At my marina, often cast off stuff is left at the gate. This could be boat equipment, CD's, books and even kitchen items and clothes. The intent is for someone that could use some of these items to take what they want. I have picked up some good stuff lately. A couple of weeks ago, a box of books was left. I picked through them and found a few that I thought I would read. One was "The Great Santini".
THE BOOK REVIEW
This book is set in 1962. The main character is Bull Meecham, a Lt Colonel Marine pilot. Only once does the book use his real given name of Wilbur. A World War II and Korea hero, he is a Warrior without a war. For some reason not explained, he likes to refer to himself as "The Great Santini". Passed over for promotion, he finds himself in a "last chance" appointment as a commander of a jet fighter squadron at a base in rural South Carolina near Charleston. His family includes a wife, two sons and two daughters. The eldest son Ben, is 18 and a senior in high school, a gifted athlete who is trying to fit into a new school. Most of the book deals with the relationship between Ben and Bull. At an age where maturing sons are often a threat to a Father, the book deals with Bull's strong willed, abusive treatment of his family and Ben's desire to leave the family as soon as possible. And there is an underlying thread of how Ben is trying to please his dad even though he does not believe he is. Many men have this desire to please their fathers and receive a "blessing" even though they deny it.
Throughout the book there are many situations that occur that led this reader to wonder about how dysfunctional this family is. Bull treats his family as his troops. One short sections has him totally ignoring his eldest daughter and ordering her away when she wants to have a discussion with him. His heavy drinking leads to abuse and violence with his family. But at times you can see how there is some "play" that goes on as well. At the end of the book, Bull dies in one last heroic act. As the family packs up to leave the home and goes back to the wife's home in Atlanta, you can see how Ben has adopted many of his dads ways and really shows how we are our dad's sons even though he despised Bull.
One strange thing about the book was it's somewhat disjointed nature. Some story was being told and then at the end of the chapter it would end and the next chapter would launch into another story without finishing the previous story. Strange!
THE MOVIE REVIEW
I saw this movie in 1988 or 1989. It originally played in 1979. After finishing the book, I decided to buy the movie and view it again since I don't remember much of it from the first time I saw it. I found this movie in DVD on Amazon. Of course the quality was not great and the sound was not full surround sound that I use in my home theater. I selected 5 channel stereo and that gave me adequate sound quality.
The movie paralleled the book nicely. Bull was played by Robert Duvall. I like his acting and he played this part well. The other actors played their parts well. The scenery of the "Old South" was well done and the selection of the town and community fit the era and the location of the story in rural South Carolina.
There was a few omissions probably to keep the movie length reasonable. The most obvious was the lack of a friendship that Ben had with Sammy a local character and school chum. Another picky comment has to do with the flying scenes. The scenes were good except the aircraft used were not the same as in the book. The aircraft that Bull flew in the book were F-8 Crusader, single seat fighters that were in service in 1962. The planes used in the movie were F-4 Phantom fighters. These were two seat fighters that were just being brought into service in 1962. What difference does it make? In the book Bull was always alone in his aircraft and that seemed to suit his nature. When he crashed, he was alone even in the movie. I am sure that the choice of aircraft had to do with what was available when the movie was made in 1979.
The ending showed the "passing of the torch" to the eldest son Ben. Just like his dad, when they started their final road trip without Bull, Ben hustled everyone into the car before daybreak("because there was less traffic"), proclaimed that there would be few stops, and placed his sunglasses on the dash. Like father like son.
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