First off, let's set the record straight - "Dead Poets Society" is not a zany Robin Williams comedy. In fact, it's not a comedy at all.
Oh, there are a few funny moments, and Williams manages to get in a bit of shtick here and there, but not in a dominant sense. And what's there seems to fit the character played by Williams, one John Keating, an unorthodox English teacher in a conservative prep school in 1959.a classical poet) and as he teaches his young students to appreciate the art, he also teaches them to stretch for individuality. He's interested in the emotion of poetry and the freedom of expression it represents, and he tries to instill some of that freedom in the boys who attend his class.
Of course, Keating is headed for trouble. This is a school that believes in strict tradition and corporal punishment. And as the film focuses on the boys in the class - seven of the lads in particular - it becomes apparent that Keating's influence is more prominent in the film than his actual presence. Much of the character is felt rather than seen. That fact may dismay some Williams fans initially, but it shouldn't - he is the glue that holds the film together.
The boys who are the primary central focus of the film include Neil (Robert Sean Leonard), who hasn't the strength to stand up to his rigid, somewhat psychologically abusive father (Kurtwood Smith); Todd (Ethan Hawke), who is attending school in the shadow of his accomplished brother, and whose parents are neglectful (take note of the birthday gift scene); Charlie (Gale Hansen), who takes his desire for independence to an arrogant extreme; Knox (Josh Charles), who falls in love with a cheerleader, making for a comic-tragic romance; and some other boys who are well-drawn, but who have less to do.
When the lads discover that Keating, a graduate of the school himself, once was involved in a group called the "Dead Poets Society," which met in a nearby cave and read poetry aloud, they decide to re-form the group. But, needless to say, it eventually meets with administration disapproval.
Director Peter Weir ("Witness," "The Year of Living Dangerously") and screenwriter Thom Schulman do a marvelous job of delineating the various characters so that we know each one, and though the film is a bit long (two hours, 10 minutes), given the nature of the material, and there are a few recognizable stereotypes and predictable moments from too many coming-of-age films, "Dead Poets Society" nevertheless is ultimately moving and has an ending that will leave the audience thinking as it leaves the theater.
All the performances are excellent, particularly the complex shadings of Leonard, but Williams is especially memorable. He is gentle, sincere, troubled and humorous. With each new venture Williams shows he is a remarkable talent and, though a few years ago we might have suspected otherwise, he has found a surprising number of films that have worked for him, despite his penchant for off-the-wall weirdness.
Mention should also be made of John Seale's gorgeous cinematography and the nice, subtle score by Maurice Jarre. In fact, it's just nice to have a period film that doesn't rely on rock music from the time being depicted.
"Dead Poets Society" is rated PG for (non-graphic) violence, a couple of profanities and a nude Playboy magazine photo in one scene.
(BU) PETER WEIR is best known as the director of "Witness," which is also his biggest commercial success. But in addition to "Witness," Weir has created quite a few wonderful movies since his first, "The Cars That Ate Paris," some 14 years ago - "Picnic at Hanging Rock," "The Last Wave," "The Plumber" (TV movie), "Gallipoli," "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "Mosquito Coast."
And yet, when you think about it, that's not a tremendous output for nearly a decade-and-a-half.
That's because, though he likes to work, Weir has a life outside of moviemaking and doesn't feel compelled to always have a film in some stage of production as do many Hollywood directors.
Of course, Weir is not a Hollywood director. He's Australian, and he maintains his residence there.
Still, given that 14-year period, during which Weir was a prominent member of the so-called "Australian New Wave," it's surprising that, with "Dead Poets Society," he has made only nine films, often with two or three years of inactivity between them.
Weir's pace may be speeding up a bit, however. As "Dead Poets Society" goes into theaters all over the country Friday, he is already preparing to start his next film, a comedy titled "Green Card," which he wrote specifically for French superstar Gerard Depardieu, and which will begin production in New York in January.
"I do choose carefully," Weir said during a telephone interview last week. "It's just that I try and do only things that inspire me in some way, and they're hard to find. It's no great mystery. I have a family and live in Australia and try to balance that with working.
"It takes a lot out of you and there's the danger of doing too many films, for me at least, because I could get to dislike it and lose the sense of fun I have and the pleasure I get by making a movie. I want to be careful to guard that."
As for "Dead Poets Society," Weir is mildly dismayed by some of the ads for the film that seem to portray it as a zany Robin Williams comedy, but he's philosophical about it. "I've been down that road before. That's exactly where I sat with `Witness.' The same sort of campaign, only toward the police side of the story. And I got the same answer I got about this one - `You have to get the people into the cinema first.' It's a hard argument to refuse. And from the comments of test audiences, it seems that though it isn't what they expect at first, they like it."
Indeed, "Dead Poets" opened in only eight theaters around the country last week before going nationwide Friday and it earned an incredible $42,557 per screen, a higher per-screen average than "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in its first week. And that is doubtless due to the presence of Robin Williams.
"His (Williams') ratings are phenomenal," Weir said. "They (the audience) love him. People said, `He was so wonderful, but I realized later he was not in all of the film.' "
Weir said Williams was attached to the film before he came on board, and though Williams initially might seem an odd choice for the low-key character he plays in "Dead Poets Society," Weir had met him twice before and knew there was more to him. "I saw a side moviegoers haven't seen. I liked his recklessness in trying different types of material, such as `Sieze the Day,' and I thought, `This man has a great deal to give.' "
Weir said one of the things that appealed to him about the script was that he remembered an influential teacher in his own life and realized that everyone probably has a teacher they remember with fondness, an element that gives "Dead Poets Society" an honesty he found appealing.
"Bill Neame was his name, a history teacher. I was about the same age as the boys in the film and the first World War was the subject for a final exam in our senior year. We all got out our books and he said, `No, put your books away. I want you to go to the library and come up with your own ideas. So we did. Everything we had learned up to that point was measured and I was so excited. Most kids cribbed out of the textbook, of course, but I got very excited that we could be part of the process. And he said something about our text, something that was very much like Keating (Robin Williams' character in the movie). `After all, this is just the opinion of the author.' "