Robin Williams 1951-2014 (poll added - vote now!)

[brevity]

But I'm baffled by the continued suggestions -- as Edouble makes -- that Dead Poets glorifies or glamourizes suicide. Neil's death is clearly a tragedy -- nobody celebrates it.

Well, in their defense, it's a suicide sequence that is very artfully shot. Few movie characters have ever died by their own hand in such pretty fashion.

I'm enjoying the range of opinions here. It's not just like and dislike. There's some self-loathing going on, which explains a lot, and even some outrage. So I guess I'll add a little more.

I think poetry is stupid, and this film is a fun fantasy in which poetry matters. I have always liked the film, but have never bought into Mr. Keating's idea that poetry is important because it is how the human race expresses passion. Many other literary forms accomplish the same thing; it's never clear why poets in movies are somehow more emotionally attuned creatures than playwrights or novelists. And those "noble pursuits" (Keating's words) of law, medicine, business, and engineering probably contain a good bit of passion as well.

[Highlander]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBgLQ1yfZk

Here's Watchmojo's take on the Top 10 Williams Performances. One of them I'd never heard of before (where he plays the Russian).

[JasonEvans]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbBgLQ1yfZk

Here's Watchmojo's take on the Top 10 Williams Performances. One of them I'd never heard of before (where he plays the Russian).

The Watchmojo list--

10. The Birdcage
9. One Hour Photo
8. Moscow on the Hudson
7. Aladdin
6. Awakenings
5. The Fisher King
4. Mrs. Doubtfire
3. Dead Poets Society
2. Good Morning Vietnam
1. Good Will Hunting

-Jason "if you have not seen Moscow on the Hudson, it is a good but not great movie. He's quite good in it as you would imagine" Evans

[Blue in the Face]

I'm done with this DPS argument. Its acolytes are so devoted that there's no point in the rest of us using reason.

This is some of your best work.

[BluDvlsN1]

I think what we can all agree on, is that Robin Williams was genius in anything he chose to talk about or act out.
When one individual can capture so many hearts in unison, it's legend.

How can have anyone been that quick..

How about we celebrate his formidable accomplishments..

For us golfers this is hysterical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fui7y...e_gdata_player

[lotusland]

Well, in their defense, it's a suicide sequence that is very artfully shot. Few movie characters have ever died by their own hand in such pretty fashion.

I'm enjoying the range of opinions here. It's not just like and dislike. There's some self-loathing going on, which explains a lot, and even some outrage. So I guess I'll add a little more.

I think poetry is stupid, and this film is a fun fantasy in which poetry matters. I have always liked the film, but have never bought into Mr. Keating's idea that poetry is important because it is how the human race expresses passion. Many other literary forms accomplish the same thing; it's never clear why poets in movies are somehow more emotionally attuned creatures than playwrights or novelists. And those "noble pursuits" (Keating's words) of law, medicine, business, and engineering probably contain a good bit of passion as well.

Well I'll give you credit for having the cajones to say that. Generally speaking, poetry doesn't move me except in the form of song lyrics. I always assumed that I was unsophisticated rather than poetry being stupid though.

[Edouble]

Well, in their defense, it's a suicide sequence that is very artfully shot. Few movie characters have ever died by their own hand in such pretty fashion.

Yes exactly. It is the most beautiful sequence in the whole film. The use of shadows, camera angles, music, complete lack of blood.

The kid is made to look like a martyr--wearing Puck's crown, which reminds me a lot of Jesus's crown of thorns.

For comparisons sake, there was an episode of Beverly Hills 90201, from around the same time period, circa 1990, when they needed to get rid of a character. The character ended up in his dad's office and accidentally shot himself with his dad's handgun while twirling it around to show off. Now, this wasn't a suicide, but it was really disturbing and graphic, for television at the time. It was violent, loud, and sudden.

Imagine if instead of ceremoniously removing his costume and taking that "artful" walk down the stairs, if Neil had run downstairs crying, with frantic music, whipped out the gun, and blown himself away, with a little blood on the wall/carpet/something. A totally different experience for the audience with a totally different message.

[alteran]

I'm kind of surprised the Dead Poets has turned out to be such a polarizing movie. I don't object to any of you who don't like it ... there are plenty of popular films I disliked (Avatar, for instance ... a scyfy ripoff of Dances With Wolves -- another popular film I disliked).

I am also surprised at the polarization of the movie into love/hate.

I didn't regret watching it at all, but I DO remember thinking it was overrated. I felt the suicide was out-of-character and manipulative-- i.e., bad writing. Sure, they wanted to take the audience out at the knees emotionally to set up the end, but this felt uncharacteristic and ham-handed. I don't want to nit-pick, because again, I enjoyed the movie well enough, but there were other points where I rolled my eyes inwardly and thought, "really?"

That being said, I thought Williams was great in it, and it certainly had its moments.

Oh, and I have always thought exactly the same thing as you about Avatar-- but I liked it anyway! I was just so glad to see Cameron back doing what he was born to do-- the best "B" movies in the biz.

[sue71, esq]

I'm watching One Hour Photo now (it's on HBO or Showtime or some other movie channel) and I'd forgotten just how creepy Robin Williams was in this role.

[brevity]

I'd forgotten about this thread, but I'm glad it was revived.

Last month sci-fi website io9 did a long piece (and longer oral history) about Mork and Mindy. Well worth the read, or at least a skim. The show was ridiculously popular before its makers even knew what they had, and once they did, they still found ways to screw it up. Robin Williams, in a weird way, was the show's constant. Despite the quoted section below, the writers and director were mostly reverent of Robin and his process:

There was a pervasive myth at the time that Williams ad-libbed all his lines on Mork and Mindy. This drove the writers nuts, because Williams always followed the script. Misch says their standard response was, “We’re up until four in the morning, writing Robin’s ad-libs.” The writers worked incredibly long hours, going over every line in a script as a group, trying to come up with funnier jokes.

[Edouble]

I'm watching One Hour Photo now (it's on HBO or Showtime or some other movie channel) and I'd forgotten just how creepy Robin Williams was in this role.

Hence my vote in the "Other" category in the poll.