The Great Santini From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the film. For the novel, see The Great Santini (novel). The Great Santini Great santini.jpg Theatrical release poster Directed by Lewis John Carlino Produced by Charles A. Pratt Screenplay by Lewis John Carlino Herman Raucher Based on The Great Santini by Pat Conroy Starring Robert Duvall Blythe Danner Michael OKeefe Music by Elmer Bernstein Cinematography Ralph Woolsey Editing by Houseley Stevenson Jr. Distributed by Warner Bros. & Orion Pictures Release dates October 26, 1979 Running time 115 min. Language English Box office $4,702,575 (USA) The Great Santini is a 1979 film which tells the story of a Marine officer whose success as an F-4 Phantom military aviator contrasts with his shortcomings as a husband and father. The film explores the high price of heroism and self-sacrifice. It stars Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, Michael OKeefe, Lisa Jane Persky, Julie Anne Haddock, Brian Andrews, Stan Shaw and David Keith. The film is set in 1962 before widespread American involvement in the Vietnam War and is based on the novel of the same name by Pat Conroy. In the novel Conroy makes the point that Santini is a warrior without a war, and in turn is at war alternately with the service that he loves and his family. Contents [hide] 1 Production 2 Release 3 Critical reception 4 Awards 5 References 6 External links Production[edit] The script was adapted by Lewis John Carlino from the novel, with assistance from an un-credited Herman Raucher. Carlino directed the film. The title character, Lt. Col. Wilbur Bull Meechum, aka The Great Santini, was based on Conroys father. Much of the film was shot on location in Beaufort, South Carolina. The setting of the Meechum house was later used in The Big Chill. The story, for the most part, follows the book. The movies major divergence is the absence of Sammy, Ben Meechams Jewish best friend. The spelling of the familys name was also changed from Meecham to Meechum. Also changed is that in the book Meecham flies and commands a squadron of F-8 Crusaders while in the film the fighters shown are F-4 Phantom IIs. The film was shot in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, but was only produced in that ratio in the LaserDisc format. Both the VHS & DVD releases are in 1.33:1 also known as full screen or pan & scan. To date the film has not had a release in the Blu-ray Disc format. Release[edit] Warner Bros. executives were concerned that the films plot and lack of bankable actors would make it hard to market. It made its world premiere in Beaufort in August 1979 and was soon released in North Carolina and South Carolina to empty houses. Believing that the films title - giving the perception that it was about circus stunts - would be the problem, it was tested as Sons and Heroes in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as Reaching Out in Rockford, Illinois, and The Ace in Peoria, Illinois. As it tested better in Peoria, The Ace stuck, though even with its new title it was still performing poorly. Orion Pictures eventually pulled the film and sold cable rights to HBO along with the airline rights to recoup its losses.[1] Producer Charles A. Pratt still had faith in the film and raised enough money, some coming from Orion, to release The Great Santini in New York under its original title. It ended up getting great reviews and business was steady, but two weeks later debuted on HBO, and audiences stopped coming. Orion executive Mike Medavoy blamed the films box office failure to a lack of a traditional release: screening it first in New York and expanding markets due to word-of-mouth.[1] Critical reception[edit] The film was well received. Roger Ebert wrote that Like almost all my favorite films, The Great Santini is about people more than its about a story. Its a study of several characters, most unforgettably the Great Santini himself, played by Robert Duvall...There are moments so unpredictable and yet so natural they feel just like the spontaneity of life itself.[2] Awards[edit] The Great Santini received two Academy Award nominations: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Duvall) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (OKeefe). References[edit] 1.^ Jump up to: a b Medavoy, Mike and Young, Josh (2002). Youre Only as Good as Your Next One: 100 Great Films, 100 Good Films, and 100 for Which I Should Be Shot (p. 105-107). New York City: Atria Books 2.Jump up ^ books.google/books/about/Roger_Ebert_s_Movie_home_companion.html?id=clLhkwBlA_8C; The Great Santini; at p. 153 External links[edit] The Great Santini at the Internet Movie Database The Great Santini at the Internet Book List [hide] v· t· e Works of Pat Conroy Novels The Boo (1970)· The Water Is Wide (1972)· The Great Santini (1976)· The Lords of Discipline (1980)· The Prince of Tides (1986)· Beach Music (1995)· The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life (1999)· My Losing Season (2002)· South of Broad (2009)· The Death of Santini (2013) Adaptations Conrack (1974)· The Great Santini (1979)· The Lords of Discipline (1983)· The Prince of Tides (1991)· The Water Is Wide (2006) Categories: 1979 films Films based on American novels Orion Pictures films Warner Bros. films United States Marine Corps in popular culture Films shot in South Carolina Films set in the 1960s Navigation menu Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit View history Main page Contents Featured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Wikimedia Shop Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Tools Print/export Languages Deutsch Français Italiano Norsk bokmål Polski Edit links This page was last modified on 20 October 2013 at 03:05. 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Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:14:54 +0000
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