The Great Santini
4.5 | 1,705 ratings
Price: 15.58
Last update: 02-19-2026
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 0.5 x 5.35 x 7.5 inches; 2.72 ounces
- Director : Carlino, Lewis John
- Media Format : NTSC
- Run time : 1 hour and 56 minutes
- Release date : July 16, 2013
- Actors : Danner, Blythe, Duvall, Robert, Haddock, Julie Anne, O'Keefe, Michael, Persky, Lisa Jane
- Studio : Warner Bros. Digital Dist
- ASIN : B00DX88J4K
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank:#40 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- Drama DVDs
- Customer Reviews:4.54.5 out of 5 stars(1,705)
Top reviews from the United States
- Zachary B.A great fighter pilot movie!A fantastic movie! I’m a big fan of Navy and Marine Corps pilots! And a fan of Robert Duvall!
- Jonathan JonesBETTER THAN "TOP GUN"There was a high school ( class of1962) classmare of mine; both of us served in Viet Nam. He passed away in November; the obituary noted that he was a U.S. Marine F-4 fighter pilot. The dvd spoylights actor Robert Duvall as an F-4 pilot. The film fills in the blanks as I was U.S. Army infantry.
- ltwillmanAnother to have in your collection on icon flicks.You don't have be a marine to love this, it is a great story with great acting from one of America's best actors, Robert Duvall.
- John VSantini is GreatI can't comment on the DVD specifically yet as I only received yesterday and it will be a few weeks before I have time to watch it; however, I am very familiar with the movie as I own an old VCR video of it. I think it's a great movie with splendid acting all around. Had I been able to vote for the Academy Awards when Robert Duvall and Michael O'Keefe were nominated I would have voted for Duvall. O'Keefe would have been my second choice for supporting as that was the year Timothy Hutton won for Ordinary People, and I would have had to go with Timothy. It would have been a really hard choice if I had a vote. At the time Michael O'Keefe didn't have a lot of experience, as I recall, which makes his performance all the more moving. He slid right into the character. You can't help but feel his pain.
- m davisFather/Son Coming of Age ,Domestic ViolenceOutstanding movie depicting the archetypal father of the 1950's and his tortured family ,especially his wife and eldest son.Duvall is incredible in his ability to capture the essence of the marine warrior, pilot who is unable to express his emotions ,especially love and fear, except through the tortured mask of rage,fury and braggadocio.His son ,compellingly acted by Michael O'Keefe beautifully portrays the sensitive son who can only transcend adolescence and become a man by channeling the best and worst attributes , bravery,loyalty and fury, of his powerful father ,while also incorporating the love ,tenderness and compassion of his mother ,beautifully acted by Blythe Danner. The scene in which Ben finally courageously defends his mother against his violent father with his fists is a phenomenal portrayal of what it takes for the son of a battering father to finally free himself from the fear that such a father uses to control his family. O'Keefe captures the complexity of the need and sorrow of the son of such a man to achieve his father's love, approval and validation ,while at the same time hating his father and wishing he would die. In the scene, the son " becomes" a man who overcomes his fear and uses the fury he has learned from his father for a better purpose,in this case protecting his mother.Blythe Danner compellingly portrays the complexity of a woman who is married to a tyrannical man whom she adores ,but who she allows to brutalize her and her children. Later when Ben brings his drunken father home after this awful heart wrenching scene of family violence and comes to an understanding of the tortured ,incompetently expressed love of his father for his family , the movie reaches an emotional crescendo. In the end, the son unconsciously channels and "becomes "his father a predictable unwanted transition for the son of such a man. Pat Conroy wrote a masterful novel portraying the damage that such a dysfunctional childhood can cause, and in this case ,the movie is maybe even better !Robert Duvall's portrayal of Colonel Bull Meachum may be his best role portrayal ever.The movie and its themes are timeless and have aged well.
- Linda R MVery good movie about a Marine Corps family based on a book by Pat ConroyA heartwarming movie about a very difficult Marine father and his relationships with his family. It wouldn't be good for very young children. It's not a feel-good syrupy movie. It's interesting how the family holds itself together. The ending is both sad and happy. My only criticism of this DVD is that it did not come with subtitles or scene selection, which I would have expected since it is not a really old movie.
- TampadocWell acted, doesn't fly as high as the novelThe transition from the original (Pat Conroy's autobiographical novel detailing life with an abusive father) to the screen (well acted by Robert Duvall) failed to take flight. The film version is watered down - Hollywood loves a happy ending (read then see Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" starring Robert Redford and Robert Duvall as a journalist). Perhaps had I never read the novel I would have enjoyed the movie more but in the final analysis the movie crashed and burned.
- John Larrick" The Great Hero"This is a unique movie in that it combines several elements that separate it from many, many others.This is a military movie but not a war movie. It is set in the early sixties but it has themes that are timeless including: family, coming of age, racisim, honor and true character and courage.
Robert DuVall is Bull Meecham the hard charging Marine fighter pilot that expresses his love for family by barking orders and discipline in true spirit of the "Corps" fashion. Blythe Danner in my favorite role as his wife is the epitome of a strong yet subdued woman of great conviction and faith.
I identified with this movie on several levels. I grew up in a town near a Naval Air Station and my neighborhood had many Marine and Navy pilot families in it. I used to go to the base with them and spend lots of time with them and I knew many men that Bull Meecham reminded me of. There is a special comradery that DuVall captured pefectly.
Blythe Danner's chatacter reminded me of my mother as she had a very strong Catholic faith and we were expected to behave in a certain way at all times. As I lost my father at an early age I was always looking for strong male role models and all those guys were a good influence on me.
I guess I will just say that I think we could use a few more Bull Meechams today as they are a vanishing breed. The ultimate test of a hero is when they sacrifice themself for the greater good and this movie sends a powerfull message. All teenage boys should have this as mandatory viewing with their father for a coming of age lesson. GREAT MOVIE!!