Talk:Dead Poets Society

DPS History
hi. i am interested in finding hsitory about the dead poets society. i am not interested in history of the film but if the societal idea actually existed.

email me at cshoust@yahoo.ca


 * Did a group called (The) Dead Poets Society ever actually exist in real life? In the film, the students revive what Williams' character claims was a real organization. The film itself is, of course, fictional. However, some of the poets mentioned in the film really did exist; references to real people make it seem possible that a real DPS existed once. F W Nietzsche (talk) 23:54, 13 January 2009 (UTC)


 * DPS is fictitious. There are certainly real life examples of this sort of group (I mean, any coffee house worth its salt has a poetry night..). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jbower47 (talk • contribs) 19:15, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

Source
What is the source on the alternate ending cited? JamieJones talk 21:18, 1 July 2006 (UTC)


 * it's cited in "Trivia & Goofs" section, so why is it mentioned twice? Yiyun 00:25, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Removed phrase
"* The film has become standard viewing for many high school English classes in North America, popularly on how the J.D. Salinger novel "The Catcher in the Rye" has influenced modern literature and cinema. "
 * I did not understand your intent of this sentence. Please correct it.  JamieJones  talk 04:21, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:D p s.jpg
Image:D p s.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 21:54, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Australian cinema?
Why do the banners state that this is part of Australian cinema? It is an American film, made and set in the United States; the cast are American. Does the fact that the director is Australian really make it part of Australian cinema? Surely it is part of American cinema. F W Nietzsche (talk) 23:48, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It would be because the director Peter Weir is Australian. But, yes, it is an American film. StaticSan (talk) 12:36, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

Synopsis
There is far too much interpretation in the synopsis, claiming to know what the characters are feeling. This should be a factual summary only. DJ Clayworth (talk) 15:12, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
 * The synopsis is not very accurate, very disjointed, and does not describe the events of the film in chronological order, but darts back and forth. For example, the boys do not “discover” Keating went to the school - they are told that in the opening address by the Head Master, when Keating is introduced to staff and students. Likewise, Knox has met and fallen for Chris before the poetry writing assignment and before the Head Master has his talk with Keating, but the synopsis makes it appear that it happens after (Knox has in fact seen Chris twice by then - once at the dinner, and once when she is cheer-leading). Jock123 (talk) 12:28, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
 * There's probably room for improvement there, and I'd recommend being bold and making the changes, keeping in mind the guidelines at WP:FILMPLOT. That said, if the only concern is that the summary isn't in chronological order, it is considered preferable to relate the plot in a sequence that's easiest for a reader to understand; we shouldn't put the events in chronological order if that will make the synopsis harder to follow. Cheers. DonIago (talk) 12:42, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
 * The synopsis infers many things not supported in the film, which I just watched. Given the amount of editing going on in this article, I'll hold my edits. Meheller (talk) 18:43, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

Sources and inspirations
I removed the following from the article and bring it here for discussion:


 * The introductory essay that Keating has his students read from their poetry textbook near the beginning of the movie is similar in some respects to chapter 15 of Laurence Perrine's (1915–1995) Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry.

There is no clear indication that this is relevant, only a vague claim that it is "similar in some respects." This is not adequate. We need a reference showing that this is the text used in the film or was the source or inspiration. ---  RepublicanJacobite  The'FortyFive' 22:14, 16 August 2010 (UTC)

Touchstone Pictures
This film was indeed distributed by Touchstone Pictures. I do not know where the idea came from that this claim is vandalism. ---  RepublicanJacobite  TheFortyFive 01:45, 4 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I just reverted myself on this matter. If I had been paying closer attention, I would have seen what was going on, and why Lambiam made the edits he did. ---  RepublicanJacobite  TheFortyFive  14:01, 4 June 2012 (UTC)

Soundtrack
What is the source for the information in the soundtrack section? It does not match the soundtrack information on IMDb, and no source or any other information is given. If it is not sourced, it should be removed. --- The Old Jacobite The '45  13:28, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Knox, not Todd
The recent edits to the plot are incorrect. It is Knox who goes to the Danbury's house and subsequently falls in love with Chris, Chet Danbury's girlfriend. Todd never has a love interest in the film. ---  The Old Jacobite  The '45  16:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 3 one external links on Dead Poets Society. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20131021043753/http://www.daviddidonatello.it/english/schedaanno.php to http://www.daviddidonatello.it/english/schedaanno.php
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20101120181108/http://dga.org/index2.php3 to http://www.dga.org/index2.php3
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20141013141322/http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/23935 to http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/23935

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 17:43, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

Removal of Category
Recommend removal from the category "Films about school violence". The gripping scene was where the character committed suicide. He did it to himself. He did not threaten his fellow students, teachers, or family members with violence, nor did the school turn into a standoff, as what happened in Taps. Any insight why it is in the category in the first place? USN1977 (talk) 02:24, 22 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Not accurate at all. ---  The Old Jacobite   The '45  17:12, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

Keating the Anarchist?
My edits have been reverted, and I am not one to get into an edit war. Referring the trouble Charlie got into, he gave the Dead Poets Society the reputation as anarchists when he used its name to challenge school policy. Keating is blamed and warned that he should not question authority. When Charlie and the other boys are disciplined, Keating uses his humor to gently reprimand the boys, saying his "carpe diem" method does not mean no order or discipline, and also warns "if God is calling, see if it is collect". Keating may at first appear to be disregarding of all authority, but as the film progresses it is shown he never advocates for the boys ignoring or challenging their superiors. Another example when he tries to smoothly resolve Neil's friction with his father by telling him he is serious about drama. Any insight is welcome. USN1977 (talk) 14:37, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
 * I don't remember the specifics of the film all that well. However, there's criticism of the film and its themes, such as this article in The Atlantic.  Perhaps this would be useful in highlighting some of the points you wish to raise. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 16:56, 31 October 2016 (UTC)

I believe that the film wants to show that there is another method of teaching than the official. In all countries the fathers want their sons to study engineering or medicine, not literature. Neil wanted to study drama and his father disappointed him. However the suicide didn't fit the film. Maybe it would be more reasonable to fight with his father.Jestmoon(talk) 16:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

Location
Stirring to see that the filming location is the same as a key 42 minutes of screentime. Isnotidisnotid (talk) 20:04, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Dead Poets Society. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140221144748/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1990-1999/62nominees.html to http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/1990-1999/62nominees.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 03:05, 7 September 2017 (UTC)

Queer Subtext
Dead Poets Society is arguably one of the most famous examples of queer subtext in movie history. Now queer subtext in this case refers to two male characters having a relationship that appears to be more than just friendship, even if not explicitly stated in the film and instead shown through scenes and actions in the movie. This subtext exists because the movie takes place in the 50’s, in which homosexuality was still criminalized and people could not be out and open. Dead Poets Society also came out in the 80’s, when studios were less willing to produce movies that centred around queer characters. Now this subtext is shown when Todd, who’s known Neil for weeks, is more distraught about his death then his friends whom he’s known for years. Their relationship being more than friendship is also shown through various scenes between the two, in which they display feelings commonly only expressed by those who like each other in a romantic way. Neil’s fathers disgrace about his son being an actor is also thought to be a metaphor, with his father really disapproving of his sexuality. Andie.vs (talk) 03:34, 23 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Do you have sources that have discussed this? If not, it's an interesting interpretation but original research. Cheers! DonIago (talk) 18:27, 23 December 2021 (UTC)


 * I thought that “talk” was just a column for people to add like fun facts and stuff. I’ve seen other articles where it is just used as sort of like an extra column for fans, and this is the first I’ve seen it used for actual edits or stuff like that instead of movie interpretation/common fan knowledge, sorry! Andie.vs (talk) 05:31, 4 January 2022 (UTC)


 * No worries! Talk pages are intended for discussing the pertinent article and how it can be improved, but yes, sometimes other stuff finds its way there, though it's also okay to delete Talk page content that isn't related to improving the article, per WP:TALK. Happy editing! DonIago (talk) 16:18, 4 January 2022 (UTC)