Dead Poets Society

Factual error: The film takes place in a private boarding school the 1950's, however one of the students is studying from a 1980's chemistry textbook. The obvious giveaway is that the spine of one book shows HBJ as the publisher. Jovanovich was not added to Harcourt Brace until the 1970s.

Factual error: Keating misquotes Whitman's "Song of Myself". The word "rooftops" should have been "roofs". An English Lit teacher of his caliber would not have made this mistake. This is a deliberate mistake on the part of the filmmakers.

Macalou

Continuity mistake: Before going to the theatre to watch Neil's performance, the boys are grooming themselves at the school. Todd has combed his hair backwards and styling remedies has been applied. But when the group are about to leave the theatre after the play and Neil and his father passes them at the entrance, Todd has his regular hairdo again.

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John Keating: There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for.

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Question: While Robin Williams is packing his things in his small room, he waves down out the window at whom I believe is the Latin teacher, walking along a snowy sidewalk. What is the teacher doing, exactly? It appears that he's giving a guided tour of the campus, but he's also muttering Latin words. It can't be a classroom exercise because there are only 4 or 5 people with him. Does anyone know what he's doing?

Matty Blast

Chosen answer: It is a classroom exercise. He is being followed by pupils and is reinforcing their latin vocabulary by taking them on a tour of the garden and showing them the things that the words actually relate to (edificium = building, flora = flower etc.) This contrasts with his earlier behaviour when he simply had them mindlessly recite conjugations (amamo, amamas, amabat). The point is that this illustrates how the Latin Master has been affected by his contact with Keating and has become a better teacher as a result.

Oscar Bravo

Answer: I thought it was a punishment for the pupils involved in the scandal.

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