Dead Poets Society     

By Tom Keogh

Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn't fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches, but whose charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir (The Truman Show) adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father's terrible pressure on his son--played by Robert Sean Leonard--to drop his interest in theater reaches heartbreaking proportions.) Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humor, though it is all well-woven into his character's style of instruction.

Academy Awards

Dead Poets Society received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen (Tom Schulman). Dead Poets Society also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Picture of the Year (Steven Haft - Producer, Paul Junger Witt - Producer, Tony Thomas - Producer), Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role 1989: Robin Williams) and Best Achievement in Directing (Peter Weir).

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