The Lords of Discipline
by Franc Roddam
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DVD details
Actor: Barbara Babcock, David Keith, G.D. Spradlin, Michael Biehn, Robert ProskyDirector: Franc Roddam
Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
Cinematographer: Brian Tufano
Producer: Basil Rayburn
Producer: Gabriel Katzka
Producer: Herb Jaffe
Writer: Lloyd Fonvielle
Writer: Pat Conroy
Writer: Thomas Pope
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of The Lords of Discipline
DVD Review: Far from perfect, but worth watching.
Summary: 4 Stars
When watching, as well as reviewing, "The Lords Of Discipline", it is best not to judge the film by its faithfulness to the book it is based on. Unlike "Christine", which was adapted to film brilliantly by John Carpenter, "The Lords of Discipline" was mercilessly cut and chopped to fit it into a movie that lasted less than five hours. There is no Colonel Edward T. Reynolds, Annie Kate Gervais, no freshman year flashbacks for Will, and the terrifying might of The Ten is largely lost. They are defeated far too easily in this movie, and the near-mythical image they and General Bentley "Shipload" Durrell have is not very well shown in the film. Again, it's best not to compare the movie and the book too much. Better to think of them as being two completely unrelated works that happen to share the same name and basic storyline. No, that doesn't really make sense either. But it does make more sense than "Spacecataz", surely. Anyway.
The acting in this film is top notch. Robert Prosky and G.D. Spradlin are brilliant as Colonel Thomas "The Bear" Berrineau and General Bentley "Shipload" Durrell, and while those were the ones who stood out most in my mind, all the other roles were well played.
The story is well done, for the most part, though the presence of cheese with a side of cliche is quite noticeable at times. The Bear asks Will McClean, a senior with no rank whatsoever, to watch out for the Carolina Military Institute's first black cadet as he passes through the freshman system. A secret organization on campus, The Ten, moves in on that cadet, Pearce, when the cadre fail to get rid of him themselves. That's where things get anticlimactic. The cadre confronting a knob on the A Company quad at the film start, and the tragic tale of Poteete, the human yam, are very well done, as are the scenes involving Hell Night. But the scene at General Durrell's plantation house? The Ten are supposed to be the best of each class, physically and mentally, and here Will, Mark and Pig just knock them down like bowling pins. Lame.... and there is no way to effectively describe how lousy the confrontation with Durrell and the closing scene are. Bah. But next to the unforgivably awful "Children of the Corn" films, this movie is a work of art. It has many flaws and much cheese with cliche on the side, but I can't call it a bad movie. Robert Prosky is simply too good as "The Bear", and also- "The Lords of Discipline" was filmed in England. Why? VMI, The Citadel, and any other military schools that the film makers asked about filming on campus were quite adamant in their refusal. Didn't like what it was about, too negative about life at a military school. But how did that go, one wonders? I honestly had no idea the movie was not actually filmed in the American South until I looked it up. They convince you of the film's being set in a 1960's South Carolina that well.
As I said, "The Lords of Discipline" is an imperfect film, and fans of the book it is based on- emphasis, 'based'- could start a riot over how unfaithful an adaptation this is. But as I have said, it's best not to think about that. This movie is actually pretty good. It's better than "Children of the Corn", and makes more sense than "Spacecataz". That's got to count for something.
Did I mention that David Keith plays McClean and Bill Paxton plays John Alexander? I have now, so be happy.
Description of The Lords of Discipline
A SENIOR CADET EXPOSES A SECRET SOCIETY WITH A TRADITION OF RACISM AT HIS MILITARY SCHOOL IN THE 1960S SOUTH.Bestsellers in DVD
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