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pazmasta
Reviews
The Lords of Discipline (1983)
Keep it in perspective
The book was quite good in terms of writing. The movie was very mediocre. However, people need to keep in mind that the book was a FICTION novel. That the movie was NOT based on a true story. That at the citadel an upperclassman is forbidden to even TOUCH a lower classmen. That the book is a standing JOKE among the cadets there and the movie is a laughing stock. To compare the events of this movie to reality shows very poor taste. 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)
Taps (1981)
Mixed feelings
Having graduated from a military academy and later joining army ROTC myself it was almost like I was living back at my high school again. Especially due to the fact that I was a company commander my senior year and had my best friends as platoon leaders and XO. I got a much different take on the movie than most of you. It is one that was much more prevalent in the military academy I to than ROTC. Rather than a view of "misguided youths" (I would argue the point that they were misguided) I saw the movie as fight between the old and the new. The old conservative ways versus the post Vietnam War era generation. Whether to preserve conservative tradition or to continue with social liberalism. In the movie the fight was about tearing down the academy to build condominiums. In real life where I was, it was about turning our military academy into a normal prep school. In my case the fight didn't get violent, however like the cadets in the movie I picked the losing side.
In the movie I was heart broken that the governor would send troops to the school rather than try and work out a peaceful compromise when he saw the measure that people were willing to go to in order to protect their school. In real life I was very disheartened to see the old cadre of retired military officers get sacked and replaced by "soft" civilian administrators. It all hit a climax when one of my life's role models, a retired USAF Major and our companies tactical officer, spoke out against some of the changes being made and got himself sacked. For me that was George C Scott, Penn and Cruise were my friends and platoon leaders in my company and the crisis between the old ways and the new ways were very much the same. The movie reached out to me possibly more than any other. It was seeing my teenage self all over again.