Dead Poets Society - the end of the legend, the call for revision

Abstract

The case of John Keating, a charismatic English teacher and students of an elite boarding school (Welton Academy), attracted millions of audiences around the world in front of cinemas and televisions. "And the Oskar goes to ..." was heard in 1990 by the screenplay writer Tom Schulman, and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Leading Actor and Best Director. One of the first Polish reviews of the film took place on Polskie Radio in the same year, during a program hosted by Anna Retmaniak. - "It is a wonderful film" - she informed enthusiastically, adding - "[...] what (the teacher - M.P.) instilled in young people remained in their hearts and minds forever." On the other hand, what this article can "instill" in the minds and hearts of the readers is the increased resistance to the manipulation of the content of the script by the producers of the film and, consequently, a pedagogical deception, which we also fell at our own request. As educators, we have not examined the differences between the original scenario (script) and its subsequent adaptations. It turns out that the narrative of the film is built on the themes of John Keating's fear and dying, and not - as we thought so far - on the phenomenon of his teaching talent. At the same time, we have not indicated cultural differences, resulting in our country's incorrect reception of such categories as: charisma, professional vocation, leadership or elitism. Readers of the book of the same title (Kleinbaum, 2007, 2018, 1st Polish edition 1994) and participants of theatrical performances (dir. P. Ratajczak). The article does not exclude those arguments that credibly argue for the uniqueness and attractiveness of the work. However, in order to understand its phenomenon, it is necessary to analyze the removed fragments of the scenario, revealing the reasons for teachers and candidates for this profession and the effects of the hidden truth.