The Great Santini

The Great Santini

The Great Santini

The Great Santini

Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a wildcat Marine Pilot stationed stateside ; at the beginning , he along with his family are living in Spain , then , they return to USA . The family is formed by father , mother (Blythe Danner) and children (Michael O'Keefe as Ben , Lisa Jane Persky as Mary Anne , Julie Anne Haddock as Karen and Brian Andrews as Matthew Meechum) . They are a dysfunctional family , rigidly governed by the father , as he abuses and deals them in military style , because he doesn't allow himself any other way yo show his affection . The motion picture mingles tenderness , warm humor , racism with harsh cruelties inherent with unsettling as well unpleasant main character , including his repressed emotions , frustrated career and family mistreat . According to author Pat Conroy, Lt. Col. Bull Meecham is based entirely on his own father, Donald Conroy, a Marine fighter pilot who referred to himself in the third person as "The Great Santini." Donald Conroy took the nickname from a magician he'd seen as a child ; in fact Pat and Donald Conroy were on the set on the day . Producers gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of the US Marine Corps , in the production of this picture . The movie was virtually undistributed and originally released directly to cable and airlines, under the title "The Ace" , when the NY Times reviewed it very favorably, it was pulled from cable, and released due to critical acclaim to theaters under the title "The Great Santini" . Very good acting by Robert Duvall as an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot strictly related to his family with whom he shares a strident and sometimes fun love-hatred relationship . Skillful acting especially from the youngsters with special mention to Miles O'Keefe . And standout performance by Blythe Danner ; despite playing the mummy , Blythe Danner is only 12 years older than children Michael O'Keefe and Lisa Jane Persky . Secondary cast is pretty good such as Stan Shaw , Paul Gleeson , Paul Mantee , Michael Strong and David Keith film debut . Atmospheric cinematography by Ralph Woolsey , filmed on location in South Carolina and in Samuel Goldwyn studios , Hollywood Calif. Cameraman used lenses and Panaflex camera by Panavision , prints by Technicolor . In 1981, the movie got nods for nominated for Academy Awards to actor and supporting actor. Rousing musical score by the master Elmer Bernstein in his particular as well as martial style . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Lewis Jon Carlino who extracted good performances and well-developed events .He is a writer and director, known for The mechanic , Mafia , Seconds ; having only directed three films : Class , The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea and this Great Santini .

When it came to "The Great Santini's" title character, Wilbur "Bull" Meechum (annoyingly played by Robert Duvall) - I couldn't identify with this demanding, psychotic man nor with his screwy actions either. IMO - If this story about out-of-kilter family dysfunction had been billed as a twisted comedy, then, yes, it would've had some entertainment value. But, as 1979's "The Great Santini" stood (with Robert Duvall chewing up the scenery through the obsessions of his one-note character) I found that the cringe-worthy aspect of this story never allowed me to muster up even the slightest bit of sympathy for any of the decidedly pathetic characters portrayed in this picture.

This movie is excellent for its first half: crisply delivered, well-developed, it takes chances that you don't see in films made today. Characters like Bull Meechum are usually, in contemporary films, greatly exaggerated or treated with utter contempt (the military dad in American Beauty as a typical example). This film delivers all the way through the basketball game episode. Then it starts to fall apart. The episode with Toomer and Red seems like a mighty big price to pay just to show Bull's lack of sensitivity and empathy, or anything else it intends to show. Not too long after, Bull himself gets yanked right out of the movie. I really would have appreciated seeing all of these interesting characters resolve their differences - or see things come to a head. I just felt that the movie just quit with 30 minutes to go. The music was also kind of hit and miss in the last half. For example, when Ben confesses that he prayed for his father's death, the music is inappropriately creepy. It resolves into sorrow, but the net result was kind of off-putting.

my father who was and still thinks to this day he is the greatest marine pilot that god ever made .and this movie is so real to me i have not been able to watch it until now .2012 .still effected by his brainwashed convincing ways his rite I'm wrong attitude. The world is wrong except him and his fellow Marine buddy's .He hasn't admitted to any wrong doing, from my childhood to adult hood.never its all about him. Writing this, makes me weep like a child .I'm still in-shock after 48 years. I don't know how I've been able to stay alive . ask me please. my father who was and still thinks to this day he is the greatest marine pilot that god ever made .and this movie is so real to me i have not been able to watched it until now .2012 .still effected by his brainwashed convincing ways his rite I'm wrong attitude. The world is wrong except him and his fellow Marine buddy's .He hasn't admitted to any wrong doing, from my childhood to adult hood.never its all about him. Writing this, makes me weep like a child .I'm still in-shock after 48 years. I don't know how I've been able to stay alive . ask me please.

This film is one of the finest ever made, in my humble opinion, and the greatest display of Robert Duval's acting abilities. This film is powerful and moving. An "era" piece, it's message resounds regardless. The cinematography is beautifully done. The acting is top notch. The scenes between Metchum and his son are the most riveting, of course but the scenes between the son and mother are also quite touching and tender, and contrast wonderfully with the other scenes. And while this is a gripping drama, with very well acted round characters, there is humor too, and handled brilliantly. Truly every movie library should have this film in it's collection.

It's sad to think that people could actually be like this, but apparently there are such individuals. Lt. Col. Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a military man without a war, so he uses all his energy to regiment his family. Immature and rather mean, Bull always gets his way...until they move to Beaufort, South Carolina. When Bull's son Ben (Michael O'Keefe) befriends African-American Toomer Smalls (Stan Shaw), it sets the stage for what's going to follow. "The Great Santini" is very well done. Since this was written by Pat Conroy - who also wrote "The Prince of Tides" - we can easily conclude that he must have had an abusive father. Also starring Blythe Danner, David Keith, and Paul Gleason (whom you may recognize as Clarence Beaks from "Trading Places" and the principal from "The Breakfast Club").

I think this movie is a bit overrated. Duval's performance is top notch, one of his best, but this movie has several unbearable flaws. First i have to say that the musical score was one of the worst i have ever heard. It sounds like a cross between seventies TV Movie music, and an old John Ford western. It literally made me want to cover up my ears. It was embarrassingly bad. And I'm not just expressing a dislike for old style music scores, This one would be bad in any decade. Wretched! The movie's style and direction are in terrible conflict with the story. The director seems to think he is shooting a feel good travelogue film. He is more interested in showing us beautiful vista's and slow motion scenes of people fishing, than in exploring the characters. If you have ever read the book, you will note the harsh nature of the main character. He has been toned down significantly in this film. It still makes for an interesting character, but the story loses some of it's power. The film has laughable dialogue in some scenes, and most of the other performances (besides Duval's) are hideous. Every scene in the film, excepting the basketball scene, seems mishandled, and makes you cringe at least once. watch this movie only if you are a Robert Duval fan.