Sunday, March 13, 2011

#316: Dead Poets Society

Directed by: PETER WEIR
1989, TSPDT Rank #741

Peter Weir is a director of whom I have been largely unaware of up to this point. However, this will not be the case after seeing Dead Poets Society. It's basically a top-tier artistic film with mainstream sensibilities and fairly widespread appeal. As much as I (usually) like Robin Williams, most of his roles fail to break out of his comedian persona and become something more. This film definitely proves an exception, and this performance, along with his strong performance in Good Will Hunting, will cement his place in film history. I think the film itself earns its place as one of the great youth-centered films. It is inspirational in its message against the disease, still plaguing today's youth culture, that is conformity - at times heavy-handed and sentimental in its approach, but not as much as you would expect. The cinematography is brilliant, and draws on the film's poetic, serene, nostalgic, and haunting aspects. I could say a lot more on this film, and although it's not perfect, it's definitely worth checking out.

(Rating: 9/10)

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