Synopsis
The Great Santini (1979) is an American drama you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Lewis John Carlino and based on Pat Conroy's 1976 semi-autobiographical novel. Robert Duvall picked up an Oscar nomination for his performance as Marine pilot Bull Meechum — a man who calls himself "The Great Santini" and means every word of it.
Peacetime is the worst thing that ever happened to Bull. With no war to justify his discipline, he runs his family like a squadron: wife Lillian (Blythe Danner) absorbs the worst of it with quiet precision, the younger kids follow orders, and eighteen-year-old Ben (Michael O'Keefe) is starting to push back. The basketball court scene — Bull refusing to lose a one-on-one to his own son, calling him names for winning — is among the sharpest portraits of unchecked alpha-male ego in American cinema.
Duvall plays Bull without making him a pure villain. The man is not cruel for sport — he simply has no other language than command. Conroy based the character directly on his own father, and Blythe Danner matches Duvall scene for scene throughout. Watch The Great Santini (1979) online on iFILM.
Starring
Comments 0