Dead Poets Society (Special Edition)
by Peter Weir
List Price:
Our Price: $14.99
You Save: $5.00 (25%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $9.28 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ethan Hawke, Gale Hansen, Josh Charles, Robert Sean Leonard, Robin WilliamsDirector: Peter Weir
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-01-10
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Movie Reviews of Dead Poets Society (Special Edition)
Movie Review: The tragedy of the rigorous and mindless enforcement of conformity
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most inspiring and saddest movies ever made. Robin Williams stars as John Keating, an inspirational and unconventional English teacher in an atmosphere of strict conformity. The school is one that rigid, simplistic parents send their young men to, and they expect the education to be formal, complete and without deviation from the prescribed path.
Williams arrives at the school and teaches the boys the joy of breaking with the mass lockstep and thinking for themselves. A group re-forms the Dead Poets Society, where they sneak out of their dorm rooms and meet in an Indian cave and read classical poetry. It is a club like those formed by young men since they first existed, a chance for them to rebel against their restrictions and branch out into new and forbidden areas.
However, when one of the boys chooses to act in violation of his father's edicts, the father responds with an ultimatum. When the boy chooses suicide over giving up acting, a scapegoat must be found and Keating is the "logical" choice. The boys are forced to sign statements blaming Keating for the death of their friend, with some being completely shameless about it. In a touching scene at the end, the most rebellious of the boys stands on his desk and says to Keating, "Oh Captain! My Captain!", from a poem of the same name penned by Walt Whitman and dedicated to the memory of the assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Others follow his lead and only the most heartless of us can watch that scene and not generate a teardrop.
In my opinion, this is the best movie Williams has ever done; his character is forceful, imaginative, and creative and pays dearly for his excellence. As an educator operating at the college level, I know that situations like this happen more often than non-educators realize.
Summary of Dead Poets Society (Special Edition)
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. --Tom KeoghIn an age defined by crew cuts, sport coats, and cheerless conformity, he not only broke the mold ... he reinvented it. Academy Award(R) winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, GOOD WILL HUNTING, 1997) delivers an extraordinary performance in one of the most compelling motion pictures of all time. Williams stars as English professor John Keating, a passionate iconoclast who changes his students' lives forever when he challenges them to live life to the fullest and "Carpe Diem" -- seize the day! Keating's unconventional approach meets with irrepressible enthusiasm from his students, but the faculty at staid, exclusive Welton Academy prep school is, to put it mildly, not amused. Featuring a star-marking performance by Ethan Hawke and over three hours of never-before-seen bonus materials, this Special Edition of DEAD POETS SOCIETY will captivate and inspire you again and again.
Drama DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in My Favorite General Comedies
CaddyshackCHASE/DANGERFIELD/KNIGHT/O'KEE; Release date: 2007-05-15; DVD
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
EdTV (Collector's Edition)Release date: 1999-08-17; DVD
Best price: $1.59
Price in other shops:
Planes, Trains and AutomobilesMARTIN,STEVE; Release date: 2000-11-21; DVD
Best price: $5.68
Price in other shops:
A Christmas Story (Two-Disc Special Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-10-07; DVD
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops:
The Shawshank Redemption (Two-Disc Special Edition)Release date: 2004-10-05; DVD
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops:
Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Unrated Widescreen Edition)Sony; Release date: 2006-12-12; DVD
Best price: $5.20
Price in other shops:
Trading Places (Special Collector's Edition)PARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2007-06-05; DVD
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops:
Kissing a FoolRelease date: 1998-07-22; DVD
Best price: $2.44
Price in other shops:
What's Up, Tiger Lily?Release date: 2003-07-15; DVD
Best price: $49.98
Sweet and LowdownRelease date: 2000-06-20; DVD
Best price: $3.24
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
AwakeningsRelease date: 1997-09-10; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Stand and Deliver/ Lean on MeWarner Brothers; Release date: 2007-01-02; DVD
Best price: $6.02
Price in other shops:
School TiesRelease date: 1999-06-29; DVD
Best price: $4.77
Price in other shops:
A Beautiful Mind (Widescreen Awards Edition)CROWE,RUSSELL; DVD
Best price: $4.94
Price in other shops:
Lean on MeRelease date: 1998-10-20; DVD
Best price: $3.46
Price in other shops:
Patch Adams - Collector's EditionRelease date: 2002-06-11; DVD
Best price: $3.70
Price in other shops:
Stand and DeliverRelease date: 1998-11-10; DVD
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops:
The Emperor's Club (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2003-05-06; DVD
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Finding ForresterRelease date: 2001-04-24; DVD
Best price: $4.84
Price in other shops:
Mr. Holland's OpusDREYFUSS,RICHARD; Release date: 1999-08-24; DVD
Best price: $4.89
Price in other shops: