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IMDbPro

Dead Poets Society

  • 19891989
  • PGPG
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
481K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
638
69
Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989)
In the mood for tears? Whether you want a happy cry from 'Rudy' or a fast cry from 'Up,' we've got the perfect list of all the movies you should watch ASAP.
Play clip1:48
What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
8 Videos
99+ Photos
ComedyDrama
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
481K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
638
69
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • 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
    • 752User reviews
    • 116Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
    Top rated movie #209
    • 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
    Interview 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 Keating
    Robert Sean Leonard
    Robert Sean Leonard
    • Neil Perry
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Todd Anderson
    Josh Charles
    Josh Charles
    • Knox Overstreet
    Gale Hansen
    Gale Hansen
    • Charlie Dalton
    Dylan Kussman
    Dylan Kussman
    • Richard Cameron
    Allelon Ruggiero
    Allelon Ruggiero
    • Steven Meeks
    James Waterston
    James Waterston
    • Gerard Pitts
    Norman Lloyd
    Norman Lloyd
    • Mr. Nolan
    Kurtwood Smith
    Kurtwood Smith
    • Mr. Perry
    Carla Belver
    • Mrs. Perry
    Leon Pownall
    Leon Pownall
    • McAllister
    George Martin
    George Martin
    • Dr. Hager
    Joe Aufiery
    • Chemistry Teacher
    Matt Carey
    • Hopkins
    Kevin Cooney
    Kevin Cooney
    • Joe Danburry
    Jane Moore
    • Mrs. Danburry
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    Lara Flynn Boyle
    • Ginny Danburry
    • (scenes deleted)
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writer
      • Tom Schulman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    8.6
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    Storyline

    Edit

    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 reviews752

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A powerful antidote to conformism
    There are certain films that get under your skin, never to come out. They change your life, subtly altering your perceptions of reality, almost always for the better.

    Dead Poets Society is one of those few films.

    I saw the movie back when I was in High School. I had a teacher who told us that we really needed to watch it; in fact, it was our "homework" for the day. We didn't need to bring back a report, or talk about it in class. All he asked from us was to watch it, make up our own mind about it, and that was it. As you can imagine, many friends of mine didn't watch it at all; I did. And yes, I feel I changed a bit from there on.

    Back when you are young, you never really stop to think what in the world you are doing with your life. You simply live for the day, hope your grades will be enough to pass, and that's it. Long term thinking involves maybe flirting with a girl. Nothing more. What this film showed me was that we have the responsability and the joy of being alive in this planet. That we are dust, and we will go back to it, so we have precious little time to make a difference. That we have a moral obligation to "seize the day, and make our lives extraordinary" (my favorite quote in all movie history). That the world, basically is ours. That the only limitations are within ourselves, and that we owe it to us to fight, to rebel against conformity, to change what we hate and keep what we love. That living in this world is a beautiful responsability, and that only cowards dare not to change it for the better.

    The fact that the cast was basically my age, and was passing through the same dilemmas and situations I was facing made it all so much more powerful.

    So here I sit, 12 years from that day. I still don't think I have seized the day completely. But I keep on trying; I always will. I wonder how many people were transformed by this gem of a movie; I hope many.

    10 out of 10. A definitive masterpiece.
    helpful•946
    43
    • fjhuerta-2
    • Aug 22, 2001

    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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