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Dead Poets Society

  • 19891989
  • PGPG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
473K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
608
41
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
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  • Comedy
  • Drama

Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.Maverick teacher John Keating uses poetry to embolden his boarding school students to new heights of self-expression.

IMDb RATING
8.1/10
473K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
608
41
  • Director
    • Peter Weir
  • Writer
    • Tom Schulman
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Robert Sean Leonard
    • Ethan Hawke
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Weir
  • Writer
    • Tom Schulman
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Robert Sean Leonard
    • Ethan Hawke
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 740User reviews
    • 115Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Top rated movie #210
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 20 wins & 19 nominations total

    Videos8

    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 1:48
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 2:25
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:36
    'Dead Poets Society' | Anniversary Mashup
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:17
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:26
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Clip 1:48
    Dead Poets Society: Blu-Ray
    Head Back to School With These Classic Movies and TV Shows
    Full Episode 3:06
    Head Back to School With These Classic Movies and TV Shows
    When You Need a Good Cry
    Video 1:51
    When You Need a Good Cry

    Photos228

    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams and Dylan Kussman in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams and Allelon Ruggiero in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, and Gale Hansen in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
    Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
    • John Keatingas John Keating
    Robert Sean Leonard
    Robert Sean Leonard
    • Neil Perryas Neil Perry
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Todd Andersonas Todd Anderson
    Josh Charles
    Josh Charles
    • Knox Overstreetas Knox Overstreet
    Gale Hansen
    • Charlie Daltonas Charlie Dalton
    Dylan Kussman
    Dylan Kussman
    • Richard Cameronas Richard Cameron
    Allelon Ruggiero
    Allelon Ruggiero
    • Steven Meeksas Steven Meeks
    James Waterston
    James Waterston
    • Gerard Pittsas Gerard Pitts
    Norman Lloyd
    Norman Lloyd
    • Mr. Nolanas Mr. Nolan
    Kurtwood Smith
    Kurtwood Smith
    • Mr. Perryas Mr. Perry
    Carla Belver
    • Mrs. Perryas Mrs. Perry
    Leon Pownall
    • McAllisteras McAllister
    George Martin
    George Martin
    • Dr. Hageras Dr. Hager
    Joe Aufiery
    • Chemistry Teacheras Chemistry Teacher
    Matt Carey
    • Hopkinsas Hopkins
    Kevin Cooney
    Kevin Cooney
    • Joe Danburryas Joe Danburry
    Jane Moore
    • Mrs. Danburryas Mrs. Danburry
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    • Ginny Danburryas Ginny Danburry
    • (scenes deleted)
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writer
      • Tom Schulman
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His roommate, Neil Perry, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each does so in his own way, and is changed for life. —Liz Jordan <c9310494@alinga.newcastle.edu.au>
    • professor
    • education
    • suicide
    • english teacher
    • poet
    • 104 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      What attracted Robin Williams to the role of John Keating more than anything else was that he was the type of teacher he, in his school days, always wished he had.
    • Goofs
      The desk set given to Todd is packaged in shrink-wrap, invented in the 1970s.
    • Quotes

      McAllister: "Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man."

      John Keating: "But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be."

      McAllister: Tennyson?

      John Keating: No, Keating.

    • Alternate versions
      TV version shown on USA Network (and released on laserdisc) includes 14 minutes of extra footage not included in the original theatrical release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong with Battle Los Angeles in 18 Minutes or Less (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      'Water Music': Suite III in D 'Allegro'
      Music by George Frideric Handel
      Performed by Stuttgarter Kammerorchester (as The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)
      Conducted by Karl Münchinger
      Courtesy of London Records
      A Division of PolyGram Classics

    User reviews740

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Anti-conformity at its most inspiring.
    Do not go where society tells you to. Find the things you love and pursue them with every fibre of your being until the day you die. That's the message I took from Dead Poets Society. Weird, inspiring and heartbreaking, DPS is a one of a kind film and one of the reasons Robin Williams is so renowned worldwide as not just a comedian, but a remarkable actor as well. After watching this movie you'll want to change the world. Amazing!
    helpful•18
    0
    • liamkellybusiness
    • Jun 17, 2020

    FAQ1

    • when does this story take place?Fall and Winter of the 1959-1960 The Dead Poets Meet in a Cave, Where John Keating and The Original Dead Poets Met. They spend Time taking Turns Quoting Poetry. After Neil Perry Commits Suicide, It's Snowing So Winter and The Film Opens on a New School Term So Fall, and Miss October 1959 is in a Playboy Magazine in one of the cave Scenes.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 9, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Der Club der toten Dichter
    • Filming locations
      • St. Andrew's School - 350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, Delaware, USA
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Silver Screen Partners IV
      • A Steven Haft Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $16,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $95,860,116
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $340,456
      • Jun 4, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $235,860,116
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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