The Great Santini

19791979
PGPG
1h 55m

The Great Santini (1979)

Official Trailer

Play trailer2:41

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated Marine pilot.

Director
- Lewis John Carlino
Writers
- Pat Conroy(novel)
- Lewis John Carlino(written for the screen by)
- Herman Raucher(uncredited)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 wins & 6 nominations total

Videos2

The Great Santini

The Great Santini

Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 1

Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 1

Photos39

Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, Michael O'Keefe, and Julie Anne Haddock in The Great Santini (1979)

Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe in The Great Santini (1979)

Stan Shaw in The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini (1979)

1 sheet

The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini (1979)

Robert Duvall in The Great Santini (1979)

The Great Santini (1979)

The Great Santini (1979)

Director
- Lewis John Carlino
Writers
- Pat Conroy(novel)
- Lewis John Carlino(written for the screen by)
- Herman Raucher(uncredited)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

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Rambling Rose

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7.2

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Broken Trail

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Colors

6.7

In 1962, the Marine Corps family, the Meechums - parents Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meechum and Lillian Meechum, and their four children Ben Meechum, Mary Anne Meechum, Karen Meechum and Matthew Meechum - are moving like they do most years, this time to Beaufort, South Carolina. Bull - nicknamed "the Great Santini" - is known as a great pilot, but has gotten into much trouble in the past for his sophomoric behavior. He runs his family much as a military commander, where they are all to obey his orders without question. Everything he does within the family context he reasons is to build character, but in reality everything ends up being about him. The oldest Ben, approaching manhood, is the one of his offspring who has the greatest issue with his father. Ben wants his respect, but isn't sure if he really loves him. As Ben goes through his senior year in high school, his attempts to play varsity basketball and an incident between black Toomer Smalls - his friend and their cook Arrabella Smalls' son - and racist Red Petus may forever change the dynamic between father and son. —Huggo

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Taglines
- The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.
Genre
- Drama
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- PG
Parents guide

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

Goofs
The squadron that Bull Meechum assumes command of, VMFA-312, was known as "Checkerboards", not "Werewolves". In the opening scene, he dogfights with two navy F-4s while flying a VMFA-312 jet. Supposedly, he left that squadron in Spain! Also, the tail letters for VMFA-312 are "DR", not "DF".

Quotes
Mary Anne Meechum: Hey Dad, why do you love me more than your other children?
Bull Meechum: Beat it, I'm reading the sports page.
Mary Anne Meechum: Let's have a conversation Dad. Let's bare our souls and get to know one another.
Bull Meechum: I don't want you to get to know me. I like being an enigma, like a Chink. Now scram.
Mary Anne Meechum: Am I a Meechum Dad? Can girls be real Meechums; girls without jump shots? Or am a simple form of Meechum, like in biology. Mary Anne, the one-celled Meechum.
Bull Meechum: Mary Anne scram, I'm starting to lose my temper; Lilian!
Mary Anne Meechum: [falls to the ground] Dad, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant by a negro Daddy. His name is Rufus, I didn't wanna tell you but since we're baring our souls to each other. Rufus is a pacifist; a pacifist homosexual.
Bull Meechum: Jesus H. Christ! Lilian, I'm going to the club. I'll see you all at the game! I can't stand it around here!
[storms off as Mary Anne follows him]
Mary Anne Meechum: But you'll get to like him after awhile Dad. Dwarfs are easy to like, especially when they're bald and cross-eyed... Dad... Dad... *Dad*!

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Divine Madness/Willie & Phil/The Great Santini/Ordinary People/Middle Age Crazy (1980)

Soundtracks
Fascination
(uncredited)
Music by Fermo Dante Marchetti

Top review

The Great Santini

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.

helpful•8

4

Coxer99
Jun 16, 1999

Release date
- October 26, 1979 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- The Ace
Filming locations
- Tidalholm Mansion - 1 Laurens Street, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA
Production company
- Bing Crosby Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Gross US & Canada
- $4,702,575
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $83,527
- Oct 28, 1979
Gross worldwide
- $4,702,575

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 55 minutes
Sound mix
- Mono
Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1

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