On this day in 1989, TOUCHSTONE PICTURES released THE DEAD POETS SOCIETY, an inspirational (if not just a little manipulative) addition to the ‘beloved teacher’ genre of films. Directed by PETER WEIR and starring ROBIN WILLIAMS, ROBERT SEAN LEONARD, ETHAN HAWKE, JOSH CHARLES, GALE HANSEN, KURTWOOD SMITH, NORMAN LLOYD and LARA FLYNN BOYLE this movie is an affecting ‘guilty pleasure’.