Noting that a good deal of The Lords Of Discipline was filmed in Charleston,
South Carolina and the school our characters attend is the Carolina Military
Institute, I was amazed that The Citadel lent itself to this production. From
what I understand it can still be a frightening place. Only in the past decade did
they get around to admitting women.
This story is set in 1964 and this school is now getting around to admitting its first black cadet. A lot of special interests want to see Mark Breland fail. Te usual hazing a plebe gets is with some real menace. Another one folks aren't fond of is Malcolm Danare and things end tragically for him.
Second in command Robert Prosky asks a favorite cadet upperclassman David Keith to keep an eye on Breland. Remember this is 1964 and the civil rights era is upon us and I think Prosky doesn't want too many Yankee faces looking into the school.
That doesn't mean anything for a certain secret elite society among the cadets called The Ten. They want to uphold the traditional (read racist) ways and this bunch would have been proud to serve with Nathan Bedford Forrest.. Michael Biehn heads it currently and he's a piece of work. This was the first of many roles like this for Biehn. He's a really menacing guy.
Keith and his three roommates Mitchell Lichtenstein, Rick Rossovich, and John Lachiavelli get targeted. The final confrontation between Keith and commandant G.D. Spradlin is beautifully played.
One more thing. The Commandant of the Citadel in 1964 was Mark Clark and one hopes the American commander of the Italian theater in World War 2 did not countenance these sort of doings.
The Lords Of Discipline is a fine film telling of times we hope have passed.
This story is set in 1964 and this school is now getting around to admitting its first black cadet. A lot of special interests want to see Mark Breland fail. Te usual hazing a plebe gets is with some real menace. Another one folks aren't fond of is Malcolm Danare and things end tragically for him.
Second in command Robert Prosky asks a favorite cadet upperclassman David Keith to keep an eye on Breland. Remember this is 1964 and the civil rights era is upon us and I think Prosky doesn't want too many Yankee faces looking into the school.
That doesn't mean anything for a certain secret elite society among the cadets called The Ten. They want to uphold the traditional (read racist) ways and this bunch would have been proud to serve with Nathan Bedford Forrest.. Michael Biehn heads it currently and he's a piece of work. This was the first of many roles like this for Biehn. He's a really menacing guy.
Keith and his three roommates Mitchell Lichtenstein, Rick Rossovich, and John Lachiavelli get targeted. The final confrontation between Keith and commandant G.D. Spradlin is beautifully played.
One more thing. The Commandant of the Citadel in 1964 was Mark Clark and one hopes the American commander of the Italian theater in World War 2 did not countenance these sort of doings.
The Lords Of Discipline is a fine film telling of times we hope have passed.