Spoilerless recommendations: Dead Poets Society
My all time favourites with no spoilers at all
To my English speaking readers: since my native language is Spanish, I apologise in advanced for any mistakes that you can find in the English version of this post. Thanks for your support! 😊
Welcome to “spoilerless recommendations”. Now and then, I’ll recommend you a movie that I find essential to watch, but giving you as little information as I can, so I don’t spoil it for you, which means you’ll have to trust my judgement (which, as everyone else’s, sometimes is a good one and sometimes is not).
October has been a very intense month in terms of content and a bit sparse on recommendations in The Aesthetics Filmclub, so while we all get back into the swing of things, here’s a new spoilerless recommendation that’s perfect for this (or any other) Sunday afternoon: Dead Poets Society.
What?
John Keating is a literature teacher with unconventional methods who shakes things up at an elitist boarding school, transforming his students' lives and their way of seeing the world through poetry.
Who?
Peter Weir directs this film, released in 1989, with a screenplay by Tom Schulman, which won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Robin Williams leads the cast as Professor Keating, carrying most of the film’s weight. A young Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, and Gale Hansen, all at the beginning of their careers, round out the cast as the students.
The film got four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Robin Williams, and Best Original Screenplay (the only one they ultimately took home).
Why?
Because the screenplay is absolutely brilliant. Because Robin Williams gives one of the finest performances of his career. Because here you can see some of the best actors of their generation at the start of their journeys. Because there are few films more suited to an autumn afternoon. Because the film’s message resonates long after the credits roll. Because it has become a true pop culture icon.
