The Great Santini (1979)

In the tranquil era preceding the Vietnam War, 1962 sees the Meechum family, led by Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meechum, move once more, this time to the picturesque town of Beaufort, South Carolina. This nomadic existence is characteristic of the Marine Corps family, who dance to the tune of their patriarch's drum, a man renowned for his piloting prowess and infamous for his juvenile antics. Bull, self-dubbed the "Great Santini," rules his family with an iron fist, his military discipline seeping into their domestic life. His wife, Lillian, and their four children—Ben, Mary Anne, Karen, and Matthew—are expected to follow his orders without question or hesitation. His authoritarian approach, he believes, is a way of molding character. However, it often appears to be more about bolstering his own ego. As the eldest, Ben Meechum is on the brink of manhood and finds himself struggling with this rigid familial hierarchy. Craving his father's respect yet questioning his love for him, Ben navigates the turbulent waters of his senior year in high school. His aspirations of joining the varsity basketball team and his friendship with Toomer Smalls, a soft-spoken Black teenager, and son of their cook, Arrabella, add further complexity to his life. But when an incident involving Toomer and the bigoted Red Petus occurs, the Meechum family's dynamics are thrown into disarray. Racial and familial tensions reach a boiling point, creating a ripple effect that may forever alter the bond between father and son. As the chaos unfolds, Ben is thrust into a journey of self-discovery, where he must reconcile his feelings for his father and find a way to forge peace in their stormy relationship. The Great Santini is a vivid exploration of the delicate balance between duty, respect, and love in a family living under the shadow of military discipline and racial tension.

The Great Santini is a drama movie featuring Robert Duvall and directed by Lewis John Carlino.

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