In terms of cultural importance, Dead Poets Society has transcended from a film and transformed into this rite of passage that every individual experiences when they watch the film. This is largely due to a number of factors. For starters, the film approaches the topic of education with an unconventional twist, giving equal, if not more weight to the finer things in life like poetry and literature. Secondly, Robin Williams’ portrayal of the awe-inspiring professor John Keating, oozes charm and charisma. Williams, who up until this point was known predominantly for his comic persona, delved into drama and ended up deeply moving most of the viewers. Additionally, Dead Poets Society, is one of the few films that insinuates a deep longing for life through the medium of art. Instead of approaching art as an intellectual taboo, the film presents the medium as a way of life, accessible and relatable to the everyday average Joe.

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Here are a few facts about Dead Poets Society, you may not know.

John Keating Was Based on Screenwriter Tom Schulman’s Real-Life Writing Professor

     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

The inspiration behind John Keating, the now iconic character portrayed by Robin Williams, was actually a real life person. In an interview with Montgomery Bell Academy, Tom Schulman revealed that the real life inspiration behind the enigmatic on-screen professor was Schulman’s sophomore English teacher, Samuel F. Pickering Jr. When asked about his opinion on Schulman’s claim, Pickering told the Times Daily “Whatever of me is in that character has got to be small. I was a kid and he was a child. Twenty-three years ago. How much of me could there be in the movie?”

Several Other Big Named Actors Were Considered For Keating’s Role

     Warner Bros. Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

33 years since the release of the film, it’s hard to imagine someone else playing the role of Keating. But this wasn’t always the case. Before Williams was signed for the film, the studio explored some other equally big names such as Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson, and Dustin Hoffman. Jeff Kanew was originally set to direct the film. Before the studio brought on Peter Wier as Kanew wasn’t keen on casting Williams as Keating, though the studio was adamant on Williams. Sensing he wasn’t really wanted by the director, Williams did not turn up to the first day of shooting, which eventually saw the studio part ways with Kanew and bring on Peter Wier on board. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The Iconic Cave Wasn’t Real

     Touchstone Pictures

The iconic cave visited by the poets wasn’t a real cave. The cave was a part of a set that was made out of latex, though it was referenced after a real cave: Wolf Cave, Delaware.

Peter Wier Had All the Young Actors Live Together to Create On-Screen Chemistry

Students who’ve lived together in a dorm room develop a deep bond over time. In an attempt to capture this chemistry between the boys, director Peter Wire had the boys live together during the filming period. In the DVD commentary, Dylan Kussman, who played Richard Cameron stated ““We really felt like by the time filming started we had been to school together.”

The Desk-Throwing Scene Wasn’t Originally in the Script

The scene where Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) throw Todd’s desk off the walkway, was also improvised. Todd was originally meant to deliver a monologue, which Wier immediately realized wasn’t working out the way he wanted it to. Wier sent off Hawke and Leonard to come up with solutions as to what their characters could do. The duo eventually came up with the idea of throwing the desk as a joke, but were surprised when Wier liked it and went with it.

Williams Was Going Through Personal Turmoil During The Shoot

Despite his exterior comic persona coupled with his warm professional demeanor, it was clear to many of the cast and crew that Robin Williams was going through some turmoil in his personal life.

Dead Poets Society Was One of Williams’ Favorite Movies He Worked On

For Williams, Dead Poets Society was one of his most favorite movies he’s appeared in. Williams loved the effect his dramatic portrayal of John Keating had on people.

Originally, the script featured a scene where Keating’s in the hospital dying of lymphoma, which goes on to explain his outlook of living life and the importance of seizing the day. Wier though, decided against this sequence, opting to focus on the students instead.

The Film Was Adapted Into a Play with Jason Sudeikis Playing Keating’s Part

Years after the release, a stage adaptation of Dead Poets Society ran on Broadway in 2016, with Jason Sudeikis playing the part of John Keating.

First Film Under The Touchstone Picture’s Label to be Nominated For a Best Picture Oscar

Dead Poets Society out-grossed The Little Mermaid and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, on the global box office in 1989, picking up Touchstone’s first Oscar nomination for Best Picture.