An Officer and a Gentleman

An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 film which tells the story of a United States Navy aviation Officer Candidate who comes into conflict with the Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. The film's tagline is Life gave him nothing, except the courage to win...and a woman to love.

It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford. The film was shot mostly on location at Port Townsend, Washington since the U.S. Navy would not permit the motion picture to be filmed at Pensacola, Florida (the traditional site of Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School).

The song "Up Where We Belong", written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings and sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, became a popular hit song.

Cast

Richard Gere - Zack Mayo
Debra Winger - Paula Pokrifki
David Keith - Sid Worley
Robert Loggia - Byron Mayo
Lisa Blount - Lynette Pomeroy
Lisa Eilbacher - Casey Seeger
Louis Gossett, Jr. - Sgt. Emil Foley
Tony Plana - Emiliano Della Serra
Harold Sylvester - Perryman
David Caruso - Topper Daniels

Plot summary

Zack Mayo is an aloof and taciturn man who aspires to be a Navy pilot. Once he has arrived at training camp for his 13-week officer's course, Mayo runs afoul of abrasive, no-nonsense drill instructor Emil Foley. Mayo — or "Mayonnaise" as he is dubbed by the irascible Foley — is an excellent officer candidate, but a little cold around the heart. Foley rides Mayo mercilessly, sensing the young man would be prime officer material if he were not so self-involved. Zack becomes friends with Sid Worley, a well-to-do boy from the "good side of the tracks". Both Zack and Sid meet two factory workers: Paula and Lynette, who bed the cocky officers, and secretly want to escape their hometown and become an "aviator" wife. Zack's affair with local girl Paula Pokrifki is likewise compromised by his unwillingness to give of himself. Only after Mayo's best friend Sid commits suicide over an unhappy romance with Lynette does Zack come out of his shell and mature.

Awards

It won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Louis Gossett Jr.) and Best Music, Song (Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings for "Up Where We Belong"). It was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Debra Winger), Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

Trivia

"The song is no good. It isn't a hit." was producer Don Simpson's unsuccessful demand to cut "Up Where We Belong" from the film. The song later became the number one song on the billboard charts and won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Song.
A decade after the film's release, country superstar/actress Reba McEntire and Vince Gill's hit "The Heart Won't Lie" (the second hit single from McEntire's album It's Your Call) had a music video where Vince Gill portrayed Louis Gossett's role as Foley while McEntire played Gere's part.

Reception

This movie grossed close to $130 million at the box-office in the United States in 1982. It also received rave reviews from critics, most notably from Roger Ebert who gave it four stars. Ebert described the An Officer and A Gentleman as "a wonderful movie precisely because it's so willing to deal with matters of the heart".

External links

Ein Offizier und Gentleman | Oficial y caballero | Ufficiale e gentiluomo | Офицер и джентльмен (фильм)