Setting

Time period

The movie Dead Poets Society (1989) directed by Peter Weir is set in 1959. This is revealed in the first scene of the movie, during Dr. Nolan’s speech, when he mentions the founding of Welton Academy “one hundred years ago, in 1859” (00:02:44-00:02:47). The scene connects the past with the present. The connection between the past and the present is also highlighted by the scene that occurs right before Dr. Nolan begins his speech. As part of the ceremony, an old man, presumably a former Welton student comes in with a candle which he uses to light the candle of a first-year pupil. This is meant to impress on students, as well as on the parents attending the school opening ceremony, the importance of preserving tradition and to make them trust the old methods of teaching. 

The action in the movie takes place over several months, from the beginning of the school year in autumn, until the middle of December, of that same year. During the scene in the study, where Neil and his parents talk after Neil’s father brings him home from the play, there is a calendar open on the desk at the date of 15th, with only a few pages left. In this way, we know that Neil committed suicide on the night of December 15th. 

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