User reviews

I have not seen this film in over 20 years, but having been in the Marines, it will always be burned in my memory. You may also have to be, or have been, a Marine to fully appreciate the film (although anyone that has lived under authoritarian rule must feel some sympathy for the situations presented).

Although the film may have been re-cut for video release, I remember Duvall's character as being a fully fleshed out dichotomy of a man who rebelled against authority when submission was called for (his practical jokes while performing military duties) and invoking authoritarianism when more compassion and understanding were called for (his family life).

This is what it was like to be a Marine: The Corps was your family and your family was just an inconvenient duty to be performed for society.

If the movie has been re-edited, I suggest you try to see the original theatrical release, if possible. I found it to be a thoughtful and powerful motion picture.

"The Great Santini" is a powerful, gut-wrenching film that manages to tell the tale of a powerful, abusive, often unlikeable hero named Bull Meecham (Duvall). . . and yet you care about what happens to Bull Meecham just the same. Meecham, a legendary pilot and naval hero, is at his best when faced with death -- but at his worst when faced with peacetime, and with his wife and children. Meecham is actually both sad and scary when left alone with his family; he's an abusive terror, almost trying to start a full-scale war in his own home just so he can feel, well, normal.

Duvall is nothing short of brilliant in this movie -- he was nominated for an Oscar, and, in my opinion, he should've won it hands down. Also amazing is Blythe Danner as Lillian, his put-upon wife. An amazing character study that isn't always fun -- in fact, sometimes it's downright harrowing -- but definitely a great story with some incredibly moving performances. A-

I've seen Robert Duvall in other movies. He is a quiet, wise, somewhat reverent man. Being a fan of his, I caught "The Great Santini" on TV. And I gotta tell you, his performance as Bull Meechum just blew the hell out of me! I never knew he could play a role as fierce, violent, and powerful as Bull Meechum! Although it's a film with little attention, it's Robert Duvall best film! It's his best performance. The conflict between the father and the son is strong enough to wildly shake our emotions! Duvall was nominated for Best Actor, and he should've won! It's a must see! I tried purchasing it, but since it's not in high demand, the store didn't have it. It's worth owning, and it's definitely worth watching! Put it on your list of films to see next!

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.

This movie is excellent for its first half: crisply delivered, well-developed, it takes chances that you don't see in films made today. Characters like Bull Meechum are usually, in contemporary films, greatly exaggerated or treated with utter contempt (the military dad in American Beauty as a typical example). This film delivers all the way through the basketball game episode.

Then it starts to fall apart. The episode with Toomer and Red seems like a mighty big price to pay just to show Bull's lack of sensitivity and empathy, or anything else it intends to show. Not too long after, Bull himself gets yanked right out of the movie. I really would have appreciated seeing all of these interesting characters resolve their differences - or see things come to a head. I just felt that the movie just quit with 30 minutes to go.

The music was also kind of hit and miss in the last half. For example, when Ben confesses that he prayed for his father's death, the music is inappropriately creepy. It resolves into sorrow, but the net result was kind of off-putting.

Robert Duvall is magnificent as a classic warrior without a war who moves his family from town to town. Blythe Danner is an excellent match as his wife. And Michael O'Keefe deserves all the kudos he received plus more as Duvall's put-upon son. Lisa Jane Persky strikes a nice balance as the sarcastic-yet-still-loving daughter. Stan Shaw, Paul Mantee, Paul Gleason, and David Keith are flawless in edgy supporting performances. There's perhaps one scene that's slightly overdone which causes me to give it a 9/10 rather than a 10. Otherwise, The Great Santini is an utterly riveting family portrait from start to finish.

Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a wildcat Marine Pilot stationed stateside ; at the beginning , he along with his family are living in Spain , then , they return to USA . The family is formed by father , mother (Blythe Danner) and children (Michael O'Keefe as Ben , Lisa Jane Persky as Mary Anne , Julie Anne Haddock as Karen and Brian Andrews as Matthew Meechum) . They are a dysfunctional family , rigidly governed by the father , as he abuses and deals them in military style , because he doesn't allow himself any other way yo show his affection .

The motion picture mingles tenderness , warm humor , racism with harsh cruelties inherent with unsettling as well unpleasant main character , including his repressed emotions , frustrated career and family mistreat . According to author Pat Conroy, Lt. Col. Bull Meecham is based entirely on his own father, Donald Conroy, a Marine fighter pilot who referred to himself in the third person as "The Great Santini." Donald Conroy took the nickname from a magician he'd seen as a child ; in fact Pat and Donald Conroy were on the set on the day . Producers gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of the US Marine Corps , in the production of this picture . The movie was virtually undistributed and originally released directly to cable and airlines, under the title "The Ace" , when the NY Times reviewed it very favorably, it was pulled from cable, and released due to critical acclaim to theaters under the title "The Great Santini" . Very good acting by Robert Duvall as an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot strictly related to his family with whom he shares a strident and sometimes fun love-hatred relationship . Skillful acting especially from the youngsters with special mention to Miles O'Keefe . And standout performance by Blythe Danner ; despite playing the mummy , Blythe Danner is only 12 years older than children Michael O'Keefe and Lisa Jane Persky . Secondary cast is pretty good such as Stan Shaw , Paul Gleeson , Paul Mantee , Michael Strong and David Keith film debut .

Atmospheric cinematography by Ralph Woolsey , filmed on location in South Carolina and in Samuel Goldwyn studios , Hollywood Calif. Cameraman used lenses and Panaflex camera by Panavision , prints by Technicolor . In 1981, the movie got nods for nominated for Academy Awards to actor and supporting actor. Rousing musical score by the master Elmer Bernstein in his particular as well as martial style . The motion picture was professionally written and directed by Lewis Jon Carlino who extracted good performances and well-developed events .He is a writer and director, known for The mechanic , Mafia , Seconds ; having only directed three films : Class , The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea and this Great Santini .

This film is one of the finest ever made, in my humble opinion, and the greatest display of Robert Duval's acting abilities. This film is powerful and moving. An "era" piece, it's message resounds regardless.

The cinematography is beautifully done. The acting is top notch. The scenes between Metchum and his son are the most riveting, of course but the scenes between the son and mother are also quite touching and tender, and contrast wonderfully with the other scenes. And while this is a gripping drama, with very well acted round characters, there is humor too, and handled brilliantly.

Truly every movie library should have this film in it's collection.

As most other movie-goers, I am a big fan of Robert Duvall's body of work. The Great Santini is a film about a once well respected American war pilot Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum (Robert Mitchum) whose excessive binge drinking is about the only substance that can dull his pain from previous battle fatigue. He moves his wife and two kids from one air base to another never appreciating the impact on his own families lives. His faithful wife Lillian (played to perfection by Blythe Danner), his wacky teenage character of a daughter Mary Anne (Lisa Jane Persky), and his willing to please adolescent son Ben (Michael O'Keefe) seem to know the routine their pilot father always patterns.

Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum is moved from one air base to another due to his many successful battles in the air, but on the ground, he is nothing close to being a team player. Rather, he is a hard drinking prankster, a bully, and an egotistical maniac. His family is nearing their end point with their so-called man of the house, their family provider, and mother Lillian accepts the good, but mostly the bad from her husband whenever he chooses to hang around the house, or attend one of his son Ben's high school basketball games.

This is a story that I am sure many families can relate to. Alcohol can take its toll rather quickly on a man, and Robert Duvall's character as Lt. Col. 'Bull' Meechum is a despicable man, bar none. Don't get me wrong, Duvall's portrayal of an alcoholic air force Lieutenant who beats his wife and kids is so believable that you hate the man he has become.

I don't want to give away the ending suffice to say as the story line continued to unfold, this is a family in a downward spiral, that depending upon your own family life you can understand the film ending, or you may not.

I give the Great Santini a 7 out of 10 rating

Imagine a man who considers winning to be absolutely everything. He is like the coach of a sports team, yet he encompasses a far greater reach of authority. And yet, he wants even more authority and always seems to be getting it, because of his natural air of authority and others' natural air of backing down in the fright of his presence. He is a coach, a military man, a patriot, abusive, and to make things even more shocking: a father who just doesn't really know how to be one except his own way. And you have a picture of the type of character that Academy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall plays in this film. He got another nomination for the Academy Award in this film, although he unfortunately did not win it.

"The Great Santini" is a dramatic film near to perfection and one of the finest great movies of the 70s. Majority of the screen time is devoted to the relationship between Robert Duvall and his screen son, portrayed by Michael O'Keefe, also in an Oscar-nominated performance. The whole point of this is that O'Keefe is the oldest out of four children who have spent their whole life being raised, bullied, and commanded by Duvall. He runs their lives like a boot camp. There is no mercy, no generosity, and all you get for a good job, is a slap on the back. Duvall is trying to raise them in the best way he knows. He wants them to succeed in life, but the only method he knows that is effective is to be rough. And O'Keefe's character has decided he's had enough of being treated like a soldier in war.

Every aspect in "The Great Santini" is developed and executed perfectly to a magnificent entertaining level. The varsity basketball game depicted in the film is just like watching a real high school ball game. It's not full of tough, imaginative lines. Nothing remarkable happens during it, and yet it is a powerful sequence and highly entertaining, almost as if you were sitting with the cheering and jeering friends and family members of the characters. There are also powerful messages about racism and violence in the film, performed through a friendship between the characters portrayed by Michael O'Keefe, Stan Shaw, and David Keith. It is an excellent subplot that is the next-to-most-important aspect of the story and it involves pretty much all of the characters in some way, shape, or form. It's not just an in-the-background tragedy.

"The Great Santini" plays out as a magnificent story, mostly revolving around the character played by Robert Duvall. As we see him, he goes on an off with his temper and general-like behavior, and we come to like and dislike him over the course of the film, respecting him as if he were a real person before us. While he's really nothing more than a fictional character being portrayed by a magnificent and talented actor, he is in his own way, one of the greatest heroes of film history. And he just wants everybody to see things his way.

Recommended.

Lt. Colonel "Bull" Meechum (played by Robert Duvall) is a Marine Corps fighter pilot, one of the best there is. He is also a family man, with a wife and four children. He runs his house like a military establishment, which works for him but is not necessarily ideal for the children, especially his eldest son.

Good, but not great. Was set up to be a great human drama, but got sidetracked, and pulls its punches at the end. The sidetracking was due to trying to tackle one big issue too many (the issue being 1960s racism). The ending is emotional, but leaves a few things unresolved.

Superb performance by Robert Duvall in the lead role. Good support from Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe.

I was very shocked when I saw that "The Great Santini" had an overall rating of only 7.2. Clearly, it's one of the best films of its day and it is possibly Robert Duvall's best performance.

Duvall plays 'Bull' Meechum--a career officer whose life is the service. He is a Marine pilot first and last. As for his long-suffering family, they clearly don't fit in with his life. Much of the time he's off being deployed somewhere--which is tough on the family. But when he's home--it's much worse!! He treats his family like they are soldiers, but they never signed up for this sort of thing.

This is a wonderful character study--very realistic, tough and memorable. Exceptionally well acted, directed and well worth seeing. While it's not always pleasant, it is always compelling.

It's 1962. Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a great Marine pilot also known as "The Great Santini". He returns from Spain to reunite with his loyal wife Lillian (Blythe Danner) and their four children. He's a drunk domineering presence and a stern disciplinarian. He refuses to accept defeat by his son Ben (Michael O'Keefe) at basketball. Ben struggles against his bullying and his drunkenness. Mary Anne is the bespectacled daughter. Everybody suffers under his tyranny. Ben befriends the stuttering son of the cook Toomer (Stan Shaw) who is harassed by racist redneck Red Petus (David Keith).

This is great dominating performance from Duvall. I wish it was matched by an equally compelling performance from Michael O'Keefe. Quite frankly, David Keith would make a better son. O'Keefe is simply overpowered and that is not all about his character. It's the difference between an acting legend and a beginner. O'Keefe is a good looking all-American guy but he isn't able to match Duvall's darkness or intensity. Keith would have been able to.

Muddled adaptation of Pat Conroy's book(briefly retitled "The Ace" at one point)features Robert Duvall as strict Marine Bull Meechum, raising his kids with an iron fist in 1962. Duvall is well cast but one-note in the lead; didn't this guy have another side they could've explored? Was he only about outbursts and confrontation? The character is written as such a hot-headed buffoon that he elicits no sympathy. Film is fatally doomed by irrational racial sub-plot that gets shoehorned in, possibly to take us away from the father for a few minutes but, alas, not to a better place. Michael O'Keefe as the son has a nice, mellow way with an exchange, and it's always nice to see Blythe Danner's work--and yet, she's wasted as the mom. ** from ****

Duvall received a much deserved Oscar nomination as a Marine who runs his family like he runs his men... with vigor and power. He's a Patton without a war and Duvall plays it off beautifully. O'Keefe (also Oscar nominated) is fantastic as his son who's only wish is to please his father. There are many startling scenes in the picture, especially the basketball game where Duvall orders O'Keefe to put another player "on the floor" for obvious flagrant fouls. Duvall's Bull Meechum rules with a iron fist and screams at his son, "Put him down, or you don't come home tonight." The film is based on Pat Conroy's novel and also stars the always wonderful Danner, as Duvall's wife and Stan Shaw as a black man befriended by O'Keefe. Lewis John Carlino directs.

1st watched 10/11/2010 -- 7 out of 10 (Dir-Lewis John Carlino): Well crafted drama about a tough marine colonel played by Robert Duvall trying to juggle his career as a jet pilot trainer who moves often, with his family life. He runs his family somewhat like his teams in the marines but not unlike that career, he sometimes causes trouble because of his drinking and flamboyant behavior. At the beginning of the movie, the family is moving into a new town in South Carolina and they have to adapt to their new surroundings one more time. His son, played by Michael O'Keefe, is supposed to follow in his footsteps and he tries to oblige. The movie is light-hearted at first, but becomes very melodramatic in the last 1/2 hour(which, in my opinion, is the movie's only real fault). The son befriends a stuttering black man, who gets bullied by some racists, which provided a side story that really doesn't add much to the movie, in my opinion, but it's done well. The acting is very well done, especially when it's trying to show how the family copes. This overlooked gem gave the two male stars Academy award nominations, but the film was not distributed well and is not very well known. It deserves to be viewed more often, so go out there and rent or buy this one--- you won't be disappointed.

Although there are a number of excellent performances in this movie, by Blythe Danner, Michael O'Keefe and Stan Shaw and the rest of the cast, Robert Duvall stands out in his performance as the "warrior without a war". Depending on who you believe, this is an autobiographical tale from Pat Conroy about a military father who seemed to refuse to get too close to a family that he might lose at any time, given the nature of his "job", a Marine fighter pilot. There are a couple of subplots that revolve around his son and their love/hate relationship. This is a story that many people can relate to, particularly the military "brats", the military wives and anyone who finds themselves in a family with the father as the villain. But the bottom line is the performance by Robert Duvall. A "larger than life" characterization of a character that you can both love and hate. This film was originally titled "The Ace" and I found it [originally] on cable, Cinemax, I think. Thank goodness for cable, if for no other reason than for giving me the first opportunity to see this film.

If you are ever pining for a film that espouses wholesome family values but most of what you find is syrup-y, The Great Santini is the film for you.

The theme of this movie is that love is a force of almost limitless, even frightening power, and life is all about the search for qualities to temper this force so that we can do it (love) with more ease, regularity and goodness. That we may get good at it, learn to live in it and speak it.

The characters all have a lust for life, act unself-consciously and unapologetically. This is a portrait of a truly loving family.

The Great Santini is another good movie that builds up on themes of hardships within the Marines and family life under a patriarchal rule. The last theme I can relate to so this makes the movie all the better. It's a great, emotional-provoking drama. There are many amusing moments, mostly in the beginning where Meechum was pulling pranks in the Spanish restaurant. But there were also many sad moments and some were quite unexpected.

This movie is about a high school teen named Ben Meechum who lives with his dictator of a father, his gentle mother, and his three siblings. Ben is always on the move because of his father's military career. His father is a talented fighter pilot, but very demanding. Ben wants to get out, but with his father's authoritarian rule, it may be nigh impossible.

Robert Duvall gave a very strong performance as the father, Bull Meechum. Duvall usually play laid-back characters, but that is certainly not the case here. Blythe Danner also gave a strong performance as the gentle mother who desperately tries to love Bull despite his shortcomings. I also liked Michael O'Keefe's performance as Ben, the son who doesn't want to be involved in the military.

Overall, The Great Santini is a great movie and a seemingly hidden film as I have never heard of it until I saw this movie on sale. But it explores relationships and hardships within a military family as well as themes focusing on heroism and self-sacrifice. I really liked the relationship Ben struck up with the son of their new maid. I thought it added humanity to the story. Another great military movie to watch. I rate this film 9/10.

Robert Duvall plays the ultimate domineering dad in this screen adaptation of a Pat Conroy novel.

I tried to read the novel and got about 10 pages in before deciding that Conroy's pedestrian bestseller style was not for me. The movie is pretty decent, notable mostly for the performances of Duvall and Michael O'Keefe, who plays his oldest son, as well as Blythe Danner as the wife who loves her husband but not everything about him. The film is a little too apologetic on Duvall's behalf, especially in its later moments, suggesting as it does that his terrible behavior is somewhat justified by his loyalty to the armed forces and by extension the country he serves. That message is a bit harder to swallow in the now of today.

Duvall and O'Keefe were both nominated for Oscars, but lost to Robert DeNiro in "Raging Bull" and Timothy Hutton in "Ordinary People." The Academy made the right decision in both cases.

Grade: B+

"The Great Santini" is a critically acclaimed film featuring the Oscar-nominated performances of Robert Duvall and Michael O'Keefe, who portray Bull Meechum and his son, Ben. Bull is a Marine pilot. He calls himself "The Great Santini" and lives by his own code, which is based upon the Marine principles of duty and discipline, but is enhanced to create a larger than life caricature of a gung-ho man who kicks asses and takes names.

Bull, his wife, and the four kids move to Buford, South Carolina for his newest posting. Much of the film is a coming of age story about Ben, who interacts with the locals and deals with his father's expectations. As Ben is approaching manhood, his father perceives a decline in his own virility. The resulting conflicts will make you laugh, make you cry, and break your heart. The acting in this film is wonderful.

Kudos are deserved by director Lewis John Carlino (who also wrote the screenplay), because the finished film is beautifully paced, lingering when the drama demands. You can tell a great hand was at the rudder.

It's sad to think that people could actually be like this, but apparently there are such individuals. Lt. Col. Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is a military man without a war, so he uses all his energy to regiment his family. Immature and rather mean, Bull always gets his way...until they move to Beaufort, South Carolina. When Bull's son Ben (Michael O'Keefe) befriends African-American Toomer Smalls (Stan Shaw), it sets the stage for what's going to follow.

"The Great Santini" is very well done. Since this was written by Pat Conroy - who also wrote "The Prince of Tides" - we can easily conclude that he must have had an abusive father. Also starring Blythe Danner, David Keith, and Paul Gleason (whom you may recognize as Clarence Beaks from "Trading Places" and the principal from "The Breakfast Club").

When it came to "The Great Santini's" title character, Wilbur "Bull" Meechum (annoyingly played by Robert Duvall) - I couldn't identify with this demanding, psychotic man nor with his screwy actions either.

IMO - If this story about out-of-kilter family dysfunction had been billed as a twisted comedy, then, yes, it would've had some entertainment value.

But, as 1979's "The Great Santini" stood (with Robert Duvall chewing up the scenery through the obsessions of his one-note character) I found that the cringe-worthy aspect of this story never allowed me to muster up even the slightest bit of sympathy for any of the decidedly pathetic characters portrayed in this picture.

More common than not, even though it looks rather mean in these "politically correct" times, this is the way many families were back in the 50s.

The racial conflicts shown were very realistic and I'm sad to say did happen in the southern state in which I grew up. This movie does a good job of showing how the head of a family, the Dad, was "expected" to act.

Even though we are lead to believe he was a monster, we never found out that his son grew up to be a doctor of highest esteem.