IMDb > The Great Santini (1979)
The Great Santini
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The Great Santini (1979) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   2,545 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 32% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Lewis John Carlino

Writers:

Lewis John Carlino (writer)
Pat Conroy (novel)
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Contact:

View company contact information for The Great Santini on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

26 October 1979 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama more

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. full summary | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more

NewsDesk:

The Best Best Actors
 (From Get The Big Picture. 16 February 2009, 6:55 PM, PST)

User Comments:

Just Like Living With a Ticking Time Bomb. more (24 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

The Gift of Fury
The Great Santini (USA)
more

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

On the morning of the Academy Award nominations in 1981, when the movie got nods for actor and supporting actor, author Pat Conroy received a phone call from him father who told him "You and me got nominated for Academy Awards, your mother didn't get squat". more

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film takes place in 1962, but the aircraft are F-4J Phantom II's, an aircraft that was manufactured in 1966. The aircraft have ECM antennas on the intake shoulders, which were added in 1975. Finally, the planes are gull-gray on the bellies and noses. This was a paint scheme mandated in 1978. more

Quotes:

Mary Anne Meechum: I hate this place.
Lillian Meechum: Now sugar, you've got to open yourself to a town. You've been in the corps long enough to know that.
Mary Anne Meechum: I am not in the corps.
Matthew Meechum: Says you!
Bull Meechum: Shut your little yaps! Now here it is sports fans, Beaufort S.C.!
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Laserblast (#8.6)" (1996) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
Just Like Living With a Ticking Time Bomb., 23 June 2004
Author: tfrizzell from United States

Hard-nosed military pilot Robert Duvall (Oscar-nominated in the title role) is a nut of epic proportions as he abuses his wife (Blythe Danner) and four kids (led by Oscar-nominee Michael O'Keefe) with verbal outbursts, bully-style antics and cruel behavior. Duvall's over-the-top role is an intensely interesting and volatile character who is full of fire, but also strangely sympathetic and dare I say even likable. The movie takes place just before the Vietnam years and keeps up an intensity because of the events going on in the world around them. Also O'Keefe gets into all kinds of trouble as a high schooler in the newest town the group has moved to. The relationship between Duvall and O'Keefe is the primary focus and the rest of the project is really just window dressing. Duvall is a revelation once again and he is able to keep everything believable and coherent. 4 stars out of 5.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (24 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Santini (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The real Bull Meechum EJF
Title change jdbna
This is the Truth about Military Life! wildrose-1
who/what is the great santini? vpoholek
Night Flight: What is that noise right before the afterburners ignite??? skull-21
having read the book, should i watch the movie? huggin_possums
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