Dead Poets’ Society Essay Example
Dead Poets’ Society Essay
In “Dead Poets’ Society,” directed by Peter Weir, setting is one the fundamentalaspects of the film as it conveys and develop the main theme: conformity versuspersonal freedom and nonconformity. The importance of setting is revealed in the filmthrough the use of various visual techniques. It is through the choice andpresentation of the setting - single-sex boys’ school- that audiences are able to andfurther understand of the main ideas presented in the film.The general setting of “Dead Poets’ Society” is Welton, a single-sex boys’ school inrural Vermont, New England in the late 1950s. This rural setting is important as itescapes the influence of the fast-evolving metropolitan civilisation, which reflects oneof the “four pillars” of the school- “tradition”. The fact that the film is set in NewEngland reinforces this idea, as New England is in many ways similar to England- acountry with old-fashioned customs and culture. This is reflected in the film wheretraditional Scottish music can be heard during the processional of the schoolassembly. Together, this shows how the students and teachers of the school areconformed to value the traditions of Welton and that this tradition is insusceptible tochange. While the film was released in 1989, “Dead Poets’ Society” is set during theyear of 1959, which is especially significant being so close to the 60s- an era wherefree-love and unconventional ideas were introduced. This not only shows howstudents have conformed to the expectations of Welton until this time, but alsoforeshadows the events that are to come in the film.Apart from the general setting, the film also has two predominant local settings: theschool grounds of Welton and the nearby countryside. When the audience first seethe school grounds during the opening section of the film, we are confronted with thesturdy stone structures of its buildings, high interior walls and ceilings, shown in highangle camera shots, which emphasises the power
In “Dead Poets’ Society,” directed by Peter Weir, setting is one the fundamentalaspects of the film as it conveys and develop the main theme: conformity versuspersonal freedom and nonconformity. The importance of setting is revealed in the filmthrough the use of various visual techniques. It is through the choice andpresentation of the setting - single-sex boys’ school- that audiences are able to andfurther understand of the main ideas presented in the film.The general setting of “Dead Poets’ Society” is Welton, a single-sex boys’ school inrural Vermont, New England in the late 1950s. This rural setting is important as itescapes the influence of the fast-evolving metropolitan civilisation, which reflects oneof the “four pillars” of the school- “tradition”. The fact that the film is set in NewEngland reinforces this idea, as New England is in many ways similar to England- acountry with old-fashioned customs and culture. This is reflected in the film wheretraditional Scottish music can be heard during the processional of the schoolassembly. Together, this shows how the students and teachers of the school areconformed to value the traditions of Welton and that this tradition is insusceptible tochange. While the film was released in 1989, “Dead Poets’ Society” is set during theyear of 1959, which is especially significant being so close to the 60s- an era wherefree-love and unconventional ideas were introduced. This not only shows howstudents have conformed to the expectations of Welton until this time, but alsoforeshadows the events that are to come in the film.Apart from the general setting, the film also has two predominant local settings: theschool grounds of Welton and the nearby countryside. When the audience first seethe school grounds during the opening section of the film, we are confronted with thesturdy stone structures of its buildings, high interior walls and ceilings, shown in highangle camera shots, which emphasises the power