MEN OF HONOR

US, 2000, 129 minutes, Colour.
Cuba Gooding Jnr, Robert De Niro, Aunjanue Ellis, Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook, Michael Rapaport, Powers Boothe, David Keith, David Conrad, Lonette Mc Kee.
Directed by George Tilman Jnr.

Based on a true story. While the central character, Carl Blashear, is real, the character of Master Diver, Billy Sunday, is a fictionalised version of all those gunner sergeants who have made life miserable for would be soldiers and marines - from Louis Gosset Jr in his Oscar-winning role bullying Richard Gere into 'being a man, an officer and a gentleman' to R. Lee Ermey, that most frightening of foul-mouthed sergeants who made the first part of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket so frighteningly real. This time it is Robert de Niro as Billy Sunday who acts as if he as been poring over scenes from An Officer and a Gentleman and Full Metal Jacket. He relishes the role. But Sunday is from a share-cropper family from the South and he is prejudiced against the black Blashear and envious of him.

But, the film is Blashear's story. Going into the navy in the late 1940s he is assigned to cooking. But he wants to dive and, after the war and Truman's desegregation of the Armed Forces, he perseveres in requesting entry to training. He works hard, he studies, he finishes examination tasks even though sabotaged by Sunday and the fort commander, Hal Holbrook. Eventually he achieves his ambitions and is the diver who found the H bomb which dropped into the Atlantic in 1966. However, he breaks his leg in an accident while recovering the bomb. Relentlessly, he trains and, with Sunday's help, resumes his duties.

In many ways the film is conventional American heroics. But the story is gripping and Cuba Gooding Jr puts himself completely into the role of Carl that it becomes an inspiring saga of a man overcoming prejudice as well as a man with burning ambition achieving it.

1.The film based on an actual character? His history? Navy history? Race relationship history? Prejudice history? The impact of this film in the year 2000?

2.The 1940s settings on the southern farms? The late 40s and the ships, the navy? The early 50s and the forts and training? The towns around the forts? The bars? Libraries? The 1960s, exploration in the Mediterranean? The court sequences? Authentic atmosphere? Musical score?

3.The title, the speech by Carl and the criterion of honour for reinstating him?

4.The focus on race relationships, the status of African Americans in the 1940s, the extreme prejudice amongst the diver trainees in the navy, by the officers? Harry Truman and the desegregation of the armed forces in 1948? The slow trickling down into real life? The changes in the 50s and 60s? Carl Brashier as the first African American master diver in the navy?

5.The opening, the young Carl, his father working in the fields, their poverty, his mother? The father urging him not to be the same as him? The decision to go into the navy, the farewells? His father’s final talk with him, urging him to be the best? Carl having his photo of his father always with him? The influence of his father, expectations?

6.The early experience in the navy, the cook, the nickname? Their joking about his ambitions? The white sailors swimming, his going for a swim, outdistancing the pursuing officer? Captain Pullman and his watching, Master Chief Sunday watching? Pullman and the interview in the brig, Carl and his requesting his support for application to go to diving school? Pullman giving it? It taking two years for him to be accepted?

7.His arrival at the training school? Prejudice? Sunday and his meeting him, not picking him up in the car? Sunday’s hostility to his presence? Carl arriving, the only person helping him, Snowhill? Going into the hut? The other divers, their prejudice, the antagonistic notes? Sunday wanting them to welcome Carl, everybody walking out except Snowhill? Sunday and his making things difficult for Carl during the training, Carl’s expertise, his standing up for Snowhill when Snowhill was pushed into the water, rescuing him? Carl and his rescuing the tangled diver? The white trainee getting the medal, Carl ignored? His perseverance, the failure in the test, his going to the library, his meeting Jo, their discussions, her helping him, his falling in love with her? The confrontation in the bar, his meeting Gwen Sunday, going in with her? The challenge by Sunday? The diving test, the water in the helmets, Carl winning? Jo and her training to be a doctor, wary, loving Carl? The commander, Mr Pappy and his decree that Carl should not pass, his supervising the final test, Sunday and the others succeeding, their slashing Carl’s bag of tools, his staying over nine hours in the water to complete the task? Sunday accepting this – and Pappy moving him out and removing his rank?

8.Carl and his final graduation? The years passing? The prologue with Sunday watching the television, his own disgraced life, drinking? The prejudicial remark against Carl and his attacking the sailor? His support of Carl?

9.Carl’s family life, Jo, his son? His being absent? Their watching the television about the H-bombs lost in the Mediterranean? Carl and his success, going down, the oncoming Russian submarine, his evading it, surviving, finding the bomb? The loose rope, his warning the others, the hurt to his leg? The commanding officer and his support of Carl?

10.Carl in hospital, his wife coming to see him, his suffering? His determination, the information about artificial limbs and continuing in the career? His setting his face firmly against his wife? The arrival of Sunday? His standing by him? The antagonism towards Captain Hanks? Hanks’s prejudice, wanting Carl out of the navy? Sunday and his pulling strings, his own past experience in saving people’s lives, holding his breath for five minutes in the water?

11.The hearing, Carl allowed a month? The rigorous training, the artificial limb? Running, walking? The build-up to the hearing? Hanks and his prejudice, having written the manual? The other officers and their sympathy, friendship with Sunday? The challenge to Carl to walk twelve steps in the new gear? Heavy, putting it on, standing by himself, Sunday urging him on? His success? The reconciliation with his wife and son?

12.Carl Brashier as a person, determined, successful? Role model? The information about his becoming a master diver? Spending more years in the navy before retirement?

13.The fictitious character of Sunday, Robert De Niro and his intensity? The prejudice, jealousy because of his own farmer’s share-cropping? His being hard on Carl, on Snowhill? His being dominated by Pappy? His allowing Carl to succeed? Losing his rank, drinking? The fights in the bars? His relationship with his wife, her being young, glamorous? His taunts of her, yet their love for each other? The drunken confrontation with Hanks? Her coming to the hearing and supporting Carl?

14.Hanks, the up-and-coming bureaucrat, pen-pusher? Writing the manuals, his own prejudice, his antagonism towards Sunday because of his diving and being under pressure, the embolism and his not being able to dive again? Their final confrontation at the hearing?

15.The background of navy personnel, Pappy and his prejudice, Snowhill as a champion swimmer, earnest, with his wife and family, suffering under Sunday, being allowed back? Pullman and his prejudice but allowing Carl to go on? Captain Hartigan in the Mediterranean and his support?

16.The background of black characters, Carl’s family at home, in the navy, the cooks? Their support of him and his swimming?

17.The overall impact of the film? The diving sequences? The mirroring of American history? Race relationships?