Page One: ‘Dead Poets Society’ (1989)

Written by Tom Schulman

The movie version of the opening:

I just checked. The opening has a few more moments before this video starts:

• Over black and opening credits, noises of people gathering in a hallway
• Open on a mural of children on a wall
• A young boy (perhaps 6 or 7) having his tie tightened by his mother
• A photographer takes two photos of the boy with his older brother

Then the candle and title of the movie, as shown in the clip above. Therefore, no exterior shots of the campus, instead, the establishing images are interior and focused on the students. Why that change?

Perhaps to begin the story in a way which emphasizes humanity, rather than topography. One thing I remember from having seen the movie when it was released was there are PLENTY of beauty shots of the campus and surrounding nature. It doesn’t lack for that. But begin with people. Human faces. The tradition of the school’s opening session for the year.

There’s more emotion in that. Maybe the decision to change from the script is as simple as that.

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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