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Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American teen drama film directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Robin Williams. Set in 1959 at the fictional elite conservative Vermont boarding school Welton Academy,it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry. Nancy H. Kleinbaum's novel Dead Poets Society (1989) is based on the movie.
In late 1988, Weir met with Jeffrey Katzenberg at Disney (which produced the movie via Touchstone Pictures), who suggested Weir read a script recently received. On a flight back to Sydney, Weir was captivated and six weeks later returned to Los Angeles to cast the principal characters. The original script was written by Tom Schulman, based on his experiences at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, particularly with his inspirational teacher Samuel Pickering. In Schulman's manuscript, Keating had been ill, slowly dying of Hodgkin lymphoma with a scene showing him on his deathbed in hospital. This was removed by Weir which deemed it unnecessary, claiming this would focus audiences on Keating's illness and not on what he stood for. Early notes on the script from Disney also suggested making the boy's passion dancing rather than poetry as well as a new title Sultans of Swing focusing on the character of Mr. Keating rather than the boys themselves, but both were dismissed outright. Filming started in the winter of 1988 and took place at St. Andrew's School and the Everett Theatre in Middletown, Delaware, and at locations in New Castle, Delaware, and in nearby Wilmington, Delaware.
Click here to watch a 1989 interview with the cast of Dead Poets Society
| Mr. Keating | Played by Robin Williams He is the new English teacher at Welton Academy and a Welton alumnus himself. He encourages his students to "make your lives extraordinary," a sentiment he summarizes with the Latin expression carpe diem meaning "seize the day." As the school year progresses, Keating's lessons and their involvement with the Dead Poets Society club encourage Neil and his friends to live their lives on their own terms. However, Mr. Keating's unorthodox teaching methods attract the attention of strict headmaster Gale Nolan. |
| Todd Anderson | Played by Ethan Hawke Shy Todd Anderson begins his senior year of high school at Welton Academy, an all-male, elite prep school. He is assigned one of Welton's most promising students, Neil Perry, as his roommate and is quickly accepted by Neil's friends: Knox Overstreet, Richard Cameron, Stephen Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton. Mr. Keating helps Todd come out of his shell and realize his potential. |
| Neil Perry | Played by Robert Sean Leonard He is Todd Anderson's roomate and is one of Welton's most promising students. Upon learning that Keating was a member of the unsanctioned Dead Poets Society while he was at Welton, Neil restarts the club and he and his friends sneak off campus to a cave where they read poetry and verse, including their own compositions. Neil discovers his love of acting and gets the role as Puck in a local production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, despite the fact that his domineering father Thomas wants him in the Ivy League (and ultimately medical school). |
| Charlie Dalton | Played by Gale Hansen Charlie Dalton, later known as Nuwanda, is a senior at Welton Academy and a member of the Dead Poets Society. He is roomates with Richard Cameron; they do not get along. Keating is his favorite teacher, and his best friend is Knox Overstreet. Charlie is a rebellious person who is unafraid to go out and pull whatever stunt he wishes. His rebellious personality gets him into trouble with the strict headmaster Gale Nolan. |
| Stephen Meeks | Played by Allelon Ruggiero Steven Meeks is a member of the Dead Poets Society and a student at Welton Academy. He and Gerard Pitts are well knownu for their self-made radio. He is smart, so his friends frequently ask for his help on schoolwork. |
| Gerard Pitts | Played by James Waterston Gerard Pitts is a member of the Dead Poets Society and a student at Welton Academy. He is frequently seen with Steven Meeks who is his best friend. He and Steven Meeks are well knownu for their self-made radio. |
| Knox Overstreet | Played by Josh Charles Knox Overstreet is a member of the Dead Poets Society and is best known for falling in love with Chris Noel, but has to deal with her ferocious boyfriend Chet Danburry. Knox is best friends with Charlie Dalton. |
| Richard Cameron | Played by Dylan Kussman Richard Cameron was a former Dead Poets Society member and a Welton Academy student. He is a tertiary antagonist of the film. Cameron is afraid of getting in trouble but decides to follow the rest of the group anyway because of his roommate Charlie Dalton. He is an avid rule follower who tries to follow what he believes is right. Cameron is very protective of him self and his reputation, as seen when he turns in the rest of the Dead Poets Society to prevent his own expulsion. |
| Gale Nolan | Played by Norman Lloyd Gale Nolan is the headmaster of Welton Academy and the main antagonist in Dead Poets Society. Before the events of Dead Poets Society, he was an English Teacher at Welton Academy. He is a strict man who expects all students and teachers to follow the school's century old tradition. He blamed John Keating for corrupting the boys' dreams with his so-call free thinking methods as well as encouraging Neil Perry to flout his father's authority that makes him want to become an actor. |
| Thomas Perry | Played by Kurtwood Smith Thomas Perry is the secondary antagonist in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society. He is the strict and tyrannical father of Neil Perry who forcefully wanted his only son to becoming a doctor, an occupation which his child doesn't want. Mr. Perry would always speak to his son in a very formal manner, never asking him about how school is going for him or how his interactions with his peers and teachers are and always demand perfection out of Neil. Most like of the other Welton students his own son is very afraid of him and hid his involvement in the school play because of his father's disapproval. He is very impatient and is unwilling to listen to his son's opinion or anyone else's except his own. |
| Chris Noel | Played by Alexandra Powers Chris Noel is a popular cheerleader at Ridgeway High, the ex-girlfriend of Chet Danburry, and the love interest of Knox Overstreet. When she went to Neil Perry's performance, she left Chet so she can be with Knox. |
| Fun Fact | Kurtwood Smith, the actor who played Thomas Perry, saw a family with a father domineering his son very much like his character towards Neil when the premiere of Dead Poets Society was playing. When the movie was over, Smith noticed the father was crying while leaving the theater. |
