The Great Santini
by Lewis John Carlino
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DVD details
Actor: Blythe Danner, Julie Anne Haddock, Lisa Jane Persky, Michael O'Keefe, Robert DuvallDirector: Lewis John Carlino
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Ralph Woolsey
Writer: Lewis John Carlino
Editor: Houseley Stevenson Jr.
Producer: Charles A. Pratt
Writer: Herman Raucher
Writer: Pat Conroy
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: Pan & Scan, 1.33:1
Running Time: 115 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-11-23
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Great Santini
DVD Review: " The Great Hero"
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a unique movie in that it combines several elements that separate it from many, many others.This is a military movie but not a war movie. It is set in the early sixties but it has themes that are timeless including: family, coming of age, racisim, honor and true character and courage.
Robert DuVall is Bull Meecham the hard charging Marine fighter pilot that expresses his love for family by barking orders and discipline in true spirit of the "Corps" fashion. Blythe Danner in my favorite role as his wife is the epitome of a strong yet subdued woman of great conviction and faith.
I identified with this movie on several levels. I grew up in a town near a Naval Air Station and my neighborhood had many Marine and Navy pilot families in it. I used to go to the base with them and spend lots of time with them and I knew many men that Bull Meecham reminded me of. There is a special comradery that DuVall captured pefectly.
Blythe Danner's chatacter reminded me of my mother as she had a very strong Catholic faith and we were expected to behave in a certain way at all times. As I lost my father at an early age I was always looking for strong male role models and all those guys were a good influence on me.
I guess I will just say that I think we could use a few more Bull Meechams today as they are a vanishing breed. The ultimate test of a hero is when they sacrifice themself for the greater good and this movie sends a powerfull message. All teenage boys should have this as mandatory viewing with their father for a coming of age lesson. GREAT MOVIE!!
DVD Review: great classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this movie. I've seen it a hundred times since I was a kid and it never gets old. If you were in the Marines or know someone who was you know Robert Duvall's acting is awesome! His character is played perfectly! DVD Review: Enjoyed it because it resembles my own life to some degree!
Summary: 4 Stars
The story revolves around the family of Marine Lt Col. Meechum who has been base hopping for a long while and now they're stationed in their final place before LTC Meechum's retirement somewhere in the segregated south circa 1962-63. It's a beautiful family story of a patriotic, traditional family. I really enjoyed it. I think Robert Duvall (LTC Meechum) is magnificent and it was like he has been a Marine for all his life. Great movie. And I related a lot to the story since I also come from the same type of family and some of the scenes were pretty much like what I have experienced in my life (even though in a different country but military families go through the same) and therefore the movie really caught my attention. I just don't know why they had to plant that poor black man in the story because it really didn't have much to do with the core of the scenario. 30 yrs after its release this is still a successful and great movie. 4/5 DVD Review: Classic Across the Board
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this movie almost 30 years ago in the theater. I lost recollection of the specifics, but I recalled that it was a life-altering movie. I basically only remembered the ending, which I won't disclose.
Watching it tonight brought back immediate recall as to why I liked it. As another reviewer notes: some movies don't hold up all that well over time, and some do. It is always interesting to see which way the verdict will fall. This one holds up perfectly. The cast is simply superb, and the story epic. This is a true drama...you'll go through a wide variety of emotions and reactions.
I also now recall why I went through a years-long phase where I referred to various family and friends as "sports fans." I think I'll start that up again, it somehow works. Hopefully I'll avoid the temptation to use the other favored name: "hogs,"--although The Great Santini's affection was revealed even there, as he tried to make Jr. Marines of his family.
Robert Duvall, as we all know, is a National Treasure, on the level of Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Robert Deniro, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Michael Caine and a handful of other actors who have simply combined extreme talent with decades of work and left behind tremendous legacies. I suggest to you that this is Duvall's crowning achievment. Why this movie has only moderate acclaim is completely beyond me. My entire family was enraptured by this film, and I suspect it has had the same effect on my kids tonight as it had of me all those years ago.
DVD Review: The agonies and ecstasies of family life, father v.s. son, etc.
Summary: 5 Stars
Two films were released in 1979, "Apocalypse Now" and "The Great Santini," wherein Robert Duvall played essentially the same character -- a gung-ho, half-crazed Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps.
In "The Great Santini" Duvall plays fighter pilot commander Bull Meechum, who drives his family to his new base in Beaufort, SC (where the film was actually filmed). It's peace-time in the early 60s before the Vietnam War. Bull is ultra-charismatic but flawed. At any given time you either love him or hate him; you'll see this same struggle with his family members. He generally treats them like Marine subordinates which, for the most part, works and they seem to have a lot of good times together, but there's a darkside as Bull is overly competitive, especially with his just-turning-18 son Ben (Michael O'Keefe). Perhaps this is because he's a warrior without a war and he has to fight/win someone. He's also an alcoholic, albeit a functional one. The story details the family's good times and bad times.
If you're in the mood for a good drama you can't go wrong with "The Great Santini." Although there are a few comedic moments, which are life-like in nature, this is essentially a serious study on the joys & agonies of family dynamics. The story offers numerous insights to ponder, which makes it a great film for repeat viewings.
Many times during the film I was reminded of my growing-up years. In Bull Meechum I see a bit of my father.
The one-on-one basketball game between Bull and his son is an exceptional scene. The rest of the family is watching and cheering. They're all having a fun time until it takes an unexpected dark turn. Bull can't handle losing to his son and responds like a total jerk. Yet it smacks of real life. Years ago I was playing chess with my wife on a Lake Erie beach and she beat me, which wasn't usual, and for some reason I got upset about it, perhaps because I wasn't in the best of moods to start with. Looking back, of course, I see how pathetic it was.
Unlike Bull and Ben in the film I didn't have an actual relationship with my father. Generally, the only time he'd talk to me was when he was calling me names, cussing me out or telling me I was never going to amount to anything. One day, when I was 15 and my father was in his mid-50s, I was in my room upstairs and my dad started yelling at me from the bottom of the stairs. I couldn't really hear what he was saying and, mumbling, just kinda blew it off. He then ran up the stairs yelling and charged into my room in a rage. If he ever ran at me in such a manner in the past I would just flee the scene, but in this case I was cornered and had nowhere to run. Hence, we went at, the first and only time (physically), father against son. As great as his rage was, mine was greater. Don't get me wrong, I believe in honoring parents and all, but at that point I couldn't take anymore. I was done with the names, the cuss-outs and the deadly curses (e.g. "You're gonna turn to $#!&"). I was able to put him in a headlock fairly quickly and squeezed tight until his entire head turned beet red. I then let him go and he walked out of the room muttering, defeated. And no wonder, he was in physical decline while I was just entering my prime. Strangely, in weeks and months to come he would brag on me about the incident.
Why do I bring this personal story up? Because the film is so true-to-life that it will likely stir up growing-up memories for any adult viewer, pleasant and unpleasant, happy and sad.
The eldest daughter, the redhead, is played by Lisa Jane Persky. She initially comes off as eccentric, geeky and not very attractive, but wait until you see her on prom night later in the picture. If I was 18 I'd take her out without a second thought. Anyway, go to imdb and check out a couple of recent pictures of her and witness what a truly beautiful woman she grew up to be.
I should also point out that the film has a good, authentic Southern vibe like a handful of other films, e.g. "Mississippi Burning," "Ode To Billy Joe," "Cat People" (the remake) and even (believe it or not) "Squirm."
There's so much more I could say about this picture, but I'll leave it for you to discover. Once again, if you're in the mood for a good drama you can't go wrong.
PERSONAL GRADE: A-
Description of The Great Santini
A mighty actor-Robert Duvall-gets a role to match as a "top gun" Marine fighter pilot at odds with his family and peacetime America. Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe co-star. Year: 1979 Director: Lewis John Carlino Starring: Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, Michael O'KeefeRobert Duvall gives one of his most memorable performances in the title role of this 1979 drama about a hardcore Marine lieutenant named Bull Meechum (Duvall), a fighter ace who calls himself "The Great Santini" and compensates for peacetime inactivity by waging war on his intimidated children. His wife (Blythe Danner) lovingly tolerates his behavior, but his 18-year-old son (Michael O'Keefe) is working up the courage to defy the domineering patriarch, whose need for competition borders on maniacal. When push comes to shove (and shove they certainly do), the son earns his father's begrudging respect, and as it turns out, just in time. Military brats may recognize their own experience in this comedic drama, but anyone can relate to the Meechum family's patriarchal dysfunction. Writer-director Lewis John Carlino (adapting the novel by Pat Conroy) does a fine job of balancing humor with the kind of stressful anxiety that can either strengthen a family or tear it apart. Both Duvall and O'Keefe were deservedly nominated for Academy Awards. --Jeff Shannon
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