The Great Santini

"The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him."

1979 1h 55m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 77

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Robert Duvall
Bull Meechum
Blythe Danner
Lillian Meechum
Michael O'Keefe
Ben Meechum
Lisa Jane Persky
Mary Anne Meechum
Julie Anne Haddock
Karen Meechum
Brian Andrews
Matthew Meechum
Stan Shaw
Toomer Smalls
Theresa Merritt
Arrabella Smalls

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lewis John Carlino
Writers: Lewis John Carlino
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lewis John Carlino, shot by Ralph Woolsey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Houseley Stevenson Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0079239 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lewis John Carlino directs. Ralph Woolsey behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Houseley Stevenson Jr. cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Lewis John Carlino, shot by Ralph Woolsey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Houseley Stevenson Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The bravest thing he would ever do was let his family love him.".
8IMDB entry: tt0079239 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "high school", "california", "based on novel or book", "military base".