"The Great Santini"

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the relationships between family members in "The Great Santini", directed by L.J. Carlino. The family in the movie is dominated by the father, Bull Meecham, who is himself ruled by the military and by a military view of life. The paper looks at Meecham's relationship with his spouse and with his son, Ben and daughter, Mary Ann and examines how their family life is paralleled to an army platoon.

From the Paper:

"The family unit consists of individuals, but they have to deal with the other members of the group and alter some of their natural behavior to do so. Ben is reshaped in his father's image whether he wants to be or not, while Mary Anne rebels more than does Ben and yet to little avail in the period of the film. The two smaller children are not given that much attention, but there is no reason to believe they would not follow the same path if their father lived long enough. The unit is shaped, defined, and kept together by the power of the father, even if some resent this. Lillian is more nurturing on her own, but she also reduces her own participation on some level and becomes an observer when Meecham is around."

More papers on "The Great Santini":

• Film Review # 24492 : "The Family Unit in "The Great Santini"
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• Book Review # 33819 : "The Great Gatsby" and Materialism"

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