Editing The Great Santini (section)

==Production notes==
Lewis John Carlino adapted the script from Conroy's novel. Carlino also directed the film. The title character, Lt. Col. Wilbur "Bull" Meechum, aka "The Great Santini", was based on Conroy's father.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skygod.com/quotes/greatsantini.html |title=Colonel Don Conroy's Eulogy| first= Pat |last= Conroy|date=May 1998|access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=santini&redirected=true|title=His Winning Season| first= Wright |last= Thompson|publisher= ESPN |access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citadel.edu/root/conroy|title=I wear the ring |first= Pat |last= Conroy |year= 2001 |work= Commencement Speech, Class of 2001| place= [[The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina|The Citadel]], Charleston, South Carolina| access-date=14 March 2016}}</ref>

The story, for the most part, follows the book. The movie's major divergence is the absence of Ben Meechum's Jewish best friend, Sammy. The spelling of the family's surname was also changed from Meecham to Meechum. Also changed is Meechum's aircraft; in the book, he flies and commands a squadron of [[F-8 Crusader|F-8 Crusaders]], while in the film, the fighters shown are [[F-4 Phantom II|F-4 Phantom IIs]].

Much of the film was shot on location in [[Beaufort, South Carolina]]. Tidalholm, the 19th-century house used for the Meechum residence, was later used in [[The Big Chill (film)|''The Big Chill'']] (1983).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Tidalholm%20Mansion%20-%201%20Laurens%20Street,%20Beaufort,%20South%20Carolina,%20USA&ref_=ttloc_loc_1|title=Most Popular Titles With Location Matching 'Tidalholm Mansion – 1 Laurens Street, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA'|work=imdb.com|access-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref>

The film was shot in a 1.85:1 [[Aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] but was only produced in that ratio in the LaserDisc format. The VHS and DVD releases are in 1.33:1, also known as [[4:3|full screen]] or [[pan and scan]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} To date the film has not had a release in the Blu-ray format.

===Herman Raucher misattribution===
[[Herman Raucher]] is often credited as a ghostwriter for the film.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0712029/ | title= Herman Raucher| website= IMDB.com| publisher= Internet Movie Database}}</ref> However, Raucher did no work on the film; the misconception arises from the fact that, in the 1980s, Raucher was hired to write a television pilot based on the movie; he only wrote "a couple of pieces," he explained.<ref name= Redisc>{{cite web| url= http://www.cinedump.com/interviews/2016/9/13/hermanraucher |interviewer= Preston Fassel| title= Rediscovering Herman Raucher| first= Herman | last= Raucher| author-link= Herman Raucher| website= Cinedump.com| date= 13 September 2016|access-date= 30 January 2017}}</ref>

Raucher has stated that, into the 2000s, he continued to receive fan mail for ''Santini'' and that the volume of letters he received was surpassed only by those for ''[[Summer of '42]]''.<ref name= Redisc />