The Lords of Discipline (film): Difference between revisions
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In the following days both Pearce and Poteete are harassed endlessly. McLean's roommate "Pig" Pignetti takes part until McLean forces him out of the room. Pearce and Poteete are abducted one night the Ten, a traditional group of seniors tasked with forcing out "unfit" cadets. Pearce is left in a locker and Poteete is left standing on a ledge. McLean succeeds in talking him down, but his actions draw the notice of the school's commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Bentley Durrell, who warns McLean not to be soft. Pearce finds a burning effigy in his room, and Poteete is left on the ledge again. This time he falls to his death. |
In the following days both Pearce and Poteete are harassed endlessly. McLean's roommate "Pig" Pignetti takes part until McLean forces him out of the room. Pearce and Poteete are abducted one night the Ten, a traditional group of seniors tasked with forcing out "unfit" cadets. Pearce is left in a locker and Poteete is left standing on a ledge. McLean succeeds in talking him down, but his actions draw the notice of the school's commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Bentley Durrell, who warns McLean not to be soft. Pearce finds a burning effigy in his room, and Poteete is left on the ledge again. This time he falls to his death. |
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McLean arranges for Pearce to leave notes if he is in danger, in a [[dead drop]] location known only to him, McLean and Bear. Despite this he is attacked in the shower and the number 10 is carved in his back. When Pearce tells McLean that he left several notes, McLean begins to suspect that Bear is in on the hazing. He resolves with his roommates to bring down the Ten. They kidnap former member Dan McIntyre and force him to disclose the location of of the Hole, the |
McLean arranges for Pearce to leave notes if he is in danger, in a [[dead drop]] location known only to him, McLean and Bear. Despite this he is attacked in the shower and the number 10 is carved in his back. When Pearce tells McLean that he left several notes, McLean begins to suspect that Bear is in on the hazing. He resolves with his roommates to bring down the Ten. They kidnap former member Dan McIntyre and force him to disclose the location of of the Hole, the place where they take cadets to be tortured. McLean and his friends arrive at the Hole just as Pearce is threatened with [[lynching]]. They distract the Ten and McLean unmasks one of them, John Alexander. |
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Pignetti is charged with theft and expelled by an Honor Court that the Ten control. Alexander issues a large number of demerits against the rest of McLean's faction, placing them also at risk of expulsion. McLean offers to resign if Alexander will show leniency towards Santoro and Tradd, which Alexander accepts. After seeing Bear meet with McIntyre and Tradd's father, McLean enters the St. Croix house and discovers the history of the Ten from Mr. St. Croix's journals. Not only have they been operating for years, but Durrell supports their activities. Most shockingly, Tradd is a member and has kept them ahead of McLean at every step. McLean confronts Tradd and throws the house key at him. |
Pignetti is charged with theft and expelled by an Honor Court that the Ten control. Alexander issues a large number of demerits against the rest of McLean's faction, placing them also at risk of expulsion. McLean offers to resign if Alexander will show leniency towards Santoro and Tradd, which Alexander accepts. After seeing Bear meet with McIntyre and Tradd's father, McLean enters the St. Croix house and discovers the history of the Ten from Mr. St. Croix's journals. Not only have they been operating for years, but Durrell supports their activities. Most shockingly, Tradd is a member and has kept them ahead of McLean at every step. McLean confronts Tradd and throws the house key at him. |
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Revision as of 06:58, 1 March 2016
| The Lords of Discipline | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Franc Roddam |
| Written by | Lloyd Fonvielle Thomas Pope from the novel by Pat Conroy |
| Produced by | Herb Jaffe Gabriel Katzka |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Brian Tufano |
| Music by | Howard Blake |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,787,127 |
The Lords of Discipline is a 1983 American film based on the novel by Pat Conroy and directed by Franc Roddam. The film stars David Keith, Robert Prosky, Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Michael Biehn, and Olympic boxer Mark Breland. The college scenes were filmed primarily at Wellington College in England, as none of the American military academies would allow filming on their grounds because of the book's less-than-positive portrayal of life at a military academy.[citation needed]
The film was not filmed entirely in England. The restaurant scene with Bobby Bentley, Commerce's home, and the train track scene were filmed in Charleston, South Carolina over a period of two weeks.[citation needed]
The Story
The year is 1964, and Carolina Military Institute is about to do something it has never done in its entire history: allow a black man to become a member of the Corps of Cadets. Will McLean, a Cadet Senior Private, has been assigned to watch over him to ensure that he makes it through the year. This assignment forces him to stand against the power of "The Ten", an alleged secret brotherhood within the Corps of Cadets sworn to uphold CMI's highest standards...by any and all means necessary.
Plot
Will McLean is a senior cadet at the Carolina Military Institute, a school that outwardly promises to produce men of honor but practices brutal hazing against the junior cadets. Among these are the overweight Poteete and the Institute's first black cadet, Tom Pearce. McLean's mentor, Lt. Col. "Bear" Berrineau, asks him to protect Pearce. McLean's roommates at the Institute are "Pig" Pignetti, Mark Santoro and Tradd St. Croix, the last of whom offers him a key to his parents' house.
In the following days both Pearce and Poteete are harassed endlessly. McLean's roommate "Pig" Pignetti takes part until McLean forces him out of the room. Pearce and Poteete are abducted one night the Ten, a traditional group of seniors tasked with forcing out "unfit" cadets. Pearce is left in a locker and Poteete is left standing on a ledge. McLean succeeds in talking him down, but his actions draw the notice of the school's commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Bentley Durrell, who warns McLean not to be soft. Pearce finds a burning effigy in his room, and Poteete is left on the ledge again. This time he falls to his death.
McLean arranges for Pearce to leave notes if he is in danger, in a dead drop location known only to him, McLean and Bear. Despite this he is attacked in the shower and the number 10 is carved in his back. When Pearce tells McLean that he left several notes, McLean begins to suspect that Bear is in on the hazing. He resolves with his roommates to bring down the Ten. They kidnap former member Dan McIntyre and force him to disclose the location of of the Hole, the place where they take cadets to be tortured. McLean and his friends arrive at the Hole just as Pearce is threatened with lynching. They distract the Ten and McLean unmasks one of them, John Alexander.
Pignetti is charged with theft and expelled by an Honor Court that the Ten control. Alexander issues a large number of demerits against the rest of McLean's faction, placing them also at risk of expulsion. McLean offers to resign if Alexander will show leniency towards Santoro and Tradd, which Alexander accepts. After seeing Bear meet with McIntyre and Tradd's father, McLean enters the St. Croix house and discovers the history of the Ten from Mr. St. Croix's journals. Not only have they been operating for years, but Durrell supports their activities. Most shockingly, Tradd is a member and has kept them ahead of McLean at every step. McLean confronts Tradd and throws the house key at him.
McLean returns to the Institute and marches into Durrell's office. He demands that the senior class, with Pignetti reinstated, be allowed to graduate; that the Ten be disbanded and exposed; and that Durrell resign at the end of the year. If Durrell does not agree, the journals will be sent to the press and Durrell will be disgraced. Durrell agrees to the terms and saves his reputation.
McLean remains at CMI until graduation day to see the deal through. Pearce promises McLean that he will never give up, yet McLean remains disgusted by the corruption and chooses to resign rather than graduate. As McLean walks out the gates of the Institute, Bear hands him his class ring, telling him that he earned it.
Cast
- David Keith as Cadet Senior Private Will McLean
- Robert Prosky as Lieutenant Colonel "Bear" Berrineau
- G.D. Spradlin as Lieutenant General Bentley Durrell
- Barbara Babcock as Abigail St. Croix
- Michael Biehn as Cadet Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander
- Rick Rossovich as Cadet First Lieutenant Dante Pignetti
- John Lavachielli as Cadet Senior Private Mark Santoro
- Mitchell Lichtenstein as Cadet First Lieutenant Tradd St. Croix
- Mark Breland as Tom Pearce
- Malcolm Danare as Poteete
- Judge Reinhold as Cadet First Sergeant Macabbee
- Bill Paxton as Cadet Major Gilbreath (credited as "Wild Bill" Paxton)
- Ed Bishop as Commerce St. Croix
- Stuart Milligan as McIntyre
- Jason Connery as MacKinnon
- Michael Horton as Bobby Bentley
- Matt Frewer as Senior
- William Hope as Senior
Legacy
An episode of NCIS, "Cadence" (season 12, episode 14), has some similarity to the film. It centers around the "Remington Military Academy", which has a secret society similar to the Ten- Honor Corps- and includes a character nicknamed "Piggy", versus the film's character Dante "Pig" Pignetti.
