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 .

"The Great Santini" stars Robert Duvall as Bull Meechum, an idle marine pilot without a war. Military indoctrination, boredom, bottled-up aggression, and the stresses of living up to a confused version of masculinity, result in Duvall constantly feuding with, dominating and bullying his small family. Much of the episodic film consists of a series of macho rituals between Duvall and his son, played by Michael O'Keefe.The film is structured as a coming-of-age tale, O'Keefe juggling both hate and an appreciation of his father as he negotiates his own path into manhood. It's a bombastic, explosive melodrama, but the characters are too one-dimensional – Duvall's Colonel Kilgore from "Apocalypse Now", an ogre with no off-switch, and no effort is made to explain why his obviously intelligent family sticks so close to him – and the film missteps with a last act sequence in which Meechum sacrifices his life to prevent an air-plane crashing into a residential area. This moment is designed to rehabilitate Meechum in our eyes, to portray men like him as being "needed" and "necessary" in the "war" against those who "threaten our towns". He's a hard-hearted brute, the film acknowledges, but look at his soft, good and noble side. The film is set in 1962. The Vietnam war arrives with Meechum's death, the audience now ready for a little well-meaning murder, rape and pillaging.The film makes several interesting links between sports and warfare, and gives Meechum's daughter, played by Lisa Jane Persky, a number of good lines. She's constantly taunting her father, weaselling her way under his skin and getting away with it.7.9/10 – Worth one viewing for Duvall's scenery chewing. No alcoholic, abusive man who has faced disciplinary charges would be granted the opportunity to fly a fighter jet today. The air-force likes well mannered killers.

This movie is not heavily reviewed on this site. Thought I would contribute one more in case some movie fans don't know this film is one of the top 20 films ever made. Not technically brilliant. There are all sorts of audio and sound looping mistakes. There is some deft camera work. During the big game, the camera dollies up and down the court for good capture of action. There are some long composed shots of the beauty of South Carolina. It is mostly medium shots and two shots of dialog. There are no long continuous shots, and it is quite choppy. Kinda like television. The dialog and the story are outstanding. Bull Meechum's speeches are pure military gold. " You are flying with Bull Meecham now. I s**t you not, gentlemen, this is the eye of the storm!" I try to work that into my own speeches to this day. Another one that gets me, when racist Red Petus is shouting at (black) Toomer's back, "Look at me!" It captures his frustration and self-loathing perfectly. The entire scene of Ben's mother explaining the behavior of his father, after the harrowing basketball game, in the dark bedroom is worth watching again and again. Speaking of which, the scene where Bull tortures his son by bouncing the ball off his head is legendary in sports fan's and coaching circles. "One, two, three... Cry!"Great writing makes a great movie- but the acting positively makes this a high point of cinema. In my opinion, Robert Duvall is just as good as Robert DeNiro. His career is littered with high points and classics, but this one is my favorite. Most reviewers here say the character is unsympathetic. Duvall shows much of his tenderness when he wakes up his son at 4AM to describe the day 18 years before when he was born. The entire first 20 minutes show his sense of humor and his playfulness. When I first saw this in 1980 I loved the guy from the get go- and then the abusive basketball game riveted me to my seat. Duvall (and the script) show all sides of The Great Santini- the gift of fury, the love, the pride, the lust, the frustration, the anger, the ignorance,... everything in a father's heart. Maybe it's just something women don't get.Micheal O'Keefe captures high school youth, too. He cries a few times, and it really wrenches your heart. This is Blythe Danner's greatest achievement. I really felt Lillian loved Bull Meechum, and there was a back story there. Of course, we don't get the back story, just like the kids don't. Her scenes with her son Ben had the subtle gritty ring of realism. She says a lot with her hands and her eyes. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent. There are many stories and events in this plot. I wish it could have been longer to explore the younger sister, Mary Jane, and maybe the children's experiences in school with their peers.In conclusion, I would like to say that people who review the film and don't like Bull Meechum tend to not like the movie. That is unfair.(if you watch Taxi Driver over and over you must come to the same conclusion: Travis Bickle is a scumbag, a loser, and a psychopath, but the acting and the movie are extraordinary, nonetheless) Also, I suppose that these people who react strongly never had a tough parent.I appreciated the rougher aspects of this character, and understood how he was missed by his family. His death is symbolic, because his son is now grown and is his own person within the story line. My own father was a tough, old, dinosaur. He didn't die when I was 18. But when I moved out and became a man, he turned into a hell of a guy. Kind, funny, patient... You could say that my 'old father' died. He just felt the best way to prepare your children for the world was through obedience, motivation, respect, and, yes, confrontation.

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").