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The Lords of Discipline (1983)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
9/19
9/19:
The Lords of Discipline may be the best Pat Conroy film made.
If I thought Taps was corny, The Lords of Discipline is superior in every
aspect. It's also realistic and has a lot to say about racism, backwards thinking, and misplaced male
superiority. Pat Conroy attended The Citadel, and the story is based on his experiences and what he witnessed
for four years there.
There's an internal battle within David Keith's character. He knows the whole situation is wrong but
must keep it to himself in order to not to look silly in front of his fellow gung-ho military students. However,
he has to be a leader by showing everybody the way. Eventually, he makes the right decision because honestly...who
needs it?
The acting is very good. David Keith, fresh off from
An Officer and a Gentleman, and Robert Prosky get the top honors.
G. D. Spradlin and Rick Rossovich are also outstanding. Making his debut, Mark Breland, who plays the black
victim, is a former world and Olympic champion boxer in the welterweight division.
There's no such place called Carolina Military Institute. The Lords of Discipline looks like it was shot at
The Citadel with the intention of besmirching the school. Hence, it was instead filmed in England, specifically
at Wellington College, with some scenes in Charleston, South Carolina. Unsurprisingly, all military schools in
the United States refused any filming on their campuses to avoid the bad publicity after what happened
with Taps.
If I were presented with a challenge, I would never agree to the idea of going to The Citadel or any other
military school. The main reason is sleep deprivation. I hear an average cadet averages about five hours of
bedtime. That's unhealthy and unreasonable. I'll be easily worn out in a week with lowered immune system and
impaired judgment. Then, add the crazy yelling, forced calisthenics, and mindless chickenshit work into the
mix. Nope, that's not a challenge but a tremendous waste of my time and life.
All in all, The Lords of Discipline succeeds in making all military schools look bad.