Dead Poets Society (1989)

Oh Captain my captain

By Paul Birch 

Peter Weir had a great 1980s. This could be the understatement of the year. In the same decade he made Gallipoli, The year of living dangerously, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, and a little film called Dead Poets Society. That’s not a bad run, and few would have thought that Dead Poets would be the film that would define him. When you look at the film, and his resume, you can see why he was tailor-made to make this. A mixture of seasoned actors, and young up and comers…check. A dramatic tale that can only be told in the way someone like Weir can tell… check. Surrounding yourself with experts in nearly every field…absolutely check.

Back to the film though.

Set in 1959, Dead Poets Society is a simple story. There is really not much that happens. I mean at all. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, far from it. We get to live with the students in the fictional boarding school. We breath the air they breath, and by the end we cry the same tears. The film starts with the beginning of a school term. Parents fuss over students, with the slightest hint of the stresses that lie ahead. The soundtrack is only bagpipes. We all know the epic soundtrack by Maurice Jarre, but music is surprisingly lacking. The first small background track doesn’t even come into play until the 18th minute. When that music does come in though, it blows you away. Back to the film though.

We first meet Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) and Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) as respective parents are laying out the ground rules for the year ahead. Todd, quiet and shy, Neil, outgoing and dramatic. They instantly bond as new roommates, with Todd bringing him into the crowd of young scholars. The group itself all manage to be different enough, with a lot of work being done outside of the script. Peter Weir is well known to let his actors improvise and change things. One of the most poignant moments at the end was not in the original script (will come to that later) and he will let the camera role after a take is finished just to see what will happen. 

                          

One of the best moments in the film is when Neil and Todd are talking alone. It is Todds birthday, and the only present he has been given is the same present his parents gave him the year before. The original script had a very different, overly emotional conversation. The genius of Peter though, is that he lets his actors change things. Todd would never be that emotional, it is not how the character works. PEter Weir agreed with this, and the scene was changed to what we see now and the present being thrown from the roof.

                                  

As great as the young stars are (Josh Charles, Dylan Kussman et al) it I Robin Williams who absolutely steals every scene magnificently. Nowadays we hear how it was such a brave choice, but if you look at his cinematography, you’ll see he was made for this. Good Morning Vietnam and The World according to Garp are both hilarious yet dramatic. Robin Williams has this skill, a skill skill that almost no one else on the planet has ever had, to make anything funny. The infamous wife farting monologue in Goodwill Hunting being the best example. 

In Dead Poets Society, Robin is allowed to let loose every now and then, some great impressions and you can see he goes off script a lot. What he does though, is know how to rein himself in. He always has that twinkle in his eye, where you know that anything could happen, but he also has more humanity in a smile than most actors could muster in a lifetime. Interesting fact, Liam Neeson was always first choice to play the role of Mr Keating, only changing when Peter Weir came on board. At one point, Dustin Hoffman was going to star and direct. Both would have worked, but I think we got the right choice in the end.

Back to the film…

                                    

There are many different stories going on at the same time, but the main one is about the growth of Todd and Neil. This is a true coming of age story. We see the characters grow and change throughout (the film was shot chronologically which helped us follow the growth)

Neil wants to be an actor, something his father does not. Todd wants to remain silent, something Mr Keating does not want. In these two paths, we see the complete opposite approaches that the elder statesmen make. For Keating he wants freedom, he believes that every person makes there own path. The scene in the classroom where he covers Todd’s eyes and Todd becomes the poet he always has been shows us the type of teacher and parent we always want. 

For Neil it is completely different, with consequences that change everyone forever.

I’m not going to say what happens. If you are reading this, then you probably already know, so there’s no need. If you haven’t seen the film, then stop reading, grab a copy and get watching.

Dead Poets Society will always be remembered for the final scene. We think everything is over. Mr Keating has been dismissed, and the students are back to being force fed education instead of absorbing it themselvEethan Hawke really shines as an actor. Defying the teacher, he speaks out loud, telling Mr Keating how much this is not his fault. Ahe calls Oh Captain my Captain and stands ont he desk, the music grows even louder. Other students join in. All standing as Keating looks on, proud of ‘his boys’ and what he has helped them become (interesting fact number 2. One of the characters, Richard Cameron, does not stand on the desk. This was the actors choice, as he did not believe that his character would do this. This makes his character look bad, but is such a genuine touch it makes everything else feel even more real)

                          

A lot more happens, there are other side stories, and I really have not done the film justice. To do that would mean writing a book. 

Looking back, the film can be seen as a little cheesy. Which it is. There is no denying it. There’s nothing wrong with that though. Sometimes what we need is something like this. 

It truly is an uplifiting film, even though you know that any subsequent scenes would not be positive for anyone involved. It’s also an important film and growing up, and becoming who you want to be, not who you are expected to be.

I’ll end with a Keating quote “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world”

Spring (2014)

Love is a Monster

By Paul Birch

Spoilers ahead!

Cross Genre films are becoming more and more popular as the viewing public need something extra to keep their interest. Of course, sometimes a film will come along that transcends genre. A film that you only hear about through word of mouth. That film where someone says ‘You HAVE to see this’. So you search for it, and when you finally find it, it just blows your mind. For me this is in the top 5 of films ever made. I’ve seen around 5,000 films (at least) so a top5 spot means it must mean something to me. It’s also one of those films that I have to make everyone watch, and I’ll admit I’ll base my entire view on them as a human being based on their thoughts of this afterwards!

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead were little known in the industry. They’d had a small indie hit with Resolution, and through this were given a segment in one of the V/H/S anthology series, and were well on their way to bigger and better things. This is a story you’ll hear about with literally hundreds of directors though. Some go on to bigger and better (Trevorrow going from Safety not Guaranteed being the best example) and then you have all of the one hit wonders.
Justin and Aaron didn’t want this though. They had a vision. They were always horror fans, but were looking for something more. We’ll get to them more later though.

Spring is on the face of it a simple story. A love story of sorts. Evan (played to perfection by Lou Taylor Pucci) is your average working class American. We find him at a crosswords in his life. The opening shot is him at his mothers side, as she loses her fight with cancer. A distraught Evan ends up in trouble with the police after a drunken altercation and a friend suggests a well needed holiday away from his troubles is what he needs. So hungover, and running out of options at home, he ends up in Europe. Here he meets two brits who lead him on a path of booze and women as he tries to escape his demons. Now some might see these two brits as caricatures of how people behave but trust me, unfortunately they have this spot on.

Whilst with these two reprobates he meets Louise (a simply stunning performance by Nadia Hilker) and they instantly connect. So far… so so right? It’s well shot, and basing most of the film in the idyllic coastal beauty of Bari everything is stunning. There is more to this story though, there always is right? We aren’t sure as yet what is up, but we know something. 

After a night of passion Louise leaves and when they next meet they begin to learn more about each other emotionally, now that they know each other physically. One of the best scenes of the film happens over a dinner date they are having where they are exchanging personal details. Louise takes out a contact lense, showing a different eye colour. Evan has seen this before, in the old books on the area and some of the older paintings. Evan wants a picture of Louise but she does now want this, when a picture is taken it is severely out of focus as if she is not who says she is. Then she runs off. This is where we really see who she is. We have seen hints, as she is something else, but as she is accosted by a drunk who mistakes her for a prostitute, we see the fuller picture. 

The next vital scene is where Evan goes to see Louise at her house and hears struggling. Smashing the door down, he sees her mutation, she is on the floor, half monster and half beast. There is a needle next to her and this is where he has a decision to make… stay or flee. He decides, of course, to stay, and helps her return back to her normal self.

We find out the history of what she is now. This is where the film does something smart. It keeps it simple…ish. So, and this sounds silly on paper, but on film it is a delight. Louise is a 2,000 year old monster. Every 20 years she will become impregnated and use the cells in her unborn child to recreate herself as she fights back from the monster that she is. There is more to it though. Should she fall in love, her body will create a hormone that will keep these cells from being consumed, and she will become mortal. In 2000 years this has never happened though and she says she will never give up her immortality for anyone. This is a modern day fairytale. Pinocchio meets the elves from Lord of the Rings. It’s beautifully made though, with no cynicism or irony, and this is why it works. The usual genre cross-over for horror is comedy, and although this works, here it would have become farcical. Playing it straight lead you to one of the great modern romances. 

The effects are stunning and for the budget (could not find the amount but assuming it must be small) you’d believe this was a major production company in charge. It doesn’t overstretch or try to show you more than you need, and this is a major plus point for the movie. Instead, you focus on the characters, and the more you believe in them, the more you believe in everything else you are seeing.

After knowing all of this, Evan still wants to be with her, so asks to spend the last 24 hours with her. He is in love with her, and admits it freely. Louise says that she cannot control who she loves, the monster is in control. If he stays with her during the change and her body and soul is not in love with him, he will be killed.

Now we have massive spoilers. If you have seen this then you may agree or not, but if not… then stop reading this and watch the film.

So, the ending. It’s beautiful. Louise is lying with her head on Evans lap, outside. In the background a volcano gently erupts. Evan is looking down at Louise and the music is playing (the soundtrack by Jimmy Lavelle is just stunning. Gentle piano keys mixed with deep strings to omit an emotion mirrored by what you’re seeing).

Finally we here a crunching sound, as if a transformation is taking place. Evan looks down and Louise is there, as herself…. Showing that she has fallen in love with him.

Now I’ve had arguments about this ending. Some people wanted the film to stop 5 seconds earlier, so as a viewer we are left to guess if she changes or not. I don’t think that would work. Films with ambiguous endings are great, I love them. Sometimes though, you want an end to the fairytale. Evan has been through a lot, Louise even more so and to see such hope in the world is what ties the film together.

What puts this film above anything else is the originality in how it is made. Making something so sincere under anyone else would have been crass. What we get is something so stunningly beautiful that you can believe that in all the evil that occurs in the world, there can always be redemption. You can take your before sunrise, or In the mood for love. For me this is where is begins and ends. Love really is a monster. It’s something to fight for, and when you meet the right person it’s something you can give up everything for. Telling it in a way so different from anything else is just the icing on the cake.