Dead Poets Society: 35th Anniversary- Robin Williams Is Still The Captain

Quick Take: For whatever reason, we do really enjoy watching movies about inspirational teachers at prep schools. While peter Weir’s Dead poets Society certainly was not the first, nor the last, it has endured. it is a tough realization to think this movie only has turned 35 years old, and it is far from Robin Williams’s last performance. Perhaps that is why I enjoy this so much, is because the Captain (My Captain) here is Robin Williams.

Tasked with teaching and opening the minds of a group of young men, with cast featuring Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke, he shines in his Oscar nominated performance. There’s always a wink and a smile, with Robin, like he’s in the same childish game you are, but a sense of that infantile wonder being turned into an empathetic and wise adult is what makes him a compelling and somehow different watch in a sea of like minded films. Of course, the iconic scene with students standing defiantly on their desks shouting Captain My Captain will be used in montages forever, but the heart of the film lies in the troubles these boys face as they struggle to live up to the unrealistic expectations consistently pushed onto them.

The audio description didn’t disappoint. While this is one of my favorite films, it somehow didn’t make my DVD collection, so I definitely got a digital copy with VOD from the Apple Store. Films with Robin Williams always have a bittersweet place in my heart, as I miss his presence more than any other actor during my time with film. For more, check out my video.