the great santini

Director: lewis john carlino

Actor: robert duvall,blythe danner,michael o'keefe,lisa jane persky

Data Published: Fri Oct 26 1979

Genres: Drama

Key Words: male underwear,abusive husband,abusive father,missing man formation,birthday

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079239/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Santini

Description: The Great Santini is a movie starring Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe. As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but...

Plot: A warrior without a war, Lt. Col. Wilbur "Bull" Meechum, a pilot also known as "The Great Santini" to his fellow Marines, moves his family to the military base town of Beaufort, South Carolina, in peacetime 1962. His wife Lillian is loyal and docile, tolerant of Meechum's temper and drinking. Their teenaged kids, Ben and Mary Anne, are accustomed to his stern discipline and behave accordingly, while adapting to their new town and school. Ben is a basketball star. On the court at school, he is a dominating player. In one-on-one games on his driveway at home, his father won't let him win, even if it means using unnecessarily physical tactics or humiliating the boy, bouncing the ball off him. Ben finally beats him in basketball, but rather than be proud of his son's dedication, he berates and insults him. Ben is publicly embarrassed one night at the school gym when his dad, drunk, orders him to get even with an opponent who committed a foul. Ben decks the boy and is ejected from the game. Ben befriends a young black man called Toomer, who is being harassed by Red Petus, a bigoted bully. Toomer exacts revenge on Red with the help of a hive of bees, but tragic consequences ensue as Red shoots Toomer. Ben, against the orders of his father, leaves the house and tries to help Toomer, but arrives too late. Meechum is angry for his son's disobedience, but his fellow Marines tell him that Ben showed courage by choosing to help his friend. Meechum is unwilling or unable to appreciate his son's sensitive nature. Their relationship is still a delicate one when the Great Santini flies one last mission, a military maneuver, from which he does not return.