Where to watch Dead Poets Society (1989)

Trivia & production notes

• Tom Schulman wrote the script based on his time at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, where he had an inspirational teacher named Samuel Pickering.
• Robin Williams refused to show up on the first day of shooting under original director Jeff Kanew, prompting the studio to demolish the already-built sets and replace Kanew entirely.
• Peter Weir became captivated by Schulman's script while flying back to Sydney and returned to Los Angeles six weeks later to cast the film.
• Weir removed a scene from the original manuscript showing Keating dying of Hodgkin lymphoma in a hospital bed, believing it would distract from what the character represented.
• Disney suggested the film focus on dancing rather than poetry and wanted to retitle it 'Sultans of Swing,' but both ideas were rejected.
• Weir instructed the young cast not to use modern slang even when off camera to maintain authenticity for the period piece.
• Weir secretly hid half a day of filming from Disney executives so Robin Williams could freely improvise using his comedic skills without studio oversight.
• The filmmakers scouted over 70 universities and schools before selecting St. Andrew's School in Delaware as the primary filming location.
• Robin Williams's constant joking on set annoyed Ethan Hawke, though Williams later told Hawke's agent that the young actor would have a successful career.
• After Williams's death in 2014, many educators came forward to say that his portrayal of Mr. Keating had inspired them to become teachers.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Dead Poets Society, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.