Dead Poets Society

The biggest commercial success of Weir’s career, and at the same time a classic film about an inspiring teacher (based on Tom Schulman’s Oscar-winning screenplay).

Robin Williams plays John Keating, a new English teacher returning in the fall of 1959 to his alma mater, the prestigious Welton Academy. At the same time, the Beat Generation is already in full swing in New York, and rock ’n’ roll is drifting from students’ radios—but at Welton, customs remain almost medieval, and coeducation is unheard of.

Keating awakens in his students a hunger for beauty (“Carpe diem!” is his favorite maxim), inspiring them to revive the titular poetry club. The most sensitive among them (played by Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard) embark on a path of profound, and not always safe, transformation…

A massive hit in Polish cinemas and VHS rental shops, bathed in the autumnal beauty of John Seale’s cinematography, Weir’s film proved to be both a generational experience and the subject of intense debate. The tragic death of Robin Williams in 2014 lends each subsequent viewing of Dead Poets Society an added note of sorrow and loss.

Michał Oleszczyk

Peter Weir (b. 1944) – director, screenwriter, and producer, and one of the central figures of the Australian New Wave. In the 1970s, he played a crucial role in establishing Australian cinema on the international stage, creating films marked by an atmosphere of mystery, spirituality, and quiet unease. He later transitioned smoothly from auteur filmmaking to Hollywood while retaining his distinctive voice, consistently exploring outsiders, individuals in conflict with systems of power, and the metaphysical dimensions of reality. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Weir has received numerous major honours, including an Honorary Oscar (2022) and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (2024). He is a master of intelligent yet accessible cinema – one who has reached global audiences without ever sacrificing artistic depth or sensitivity.

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