I am not a graduate student in a prestigious film school, but I will offer my own humble opinion why films in the 70's, in particular American major studio releases, exploded as a popular form of entertainment. I'm not talking about JAWS or STAR WARS. I'm talking about the films of Hal Ashby, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Kubrick, Coppolla. Audiences responded to personal, character driven stories. Enough of that.
My father was a career Navy man, 35 years enlisted and he reached the pinnacle as a Master Chief Petty Officer. His "salad bar", the small rows of colorful medal attached to his left chest is bigger than most of the Officers he came across. It's different for officers in the Navy than it is for enlisted. For officers, it is sort of an unofficial nobility. For an officer not to have any major medals pinned to his chest speaks of his lack of aptitude as a warrior (John Kerry and his bogus Vietnam war medals, anyone?). My father will tell you differently. He got his medals for killing people and being shot at. He does not see any glory or honor in his medals. His favorite quote, from his favorite movie PATTON "All glory is fleeting".
I would like to make a point. For most enlisted Navy men, they serve not out of patriotic zeal, but because it's a job with excellent benefits. While only 1 out of every 100 men who attend the Great Lakes Naval Training Center will reach the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, you pretty much have to be a dumb f*ck to get drummed out of the service, not unlike Randy Quaid's character in this film.
The enlisted Man is the backbone of the Navy. If you are in dire need of a chuckle, you should see a wet behind the ears Ensign try to give a Master Chief Petty Officer an order. The other side of the coin is, in terms of social status, it seems a lot of people in this country hold enlisted men, not only of the Navy but in all the armed forces, in low regard.
Enlisted life in the Navy is chiefly governed by inertia. Only a special kind of man can stand Navy life: the constant routine, overzealous officers, incompetent swabbies, and the incredibly long deployment cruises where they are separated from their families (often 6 months at a time, or longer).
This film is admired in certain circles as a 21 gun salute to the enlisted Navy man. While not a true to life picture, as movies rarely are, however, you will be hard pressed to find a film that does not paint the Navy in such rosy terms, as the sugary sweet OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN does, or the incredibly stupid and unrealistic TOP GUN.
The vast amounts of enlisted men serving in our military are not war junkies out to get a fix. Its just a job, and our country could stand to go a long way to giving enlisted men a little more due respect.
My father was a career Navy man, 35 years enlisted and he reached the pinnacle as a Master Chief Petty Officer. His "salad bar", the small rows of colorful medal attached to his left chest is bigger than most of the Officers he came across. It's different for officers in the Navy than it is for enlisted. For officers, it is sort of an unofficial nobility. For an officer not to have any major medals pinned to his chest speaks of his lack of aptitude as a warrior (John Kerry and his bogus Vietnam war medals, anyone?). My father will tell you differently. He got his medals for killing people and being shot at. He does not see any glory or honor in his medals. His favorite quote, from his favorite movie PATTON "All glory is fleeting".
I would like to make a point. For most enlisted Navy men, they serve not out of patriotic zeal, but because it's a job with excellent benefits. While only 1 out of every 100 men who attend the Great Lakes Naval Training Center will reach the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, you pretty much have to be a dumb f*ck to get drummed out of the service, not unlike Randy Quaid's character in this film.
The enlisted Man is the backbone of the Navy. If you are in dire need of a chuckle, you should see a wet behind the ears Ensign try to give a Master Chief Petty Officer an order. The other side of the coin is, in terms of social status, it seems a lot of people in this country hold enlisted men, not only of the Navy but in all the armed forces, in low regard.
Enlisted life in the Navy is chiefly governed by inertia. Only a special kind of man can stand Navy life: the constant routine, overzealous officers, incompetent swabbies, and the incredibly long deployment cruises where they are separated from their families (often 6 months at a time, or longer).
This film is admired in certain circles as a 21 gun salute to the enlisted Navy man. While not a true to life picture, as movies rarely are, however, you will be hard pressed to find a film that does not paint the Navy in such rosy terms, as the sugary sweet OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN does, or the incredibly stupid and unrealistic TOP GUN.
The vast amounts of enlisted men serving in our military are not war junkies out to get a fix. Its just a job, and our country could stand to go a long way to giving enlisted men a little more due respect.