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McALLISTER
Quite an interesting class you gave today, Mr. Keating.
KEATING
Sorry if I shocked you, Mr. McAllister.
McALLISTER
Oh, there's no need to apologize. It was very fascinated, misguided
though it was.
KEATING
You think so?
McALLISTER
You take a big risk by encouraging them to become artists, John.
When they realize that they're not Rembrandts, Shakespeares or
Mozarts, they'll hate you for it.
KEATING
We're not talking artist, George. We're talking free thinkers.
McALLISTER
Free thinkers at seventeen?
KEATING
Funny. I never pegged you as a cynic.
McALLISTER
Not a cynic. A realist. "Show me the heart unfettered
by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man."
KEATING
"But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas
always thus, and always thus will be."
McALLISTER
Tennyson?
KEATING
No. Keating.
NEIL
Hey, I found his senior annual in the library.
NEIL
Listen to this. "Captain of the soccer team, Editor of
the school annual, Cambridge bound, Thigh man, and Dead Poets
Society."
CAMERON
"Man most likely to do anything."
CHARLIE
Thigh man! Mr."K" was a hell-raiser.
PITTS
What's the Dead Poets Society?
NEIL
I don't know.
MEEKS
Is there a picture in the annual?
CAMERON
No.
NEIL
Nothing. No other mention of it.
MR. NOLAN
That boy there, see me after lunch.
NEIL
Mr. Keating! Mr. Keating! Sir?
CHARLIE
Say something.
NEIL
O Captain! My Captain!
KEATING
Gentlemen.
NEIL
We were just looking in your old annual.
KEATING
Oh, my God. No, that's not me. Stanley "The Tool"
Wilson.
KEATING
God.
NEIL
What was the Dead Poets Society?
KEATING
I doubt the present administration would look too favorably upon
that.
NEIL
Why? What was it?
KEATING
Gentlemen, can you keep a secret?
NEIL
Sure, yeah.
KEATING
The Dead Poets was dedicated to "sucking the marrow out
of life." That's a phrase from Thoreau we would invoke
at the beginning of every meeting. You see, we would gather at
the old Indian cave and take turns reading from Thoreau, Whitman,
Shelly -- the biggies -- even some of our own verse. And, in the
enchantment of the moment, we'd let poetry work its magic.
KNOX
You mean, it was a bunch of guys sitting around reading poetry?
KEATING
No, Mr. Overstreet, it wasn't just guys. We weren't a Greek organization.
We were Romantics. We didn't just read poetry, we let it drip
from our tongues like honey. Spirits soared, women swooned and
gods were created, gentlemen. Not a bad way to spend an evening,
eh? Thank you, Mr. Perry, for this stroll down Amnesia Lane. Burn
that, especially my picture.
NEIL
Dead Poets Society.
CHARLIE
What?
NEIL
I say we go tonight.
CHARLIE
Tonight?
CAMERON
Now, wait a minute.
NEIL
Everybody in?
PITTS
Where's this cave he's talking about?
NEIL
It's beyond the stream. I know where it is.
PITTS
That's miles!
CAMERON
Sounds boring to me.
CHARLIE
Don't come.
CAMERON
Do you know how many demerits we're talking, Dalton?
CHARLIE
So don't come. Please.
CAMERON
Look, all I'm saying is that we have to be careful. We can't get
caught.
CHARLIE
No shit, Sherlock.
HABER
You boys there, hurry up!
NEIL
All right. Who's in?
CAMERON
Oh, come on, Neil. Hager's the-
NEIL
Forget Hager! No. Who's in?
CHARLIE
I'm in.
HABER
I'm warning you! Move!
CAMERON
Me, too.
PITTS
I don't know, Neil.
NEIL
What?
CHARLIE
Pitts! Pittsie, come on!
MEEKS
His grades are hurting, Charlie.
NEIL
You can help him, Meeks.
PITTS
What is this, a midnight study group?
NEIL
Forget it, Pitts, you're coming. Meeks, your grades hurting, too?
MEEKS
I'll try anything once.
CHARLIE
Except sex.
CAMERON
I'm in as long as we're careful.
CHARLIE
What about you, Knox?
KNOX
I don't know, Charlie.
CHARLIE
Come on, Knox. I'll help you get Chris.
KNOX
Yeah? How?
CHARLIE
Women swoon!
KNOX
But why do they swoon? Charlie, tell me why they swoon. Charlie!
NEIL
You're not listening. Any questions? Look, you follow the stream
to the waterfall. It's right there. It's gotta be like that.
CAMERON
I don't know. It's starting to sound dangerous.
CHARLIE
Oh. Why don't you just stay home?
CAMERON
Hey, you're crazy.
McALLISTER
For God's sake, stop chattering and sit down!
NEIL
Todd, are you coming tonight?
TODD
No.
NEIL
Why not? God, you were there. You heard Keating. Don't you want
to do something about--
TODD
Y-Yes, but--
NEIL
But, but what?
TODD
Keating said that everybody took turns reading and I don't wanna
do that.
NEIL
Gosh. You really have a problem with that, don't you?
TODD
N-No, I, I don't have a problem. Neil, I just-- I don't wanna
do it, okay?
NEIL
All right. What if you didn't have to read? What if you just came
and listened?
TODD
That's not how it works.
NEIL
Forget how it works! What if, what if they said it was okay?
TODD
What? What, are you gonna go up and ask them if-- No, no.
NEIL
I'll be right back.
TODD
Neil? Neil?
McALLISTER
Oh, shut up, will you?
BOY 1
It's my stuff for my asthma, okay? Could you give that back, please?
Could you give that back?
BOY 2
What's the matter? Don't you like snakes?
NEIL
You're in.
BOY 1
Get away from me, okay?
BOY 3
Spaz, why don't you check your pockets?
BOY 4
Come, Spaz. I have to brush my teeth.
BOY 5
Hurry up! Get off.
HABER
Cut out that racket in there.
NEIL
Come on. Let's get out. Go! Go!
CHARLIE
I'm a dead poet!
MEEKS
Charlie.
CHARLIE
Guys, over here!
MEEKS
You're funny. You're real funny.
PITTS
It's too wet.
CAMERON
Charlie, you trying to smoke us out of here?
NEIL
No, no, the smoke's going right up this opening.
PITTS
You okay?
MEEKS
Oh, God. Clods.
NEIL
All right, all right. Forget the fire.
CHARLIE
Forget it, forget it.
NEIL
Lets go, gentlemen.
MEEKS
Can't light a swamp.
NEIL
I hereby reconvene the Dead Poets Society, Welton Chapter. The,
uh, meetings will be conducted by myself and the other new initiates
now present. Uh, Todd Anderson, because he prefers not to read,
will keep the minutes of the meetings.
NEIL
I'll now read the traditional opening message by society member,
Henry David Thoreau. "I went to the woods because I wanted
to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the
marrow of life."
CHARLIE
I'll second that.
NEIL
"To put to rout all that was not life, and not, when
I had come to die, discover that I had not lived."
NEIL
And, uh, Keating's marked a bunch of other pages.
CHARLIE
All right, intermission. Dig deep. Right here, right here, lay
it down.
MEEKS
On the mud? We're gonna put our food on the mud?
CHARLIE
Meeks, put your coat down. Picnic blanket.
MEEKS
Yes, sir! Excuse me.
PITTS
Use Meeks' coat.
CHARLIE
Don't keep anything back, either. You guys are always bumming
my smokes.
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