The Lords of Discipline (1983)

Director:

Franc Roddam

Writers:

Pat Conroy (novel)
Thomas Pope (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1983 (Australia)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

One hundred years of the finest school turning out the finest young men. IT WAS ALL A LIE. One cadet is about to expose the system.

Plot:

Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student...

Plot Keywords:

Torture | Racism | Secret Group | Ceremony | Military School

Cast

David Keith	...	Will
Robert Prosky	...	Bear
G.D. Spradlin	...	Gen. Bentley Durrell
Barbara Babcock	...	Abigail
Michael Biehn	...	John Alexander
Rick Rossovich	...	Dante `Pig` Pignetti
John Lavachielli	...	Mark
Mitchell Lichtenstein	...	Tradd
Mark Breland	...	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

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The film was originally intended to be filmed on location at the Citadel in Charleston, SC (author Pat Conroy, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, was a cadet at The Citadel and wrote the book based on his experiences there). Filming was shifted to England following the veto of the Citadel administration, which had been warned about the time-consuming delays of film production from the commandant of Valley Forge Military Academy, where the 1981 military school film Taps (1981) was shot. The school and its alumni also believed that the novel was derogatory to the school (the story was set in Charleston at a "fictional" military college that was obviously based on The Citadel) and that the movie would do the same.

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.

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.