I’ve written a lot about Harry Potter and Dead Poets Society, neither of which is about a military school and a bit about Taps and Damien: Omen II but nothing about Lords of Discipline nor, the topic of this post, Mad Magazine’s Up the Academy.
I won’t go into all the scandal the followed the movie’s release but I will say Major Vaughn Liceman, played by Ron Leibman, was the best part of the movie and he shouldn’t have been ashamed of what might be the only role he is remembered for.
This was Ralph Machio’s first film and also features the son of the director, Robert Downey Sr., in an uncredited role but the coolest, most relevant trivia is it was filmed at Howe’s sort-of rival, St. John’s Military School which is also an Episcopal school.
The soundtrack is legendary for two things: how much it rocks and how it has never been released on CD. It includes two songs by Iggy & the Stooges, two by Blondie, as well as songs by Lou Reed, the Kinks, David Johansen, the Babies, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, Sammy Hagar and others.
The statue below does not really exist at St. John’s and, oddly, doesn’t even appear in the movie on the campus of Sheldon R. Wienberg Military Academy but only in the trailer.
Hmm… maybe it’s not there because it blows up in the trailer…
There are several detailed reviews for this movie online but only progressiveruin.com has these rare screenshots. It is easily my favorite comic book site at the moment.
