Dead Poets Society Review

Tom Schulman, reminiscing his days at the Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville), scripted this poignant story of a bunch of passionate youngsters in the fictional boarding school of Welton Academy. In his story, however, the boys are entrapped in the dictum of discipline which stifles their fantasies and kills their aspirations. While these children are disillusioned in the face of a conflict between surmounting pressure and adolescent yearnings, they are swept off their feet the flamboyance of their new teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams). Despite being an alumnus of Welton, Keating himself dismisses the stringent rules of the school and ensures that his boys develop wings to take flights of fantasy and touch their towering passions.

The concept of students with their rebellious dismissal of restrictions is quite a hackneyed one. This film does not explore this in a very innovative way either. Yet, the powerful performance from the cast and the emotional content makes all the difference.