The Lords of Discipline

Plot synopsis:
Will McLean, an aspiring novelist, finds life as a "knob" or "plebe" (a first-year cadet in training) at the Carolina Military Institute in Charleston to be physically and emotionally brutal. Will is not interested in a military career, and had only agreed to attend the Institute as a promise to his father, who was an alumnus, and died of cancer several years before the story takes place.
Will does not exactly excel in military training, but he is a decent student, an athlete, and his professors and peers recognize him for his integrity and his sense of fairness. Still, this is not an easy time to be a student in a military academy—especially in the South. On top of that, Will's Irish background and Roman Catholic faith have made him an outsider in Charleston society.
Will finds solace in his three roommates, who become his close friends: Tradd St. Croix, an "old Charlestonian" (from a very rich and respected family); and Dante "Pig" Pignetti and Mark Santoro, two brawny, Northern boys of Italian descent. He also respects the tough-talking, cigar-chomping Colonel "Bear" Berrineau (based on Thomas Nugent "The Boo" Courvoisie, a former Commandant at The Citadel) who asks the senior cadet McLean to look out for the Institute's first black cadet, Tom Pearce. "The Bear" chose McLean for this duty because an essay McLean had written in a previous year marked him as the only liberal in the student body.
But McLean's journey to manhood has many twists and turns, as he meets a girl whose life he can never be a part of and hears rumors of The Ten, a mysterious Institute secret society that ensures certain cadets, deemed unacceptable to "wear the ring" (that is, to be a graduate of the Institute, denoted by wearing of a class ring), are run out by any means necessary. The Vietnam War is raging, the military is unpopular and desegregation is knocking on the doors of Southern schools. It quickly becomes apparent that a group of cadets is trying to run Pearce out of the Institute, acting on the orders of trustees who are seeing to it that the Institute remain "as white as a flounder's belly". Will steps in to intervene, and he discovers a truth so horrendous that this knowledge can bring down the Institute. It also makes Will and his roommates targets. Not only is their graduation now in jeopardy, but their lives are also in danger.

Tags: sadist

Review:
I did not read the novel "The Lords of Discipline" by Pat Conroy so I cannot comment on how successful the movie is in terms of the original material, as some of the other comments are able to do.
This year is going to be slightly different, he finds out early, because a black student (Pierce, played by Mark Breland) has entered the school (its 1964 and we are in the South).
Will wants nothing more than to coast through his senior year, but Bear calls in old favors so Will is obligated.On Hell Night, naturally all the white trash goes straight for Pierce.
The characters played by Judge Reinhold, Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn are one-sided bigoted bullies and nothing else.
I saw most of his movies and am sorry he never had a lengthy career, but it seems as though Kurt Russell, Patrick Swayze, Dennis Quaid and Kevin Costner got all the parts David could have played.
Now i have never read the novel it is based on so i am not disillusioned by how "bland" an adaptation this is, but i must say that this was an interesting, intriguing and enjoyable film.
Returning for his senior year as a cadet, hunky David Keith (as Will "Bubba" McClean) and his pals discover the freshman "Knobs" include, for the first time, a young black man.
Old-timer Robert Prosky (as "the Bear") enlists Mr. Keith's help in watching over the black cadet, Mark Breland (as Pearce).
Keith gets reluctant help from his three roommates - piano playing Mitchell Lichtenstein (as Tradd St. Croix), weight-lifting Rick Rossovich (as Dante "Pig" Pignetti), and Italian Elvis fan John Lavachielli (as Mark Santoro).Keith and his friends participate in "Hell Night" with the usual shenanigans.
Most enjoyable are Keith and his three roommates, who manage to be appealing in some unappealing (and obvious) roles.****** The Lords of Discipline (2/18/83) Franc Roddam ~ David Keith, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Rick Rossovich, Robert Prosky.
The movie itself was mediocre-- but having read Pat Conroy's incredible novel, filled with cynicism, cruelty, depth, and of cource, deceit-- all that good stuff.
Alas, without a love interest, the myriad losses, and the absolutely imperative dips into the depths of Senior Private Will McLean's psyche, this movie is simply a hollow time-waster about a Southern Military school.
Read the book, skip the film-- or better yet (since the film was actually rather enjoyable) see the film first, and then bask in the sheer, dark goodness of Pat Conroy's writing.
If only there were no Pat Conroy novel, this movie would be an enjoyable flick...
On the other hand, it is impossible to make a film that lives up to a Conroy novel as their is just too much.
Kelley could possibly do justice to many of Conroy's novels or in the case of the Lords Of Discipline Arron Sorkin could possibly write it.
Trying to do any Conroy novel in a two or even three hour film is just ridiculous.
Likable movie but don't expect everything you got in the novel!.
I would be comfortable suggesting this movie to others and would not mind seeing it again myself.Having read Pat Conroy's original novel years ago I found that the characters in the movie looked remarkably like my imagination expected them to.
That was another plus.However......and this is minor......Pat Conroy's novels tend to be sprawling affairs with several plot lines (and the ensuing chaos) running concurrently.
This is the case here......several minor items had to be changed for the movie to cover the fact that one of the major plot elements in the novel were left out entirely..
I graduated from The Citadel and can tell you that the book is not a standing joke on campus and that almost everyone reads it during their knob year for their English class.
I have never heard anything of that nature and I believe they made it worse than it really was in order to make people watch it and enjoy reading the book.
All in all the book is much better than the movie.
I was in the military for 8 years and a product of Conroy's 'damaged goods' sickness of the South.
But please bear in mind that much has changed in the military and much of the brutality of the school has gone away with all the attention heaved upon it.
Please read the book first and look deep into what Conroy is trying to impart to all of us.
Here is a good movie showing why one should not bother with either the military or it's pissant little institutions of higher learning.
Yes the novel is 10 times better, but this is not a bad film either.
Do these military schools really develop character and produce real men or do they brainwash and engender false codes of honor and loyalty thereby turning out highly tuned robots to fight for all the real reasons wars are waged - oil, money, and population control?
They wanted to shoot "Taps" there, but we turned it down as, our president at the time, a retired 2 star general said, "It portrayed the military school student as a radical." Gee secret groups are bad.
the military school, when I attended 1977-1983, was a great way to prepare young people for the future-be it in the military or in life.
Bland adaptation of the Conroy novel about misconduct in a military academy.
If there were no Pat Conroy novel to compare this film to, the movie might fare better.
Keith and Prosky do a good job of creating two of the main characters.
It was a crime to even try.The only good thing about seeing this movie again was seeing Michael Biehn before The Terminator, a nascent Judge Reinhold, Robert Prosky and a couple others as they were almost 20 years ago.
There was nothing technically wrong with the movie, but it shared nothing with the book but its title and a couple of the character's names.
I was a former R.O.T.C. cadet, who was actually supposed to attend The Citadel (the institution that movie supposedly depicts) and attended another Military College...I found the depictions very close to some of the "on-goings" of Military College life for cadets (at that time), including some of the treatment of cadets with different ethnic backgrounds.The performances of the "actors" in this movie showed their inexperience at that time.
Although, some of those actors learned from the experience and are some of the best known character actors, although mostly in comedic roles (I wonder, why?) of current films, including: Judge Reinhold and "Wild" Bill Paxton.I recommend this film as a film to be watched by those learning how to act.
Set in a Carolina officer cadet school THE LORDS OF DISCIPLINE tells the story of a racist guild within the school who are hell bent on making sure no black cadet will ever be at the passing out parade .
The problem I had is that it takes place through the eyes of cadre officer Will who I thought just a little bit too fine , upstanding and moral to take seriously and it`s because of this the film doesn`t reach the heights it could have .
It should also be pointed out because it`s filmed in England doubling as an American military base I couldn`t help but be reminded of the first half of FULL METAL JACKET , it never helps a movie comparing it to that classic segment
But as I said LORDS OF DISCIPLINE is an entertaining enough movie that features a bunch of actors who almost became stars in the 1980s .
Then watch the hollow military 'honor', the fake manhood, the very real macho 'Ooohah !', the false piety and the pervasive hypocrisy displayed in this extraordinary movie, one of my all-time favorites.
This movie is more about cultural ethics and values than about military life per se.
Anybody who wishes to understand the deep causes of My Lai and of Abu Ghraib should watch this movie carefully.
The actors are almost all excellent, especially Keith David, Robert J.
Prosky and Mark Breland (whatever happened to him, as an actor ?) I have not read the book, so I cannot compare the movie to it.
The Lords of Discipline is a slow-moving, dull, boring, and badly acted 1980s film.
The whole scene came across like a cartoon and the actor playing the lawyer gave a junior high school acting performance.
David Keith stars in a Taps like movie where a coming of age drama turns into a thriller.
Some interesting characters, that end up not going anywhere, the movie has a plot but no real story that drives the audience to keep watching.
Military schools are looked upon as either a wrong idea run by the wrong people, or the only real justice left.
Much like David Keith's performance, the movie falls short of anything timeless..
However, people need to keep in mind that the book was a FICTION novel.
That the book is a standing JOKE among the cadets there and the movie is a laughing stock.
Please keep this in perspective before comparing the book to today's military or military academies.
The only place where the walk of shame is still practiced is at the Virginia Military Institute and there only for honor violations (lying, cheating, stealing, or encouraging another to do so).That being said, the book was an excellent novel and the movie was okay.
(even if I object to the light it cast on American military institutions) I was able to relate to some of the characters and situations (though I had to snicker at certain parts).
His plays and characters are so masterfully written and beautifully portrayed that no actor can really bring them to life.
Maybe this is the case with Pat Conroy's book The Lords Of Discipline.
I watched this film on June 14, 1986, it was the night before I left for basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
They gave it the old college try and their level best, but this film is really wanting, I say again BADLY wanting, in comparison to Conroy's masterful book.
I have to admit that in the book I did not like Pig's character at all.
Pat Conroy attended the Citadel in South Carolina and this is what he based his book on.
David Keith was in An Officer And A Gentlemen the year before this film was made and gives a fine performance as Will.
There are two fine character actors in this film.
It's a shame that the greatest book of all time turned out to be the worst movie...The acting was horrible, they took out major plot lines from the book (Will falling in love) and in general ruined just about everything...I feel sorry for Pat Conroy..
I read the novel by Pat Conroy, and it became one of my all time favorites.
*Spoilers*  Powerful seen when Pig is exiled from the Institute, they did a very good job with that.A few changes in the story line, but great still.
The acting's great, I'm a fan of Rick Rossovich and David Keith.
I give this movie a full 10 out of 10 stars.....watch this movie, and read the book......
Being a major Pat Conroy fan, Lords of Discipline is my favorite book that he has written.
However, when watching the film, I feel that many major parts of the book are left out.
Also, Pignetti's death is a very vital part in the book that should have been put in the movie because it ties so closely to "The Ten" and the roommates' relationship.
For someone who has not read the book, it is a great film and displays a wonderful message that all people should hear.
However, I suggest reading the book before seeing the film.
Lords of Discipline, the film, gets an A+ in my book..
Neither does David Keith in the lead (who looks exactly like a young Patrick Swayze) Bill Paxton and Rick Rossovich (in his biggest movie role as an actor (ever) are quite good as well.
Biehn who is very young here plays the main villain as the leader of a group of kadets in a military academy in 1964, known as the ten.
Biehn , Paxton and Rossovich were great friends, who probably met on the set of this movie.
Rossovich and Paxton had small parts in The Terminator, where Biehn played the heroic lead.
In Navy Seals, where Biehn played one of the leads, Rossovich and Paxton once more played supporting characters.
And finally in Tombstone, where Biehn played one of the main villains, Paxton appeared one last time in a supporting role.As for this movie, apart from one brutal torture scene, this felt like a lighter version of the much better Full Metal Jacket, that came out four years later.
And its not a bad movie, but unless youre a Biehn fan, like me, you will probably find it boring..
Keith's first leading role and a good start for the likes of Paxton, Biehn & Rossovich..
Let me start to say that i never read the acclaimed novel by Pat Conroy which this film is based on, so i'm judging only the movie itself.
"The Lords of Discipline" came out in a time this kind of "Military School" flicks were the latest popular trend in Hollywood, after the excellent "Taps", directed by Harold Becker and the surprise hit "An Officer and a Gentleman", directed by Taylor Hackford co-starred by David Keith playing Richard Gere's ill-fated best friend who was switched for his first leading role in this movie.
Keith delivered an acceptable performance as Cadet Will McLean, when starting his Senior year at Carolina Military Institute in 1964, he's assigned by his mentor, Lt. Col.
"Bear" Berrineau (a very good & committed performance by Robert Prosky) to keep an eye on Tom Pearce, the first black student admitted in the Academy, to protect him from the bigotry of some of his fellow alumni.
Around the same time, a secret organization within the school, called themselves "The Ten", are acting illegally forcing the undesired students, through the practice of torture and violence, to quit...Franc Roddam's "The Lords of Discipline" moves at a nice pace, it's well filmed and the young actors (some of them gave here their first steps in the acting biz such as Michael Biehn, Rick Rossovich, Bill Paxton, Judge Reinhold, Matt Frewer or Jason Connery) are all superbly directed and convincing in their roles.
Some plot points got their resolution too fast in the III Act, leaving some unanswered questions and the mystery beyond "The Ten", the phantom society within the walls of the Academy, could have been more explored and handled better.Nevertheless, this movie still delivers a solid piece of entertainment to the viewer with its well staged scenes such as the "Walk of Shame" and Michael Biehn's fans of his ruthless character of Johnny Ringo in "Tombstone" should check his vileness here.
Curiously, this was the first movie of a group of actors who would be frequent collaborators for several films in the future like Biehn, Paxton and Rossovich in James Cameron's "The Terminator" & Lewis Teague's "Navy Seals"; Biehn, Paxton and William Hope in Cameron's "Aliens"; Biehn & Paxton in Pan Cosmatos' "Tombstone" and so on....
A Fine Adaptation of Pat Conroy's Best Novel.
This was bay far Conroy's best novel and also the best movie adaptation of his work.
Of course, The Citadel wouldn't allow the movie to be made at the school so they filmed Lords at the Virginia Military Institute.
I can only imagine that these are horrible places to go to school.The film is fast-paced and tells a compelling story of friendship, honor, and betrayal.
I think the book and this film point this out..
I haven't read the book, but it has a rating of 4.27/5 from over 20,000 ratings (Pat Conroy), so I'm going to presume it's pretty good.The movie?
Not so much.Set in the 60's, it follows a 4th year cadet through training (specifically hazing) who is given the job of looking out for the first black cadet allowed into the institute.He completely fails to do so, finds out there's a secret group forcing out people they don't like through torture (the first 70 minutes).
He appears with Judge Reinhold, who was in his last movie (Stripes), and first time appearing with Michael Biehn, who was the best soldier actor in the movie.
Someone must have agreed, because the following year, he got the role of Kyle Reece in The Terminator (Bill would get a bit part, as would Rick Rossovich).Filming took place in London, and Bill Paxton met his future (and second) wife Louise Newbury on a #37 bus there.TLDR; what a stupid movie..
***SPOILERS*** Movie about the notorious and shadowy group known as "The Ten" who terrorizes this southern military academy by keeping blacks and other undesirables out of its ranks in order to keep it pure from all other in their mind non American members.
It's All-American milk drinking cadet Will McLean, David Keith, who's recruited by his "Rabbi" at the academy Col.
"Bear" Berrineau the bulky Dante "Pig" Pignetti,Rick Rossovich, getting framed by "The Ten" in siphoning off gasoline from McLean's car after McLane gave him permission to do it and being drummed out of the academy for breaking its secrete rules.***SPOILERS*** With McLean and his friends now having nothing to lose and not giving a flying cr*p about their future in the US military they kidnap one of the members of "The Ten" and make him talk by tying him down on the train tracks, with a speeding train about to run him down, about who's behind "The Ten" and it's members not only now but for the last some 100 years.