Dead Poets Society

[Volya]

Anyone seen it? It's pretty relevant to the site :p Not only that, but it is also a fantastic film, I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it :D
For those of you who have seen it, what were your thoughts on it?

[Charles Darnay]

As a person who enjoys good movies, I love it evey time I watch it.

As a person who is part of the field of education, particularly English: I think it is an unrealistic portrayal of the way education works that have led quite a few teachers down the wrong path.

[Volya]

If you don't mind me asking, what specific part of the education show in it do you disagree with? I can sort've understand why it would be a bad method, because throughout the film he doesn't really appear to actually teach them 'English' as it were.

I do think it is very important that children are taught to think for themselves, and the ideas that Keating teaches them are all very important.

[Charles Darnay]

Critical thinking is certainly a valuable lesson, but the film overplays it. It is not so much that Robin Williams teaches them valuable life lessons, but the whole film is an exaggeration on the theme of "carpe diem." You can argue that "yes, it's a movie, it's not supposed to be real. People don't have to act in a movie the way they would in reality" and that is fine: that's why I love the movie. But there was a time when it was held up as a pillar of teaching - that all teachers should aspire to be Robin Williams - this is not so.

In moderation, these hyperbolic displays work and have a great effect - in moderation. Too much and you lose your students.

[Buh4Bee]

Just throwing in my 2 cents about my opinion of the movie:

From a social stand-point, this is a great movie on several levels. The movie explores the message of "be yourself" in a society that greatly values family tradition and social status and the dangerous implications of what this means. It looks at the teaching profession, specifically Keating, as a scapegoat. But the real question we come to is that is this problem of suicide a larger societal issue?

[JBI]

I didn't like the movie, but they use poetry in a unique cute way, I must add.

As for the film, they are showing it to the Chinese kids now in the English class where I study (I do not attend this class because of the obvious reason that I am more articulate than the teacher). The guy invited me to watch, but I said I could not be bothered.

It seems such an icon of education, but my problem is education-related cinema generally tends to be weak. The closest to a good one I have seen has been The History Boys, but the homoerotic overtones overtook much of the satirical charge of the movie.

[Clopin]

It's okay I guess. I watched it once when I was sixteen and didn't take much from it.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I didn't like the movie, but they use poetry in a unique cute way, I must add.

As for the film, they are showing it to the Chinese kids now in the English class where I study (I do not attend this class because of the obvious reason that I am more articulate than the teacher). The guy invited me to watch, but I said I could not be bothered.

It seems such an icon of education, but my problem is education-related cinema generally tends to be weak. The closest to a good one I have seen has been The History Boys, but the homoerotic overtones overtook much of the satirical charge of the movie.

Did you really say, "I can't be bothered"? I hope so. That's be just so, well, you.

As to the movie, never saw it. Know a ton of English majors who love it. Have no desire to watch it.

[Clopin]

Also I don't really think that you can teach people to think for themselves.

[Volya]

an icon of education, but my problem is education-related cinema generally tends to be weak. The closest to a good one I have seen has been The History Boys, but the homoerotic overtones overtook much of the satirical charge of the movie.

The History Boys is pretty good (it was originally a play you know, we studied it in English xD ). There's more than just 'overtones' of homosexuality xD

[phoenixtears]

I watched the movie a few months back and liked it a lot actually. The methods adopted by Keating may be exaggerated because of it being a movie as has already been mentioned but you can always take lessons from a good movie leaving the exaggeration. The freedom given by Keating to his students is something that I've never seen happen at my school. I think our schools exaggerate on discipline which is not the right way to go. The same things can be taught giving the students a bit more freedom which I reckon can make the learning process more comfortable.