Robin Williams Classics on 4K Blu-ray
Robin Williams‘ films are seemingly timeless. Whether they be comedies or dramas, the beloved late star always gives so much into his performances and that’s what made him resonate with so many people. He was able to elicit powerful emotions through his films and his classics are now coming to 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Disney. One of those releases is the 1989 Peter Weir film Dead Poets Society. And this movie is possibly the pinnacle of films where Williams can elicit powerful emotions.
The Dead Poets Society has come to order
So, full disclosure: I was much younger when I first saw Dead Poets Society and at that point, I wasn’t very receptive to it. I recognized that it was a well-made movie with great performances. However, at the time, I thought it was a bit dry. I wasn’t connecting with the characters and the story as much as I had hoped. Fast forward to now: we take a look at the new 4K Blu-ray of the film and as I’m revisiting the movie, I find myself loving it.
All throughout his movie career, which started with Popeye, Robin Williams didn’t get pigeonholed into only comedy since he could crossover into more serious fare like Seize the Day and Good Morning, Vietnam. Through it all, Williams’ performances would always feel genuine. In Dead Poets Society, you get the best of both worlds. He plays English teacher John Keating at a New England boys’ boarding school and his methods are unorthodox. The brilliance is his methods unmistakably feature Williams’ signature comedy, but it’s done in the service of learning about poetry and expression. Williams’ more serious side comes out when he’s inspiring his students and you can feel the passion and the love of language in his speeches. There’s a wholesomeness to it that is sorely missing from the world these days.
The attention of the film is truly focused on the ensemble of teenage boys at the school. Their parents and teachers are putting all sorts of pressure on them, and while they’re disciplined enough, these boys have a curiosity about life, love and happiness, which gets incredibly stimulated by Keating’s class. It’s that magic phrase — Carpe Diem — that they start to live by. They follow in Keating’s example and try to suck the marrow out of the bone of life. The ensemble is strong thanks to the performances of Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles and the rest. We follow these adolescents through their journey and their newfound freedom to express themselves.
Weir’s film is an amazing story of knowing yourself in a conformist society that thinks it knows better.
The 4K Blu-ray
The presentation is outstanding. The Ultra-High-Definition is amazingly crisp and vibrant. There’s a particular scene where Josh Charles’ character travels to a different school and everyone is tailgating for their upcoming football game. The fall colors of the trees and the different colors of the cars in the parking lot really popped and it was an amazing feast for the eyes. The outdoor scenes in the snow or nighttime in the woods looked equally beautiful. The Dolby Vision presentation on the 4K truly does the cinematography justice. The same praise can be said for the Dolby Atmos audio presentation, as the beautiful score and soundtrack boldly bring you into the emotion of the scenes.
The extra material is only present on the Blu-ray and it’s all archival special features. They don’t even seem to be features from a past Blu-ray release as a behind-the-scenes look-back featurette with the cast looks to be filmed during the time of DVDs. It’s formatted for a 4:9 aspect ratio and the interviews were obviously taken from years ago.
Final Verdict
This is a really special movie and while it’s just a small-scale character drama, watching the film in this new 4K presentation felt like I was getting the definitive experience. The special features are a bit to be desired, but they don’t make-or-break this physical release since the film is such a strong movie. This is the way to watch it!
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