Movie Review: Dead Poets Society
Shaun and Jon continue their "Super-Teacher" movie reviews with Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams as an English teacher determined to inspire his students to act on their individual passions, bringing them into conflict with the expectations of their parents and the school.
Once again, our crew of two try their hands at a movie review. Sticking with the 80s, they watched Dead Poets Society. There's not much to say here except that Jon and Shaun miss the entire point of the movie! Clearly, the Dionysian influence brought into Welton disrupted the established and successful Apollonian regime. This is an ancient struggle - the Apollonian brings upon its own disruption by attempting to harness the energies of Dionysian. Of course, in this movie Keating is Dionysus and Nolan represents Apollo.
The film establishes the reputation and the success of the school early on, and the students and parents who attend the school have chosen to go there for the reputation and success the school can pass along to the children. Keating puts this effort at severe risk. Teenagers need boundaries even if they do not know it oftentimes, but Jon and Shaun act as though Keating has attempted to do something moral even though they recognize that Keating does not really succeed with any student, except maybe Todd Anderson...maybe. What possibly could be the point, gentlemen, of teaching free thinking if one cannot even be certain that free thinking was accomplished? These guys are so disillusioned by their time trying to enforce a sensible systematic curriculum in schools, that they chase after any opportunity to undermine the established belief.
In the spirt of Dr. Pritchard Ph.D. from Dead Poets Society, let's create a chart to determine the value of any given episode. First, along the x-axis, we will chart the perfection of the podcast, measured by Jon and Shaun's ability to complete each thought, to speak clearly without fillers, and to dialogue in a register that matches the importance of the topic at hand (no excessive laughter please gentlemen). Then, along the y-axis, we will chart the importance of the topic at hand, measured by the timely necessity of the discussion. If we do so, we will get a chart that shades a box of infinitely small area as neither the perfection nor the importance of the podcast is apparent. Even if one were inclined to give some points on one or the other axis, the other axis would be infinitely small, so the box would be indiscernible from a flatline, which is what this podcast is.
Movie excerpts from Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Touchstone Pictures presents in association with Silver Screen Partners IV, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, 1989. Film.
The film establishes the reputation and the success of the school early on, and the students and parents who attend the school have chosen to go there for the reputation and success the school can pass along to the children. Keating puts this effort at severe risk. Teenagers need boundaries even if they do not know it oftentimes, but Jon and Shaun act as though Keating has attempted to do something moral even though they recognize that Keating does not really succeed with any student, except maybe Todd Anderson...maybe. What possibly could be the point, gentlemen, of teaching free thinking if one cannot even be certain that free thinking was accomplished? These guys are so disillusioned by their time trying to enforce a sensible systematic curriculum in schools, that they chase after any opportunity to undermine the established belief.
In the spirt of Dr. Pritchard Ph.D. from Dead Poets Society, let's create a chart to determine the value of any given episode. First, along the x-axis, we will chart the perfection of the podcast, measured by Jon and Shaun's ability to complete each thought, to speak clearly without fillers, and to dialogue in a register that matches the importance of the topic at hand (no excessive laughter please gentlemen). Then, along the y-axis, we will chart the importance of the topic at hand, measured by the timely necessity of the discussion. If we do so, we will get a chart that shades a box of infinitely small area as neither the perfection nor the importance of the podcast is apparent. Even if one were inclined to give some points on one or the other axis, the other axis would be infinitely small, so the box would be indiscernible from a flatline, which is what this podcast is.
Movie excerpts from Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Touchstone Pictures presents in association with Silver Screen Partners IV, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, 1989. Film.
Podcast Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / CC BY-SA