Dead Poets Society - catching up on another 80s classic

This is becoming a big theme for me at the moment, catching up on all those classic 1980s films that I never saw for some reason the first tie around.  With the death of Robin Williams recently a lot of people turned their minds to thinking about their favourite performances of his over the years.  It was only so long until someone mentioned Dead Poets Society, and then the fact that I had never seen it came up.  Cue uproar.

For one friend of mine this film definitely has a lot of importance, and so when we watched it the other week I was not allowed to make any comments afterwards - I think for fear I might not like it and offend.  For some reason people think that I hate every film I watch, I'm going to need to be more positive about the films I like from now on, build up a better rep.  So what better place to start than right here and right now?

Dead Poets' Society is a fucking brilliant film with an amazing performance from the late Robin Williams.  The story revolves around an American prep school, and the new English teacher creates uproar when he strays from the standard syllabus and teaches the students about his love of language.  He treats them as young men and appeals to their creative side, allowing them to flourish and find their own passion for a subject they each previously hated.  We focus on two pupils in particular, one starting at the school for the first time and a second who's father completely dominates every aspect of his life.  Each are clearly gifted in their own ways, but will they find the confidence to express those gifts before they are crushed into conforming?

The film's main character is English teacher John Keating (played by Williams), who is the inspiration we all wish we had when we were young, and we all hope we can be when we're old.  A teacher who connects with his pupils on a level they've never experienced before, who opens their eyes up to the wonder of words and language, the power that they all have to shape their own futures and to be the people they want to be simply by reaching out and grasping the opportunities the world is giving them.  It's all about conservatism versus freedom of expression, about conforming versus being yourself.  The forces of elitism at the school are as fearful of the students as they are of Keating and what he represents.  They want to impress conformity upon them as quickly as possible, to do any other than conform is to challenge the established order - unthinkable in the elitist world of a New England prep school.  So when Keating comes to the school preaching freedom of expression and thought, it is like he is preaching revolution.

The film works on basically every level it needs to.  The pupils are each nuanced characters, and though Keating is perhaps a little too perfect as the inspirational professor, that's meant to be the point - he is supposed to be the paragon we all wish we had to inspire us as youngsters. When something bad happens to one of the students it is heart-breaking.  When the film's final scene rolls around wearing its heart on its sleeve with its call to arms against elitism, you can't help being carried along on a wave of optimism for the youth of today.

This is a film that also works as a counter-point to the received wisdom of the 1980s, i.e Reaganist economics, laissez-faire and Loads-a-Money!  It's a film that says money isn't everything.  Money is nothing compared to finding beauty in words, beauty in art and most importantly beauty in yourself.  It's a film that's an inspiration.