, a window of opportunity opens for Neil where he is free from conventionality. The audience should then proceed to ask the question: "Surely Neil will take this opportunity to liberate himself from this torture?"
Upon entering bed, Mrs. Perry sniffs and begins to cry. The response from Neil's father is "It's gonna be alright." This evokes that he is arrogant and believes that simply because he wishes for Neil to be withdrawn from Helton, that Neil will conform with no questions asked and no further confrontation. This conceit suggests that Neil's suppression has not simply been recent, but has been long term. However the most instrumental part of the scene is when Mr. Perry places his slippers onto the floor. He does so in such a notable manner. He places his slippers equidistant from each other and perfectly aligned, ready for the morning. The camera zooms out and the scene ends with the view of the slippers. This conveys and implies a sense of control and it is this traditionalism, this conformity that Neil so desperately wishes to escape. The combination of the suggestion to the viewer that Neil's father will not change his mind on his decision (shown through his response to Neil's Mother); and the conveyance of conformity within the Perry household leads to the first main assumption that Neil may not wish to stay in this environment. This also invokes an emotive response from the viewer, making them commiserative of Neil's situation.
The contrasts of Neil's options in life are continued in the next scene. On his bed lie his possessions; pyjamas, clothes and a toilet bag; all neatly folded and arranged. On his bed-side table stands a model plane, facing the window and tilted upwards. Neil briefly touches his possessions, but rapidly withdraws. The fact that all of these items are laid out on his bed suggests that his parents presume him to put on his pyjamas and do what is expected of him. The fact that Neil does not abide, contributes to the viewer's realisation that Neil is not comfortable with his surroundings and wishes to abscond from them.
Neil moves towards the window, in the same direction as the model aeroplane. Could these movements suggest that Neil is going to 'fly away' from home? I believe so, as Neil proceeds towards the window. He stands adjacent to it as he removes his clothes. We only see his silhouette projected onto the wall. This could imply that Neil has now been reduced to a mere shadow of his former self through the suppression of his real ambitions. However I believe that the shadow reflects his pure self. The removal of Neil's clothes conjures imagery of the shedding of the life that he no longer wants to live. His clothes were probably purchased by his parents and therefore the removal of them implicates a separation between the parties. This progression conjured by the removal of Neil's attire could cause the audience to assume that he is progressing to another life, whether in a spiritual or physical sense.
Neil places his crown from the play onto his head. This conjures both connotations and denotations. It is obvious that the crown is a symbol of rebellion, as Mr. Perry did not want Neil to participate in the play. However, if we recall Neil's parents' bedroom, the symbols of the shackles of suppression have been removed. So when Neil adorns his crown, one would expect that he must be contemplating how he will escape from this dire situation. With the opening of the window, the audience's heart rates are propelled through the roof as the assumption that Neil will leap out of the window surfaces in their minds. Yet when the crown is removed, it is conveyed that Neil cannot bear to stay with his family, but he can neither take the life of freedom, hence the removal of the crown. He must therefore find an alternative. The viewer is then puzzled as to what must happen next.
Weir utilises the next scene as a transition between the bedroom and the study, but in a spiritual sense, it marks the transition between life and death. He uses fragmented images to confuse the viewer up until the point before Neil's death to excite us and to maintain our interest in a key point in the movie. The scene contains no ambient sound, only music. This aboriginal theme runs up to Neil's death and emphasises the now slow speed of Neil's movement. This could possibly be thought of as Neil's heartbeat slowing down before his departure. Weir effectively shoots this scene with the camera placed above Neil as he descends the staircase into the study. This suggests that he not only is he returning to the setting of a previous feud, but that he is descending into something different, something bad.
A series of disjointed and fragmented images then appear. Body parts, a key and an item wrapped in cloth finally conclude with Neil's full body being shown, sitting at the desk. Those who may know American culture will immediately realise that the item in cloth is a gun, and without showing it, Weir has effectively suggested the death of Neil is inevitable. The camera finally zooms out, as Neil stares into space, the audience know it is time to say goodbye, and the bang of the gun sounds.
Peter Weir utilises a variety of film techniques to precede the death of Neil Perry. The use of sound, colour and props prove to be successful but the most effective technique, I think, is the use of body language. Through the character's movements and positioning, countless things are suggested, but the viewer is made to conjure their own interpretation of the scenes.
Nik Haggerty 10MWY
