Dead Poets Society

INT WELTON ACADAMY DINING HALL - DAY - VARIOUS SHOTS 1

CREDITS ROLL:

On the left is a life-sized mural depicting a group of young

school boys looking up adoringly at a woman who represents

liberty. On the right is a mural showing young men gathered

around an industrialist in a corporate boardroom. Between the

murals stands a boy.

An odd, blaring MUSICAL SOUND starts and stops, interrupted

by the noise of pumping. A teacher hurries to the boy,

adjusts his tie, and leads him off.

On another wall is a full-sized portrait of a 19th century

Scotsman in a kilt. In front at this, young boys carrying

banners, and several elderly men in old-fashioned costumes

assembling into a processional formation. Nervous younger

boys (7th graders) are shown their places in line and handed

candles. They light each others.' candles until all their

candles are lit.

Suddenly the MUSIC BLASTS FORTH in its full splendor. It is

a BAGPIPE. The bagpiper, in a kilt like the one in the

portrait, begins a processional march.

2 INT CORRIDOR ADJACENT THE DINING ROOM - SAME 2

The bagpiper enters a long slate and stone hallway. The

haunting timbre of his antiquated instrument reverberates

through the building. Momentarily, he is followed by the

other processional marchers. He leads them down the corridor

and down a threshold staircase into:

3 INT. WELTON'S OLD, STONE CHAPEL - CONTINUOUS 3

Where two hundred high school-aged boys--most of whom wear

black blazers--sit on either side of the central aisle

watching the procession move onto the dais in front. Beside

most of these boys are their parents.

VARIOUS ANGLES ON THE PROCESSION

FOUR 16-YEAR-OLD Boys CARRY BANNERS.

Each boy is dressed in an archaic, turn-of-the-century

outfit. On each banner is emblazoned a different word. One

reads "TRADITION," another reads "HONOR",' a third reads

DISCIPLINE, the last reads 'EXCELLENCE."

THE ELDERLY MEN:

in their 70s and SOS, obviously the school's oldest alumni,

each wearing a name tag and the uniform of his day, make their

way toward the stage.

THE SEVENTH GRADERS

carrying candles are nervous and self-conscious. Most

concentrate intently on keeping their candles lit while they

march. One young boy's candle has gone cut and he can barely

keep from crying.

The bagpiper stands at the corner of the dais, marching in

place. Behind him, in black robes, sit the school's 30-odd

teachers. The processional's elderly alumni fill the chairs

of honor on the dais.

The four young BANNER CARRIERS peel off from the main aisle

and take seats beside their parents in the audience. The 7th

graders take seats with their parents too. A purple and black

robed man who brings up the rear of the procession walks up to

the podium. Me is HEADMASTER GALE NOLAN, a big man, in his

mid-60s. The music stops.

NOLAN:

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished

alumni, and students: This year marks

the one hundredth year that Welton

Academy has been in existence.

Applause begins. Soon the whole room is standing in a

thunderous ovation. After an appropriate amount of time,

Nolan motions for everyone to be seated.

NOLAN (CONT'D)

One hundred years ago, in 1859, forty-one boys sat in this

room and were asked the same question that now greets you at

the start of each semester: Gentlemen, what are the four

pillars?

All of the students stand at attention. Find TODD ANDERSON

sitting between his parents. Todd is 16, good looking, but he

seems beaten down, lacking confidence, unhappy. He wears a

name tag and no Welton blazer. When the others stand, Todd's

mother nudges him. Todd stands. He watches as the other

students:

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