The Great Santini (1979)

Director:

Lewis John Carlino

Writers:

Lewis John Carlino (writer)
Pat Conroy (novel)

Release Date:

26 October 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.

Plot:

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot.

Plot Keywords:

Marine | Locker Room | Toilet Bowl | Bitten To Death | Birthday Cake

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum
Blythe Danner	...	Lillian Meechum
Michael O'Keefe	...	Ben Meechum
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Mary Anne Meechum
Julie Anne Haddock	...	Karen Meechum
Brian Andrews	...	Matthew Meechum
Stan Shaw	...	Toomer Smalls
Theresa Merritt	...	Arrabella Smalls
David Keith	...	Red Petus
Paul Mantee	...	Col. Virgil Hedgepath
Michael Strong	...	Col. Varney
Bennett Liss	...	Cpl. Atcherly
Joe Dorsey	...	Coach Spinks
David Frankham	...	Capt. Weber
Jan Stratton	...	Mrs. Weber

Also Known As:

The Gift of Fury
The Great Santini (USA)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Bing Crosby Productions

Trivia:

According to author Pat Conroy, Bull 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".

Goofs:

Continuity: As Santini's family is waiting at the hanger for him to arrive, Lillian's hair changes. With the wind blowing, sometimes her hair is messed up, sometimes it is combed nicely.

Quotes:

Lillian Meechum: I am not going anywhere at 3:00 in the morning. No, I am not moving this is ridiculous! It doesn't make any sense!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Robert Duvall" (2006)

Memorable character study of a warrior without a war

Robert Duvall is magnificent as a classic warrior without a war who moves his family from town to town. Blythe Danner is an excellent match as his wife. And Michael O'Keefe deserves all the kudos he received plus more as Duvall's put-upon son. Lisa Jane Persky strikes a nice balance as the sarcastic-yet-still-loving daughter. Stan Shaw, Paul Mantee, Paul Gleason, and David Keith are flawless in edgy supporting performances. There's perhaps one scene that's slightly overdone which causes me to give it a 9/10 rather than a 10. Otherwise, The Great Santini is an utterly riveting family portrait from start to finish.