The Lords of Discipline (1983)

In 1960s America, a black cadet is allowed acceptance into a seemingly prestigious military academy, unleashing a barrage of corruption within the system that another cadet is willing to expose.

Director:

Franc Roddam

Writers:

Pat Conroy (novel), Thomas Pope (screenplay)

Stars:

David Keith, Robert Prosky, G.D. Spradlin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Keith	...	Will McLean
Robert Prosky	...	Col. 'Bear' Berrineau
G.D. Spradlin	...	Gen. Bentley Durrell
Barbara Babcock	...	Abigail St. Croix
Michael Biehn	...	John Alexander
Rick Rossovich	...	Dante `Pig` Pignetti
John Lavachielli	...	Mark Santoro
Mitchell Lichtenstein	...	Tradd St. Croix
Mark Breland	...	Tom Pearce
Malcolm Danare	...	Poteete
Judge Reinhold	...	Macabbee
Greg Webb	...	Braselton
Bill Paxton	...	Gilbreath (as 'Wild' Bill Paxton)
Dean R. Miller	...	Gooch (as Dean Miller)
Ed Bishop	...	Commerce St. Croix

Storyline

Will arrives for his last year at The Carolina Military Institute, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960s. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.

---

Plot Keywords:

racism | loyalty | friendship | humiliation | military school | 

---

Taglines:

A tale of human triumph and honor.

---

Genres:

Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guardianes del honor

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,011,932, 18 February 1983, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$11,787,127

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is suppose to take place in 1964 as seen on a banner at the senior dance. Yet when Will first visits Tradd and goes into the living room Commerce is watching a Yankee Red Sox game from April 1967. If you turn up the volume of the film you'll hear the words "the pitch from Rohr. " Billy Rohr was a rookie pitcher for the Sox in 67. It was his first game and can within one out of pitching a no hitter.

---

Goofs

Colonel "Bear" Berrineau is shown in uniform wearing a Presidential Unit Citation ribbon. He wears it on his left pocket below his "rack" of ribbons, yet regulations stipulate that the PUC is always worn on the wearer's right, opposite his medals/ribbons.

---

Quotes

Gilbreath: Do you know what this is, boy?
[Holds up a coin]
Gilbreath: Pop off!
Poteete: It's a quarter, sir.
Gilbreath: Shut up! Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.
[Poteete sticks out his tongue and Gilbreath places the coin on it]
Gilbreath: Swallow it!
[Gilbreath grabs Poteete's throatt, forcing him to swallow the coin]
Gilbreath: That's good boy, that's reeeal good. You're gonna be my little piggy-bank.

---

Crazy Credits

Bill Paxton is referred to in the closing credits as "Wild" Bill Paxton.

---

Alternate Versions

NBC edited 6 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.

---

Connections

Referenced in Future Tense (1990)

User Reviews

Okay movie has little regard for its characters

I did not read the novel "The Lords of Discipline" by Pat Conroy so I cannot comment on how successful the movie is in terms of the original material, as some of the other comments are able to do.

But judging the movie on its own merits, its half a triumph, half disappointment. I saw it when it was first released, because I liked David Keith and, well, I saw everything.

This review openly discusses several plot points.

Keith plays Will, everyone's favorite. As he is returning to the Academy for senior year, he is welcomed by staff and classmates alike. This year is going to be slightly different, he finds out early, because a black student (Pierce, played by Mark Breland) has entered the school (its 1964 and we are in the South). He is asked by Bear (Robert Prosky) to keep an eye on this particular student. Will wants nothing more than to coast through his senior year, but Bear calls in old favors so Will is obligated.

On Hell Night, naturally all the white trash goes straight for Pierce. They also go for an overweight student called Poteete. Both boys are humiliated and tortured by the suffering does not end for Poteete, as he is kidnapped (sort of) by 'The Ten', a secret society of the ten best seniors. Their threats make a Hell Night hazing seem like a day at the beach. Poteete has to be talked down from a ledge, because he is so frightened by 'The Ten' and that he won't be able to survive the entire year. The next time he's on the ledge he successfully commits suicide. In the meantime, Pierce is also being singled out, but Will tells him to communicate what is going on, so at least he can report the cruelty that he is enduring.

Eventually Will decides 'The Ten' must be held responsible for their continuous torture. He recruits his roommates to help him. As they find out more and more, they are then singled out. Dante Pignetti (Rick Rossovich) is eventually expelled for something very trumped up and silly, but Will is still determined to get to the bottom of it.

The movie takes some questionable turns in the later innings. The characters played by Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn are one-sided bigoted bullies and nothing else. They may as well all sleep under a rock, and most likely do not even deserve more than that, but its too easy to just show a future Grand Wizard of the KKK as being only that. Since Biehn reveals himself to be one of 'The Ten', its also extremely convenient that he is in a position to give demerits to the Will and his roommates, but it would have been more effective if he had been seen in that position BEFORE all the drama took place. Its also pretty lousy that the character of Poteete is only mentioned once after his suicide. There is no investigation from outside authorities, or even any motivation to 'get to the bottom of it' on his behalf. Its almost as if he's in the movie just so 'The Ten' can be introduced to the audience through his experience with them, and once he does that, he serves no purpose. But the character of Pierce dealt with them, also, so they would have been introduced through their cowardly treatment of him.

David Keith was very popular in the late 70's/early 80's. I saw most of his movies and am sorry he never had a lengthy career, but it seems as though Kurt Russell, Patrick Swayze, Dennis Quaid and Kevin Costner got all the parts David could have played. This was one of his only starring roles, and he's very good without overdoing it. He's always pretty believable, even when the movie isn't. 6/10.