Renaissance Man
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| Renaissance Man | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Penny Marshall |
| Produced by | Elliot Abbott Sara Colleton Robert Greenhut Andrew G. Vajna |
| Written by | Jim Burnstein |
| Starring | Danny DeVito Gregory Hines |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures (USA) Cinergi Pictures (foreign markets) |
| Release date(s) | June 3, 1994 (USA) |
| Running time | 128 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Renaissance Man aka By the Book aka Army Intelligence is the title of a 1994 movie starring Danny DeVito. The film was written by Jim Burnstein and directed by Penny Marshall.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Danny DeVito plays Bill Rago, a divorced advertising executive down on his luck. When he loses his job in Detroit, the unemployment agency finds him a temporary job; teaching in the U.S. Army training base, Fort McClane.
Initially unenthusiastic about this assignment, Rago finds that he has only six weeks to teach a group of "squeakers," who are especially low achievers, the basics of comprehension and use of English language. Most of the soldiers are only semi-literate and equally unenthusiastic.
Unable to connect with his pupils and desperate to spark their interest, Rago quotes from his favorite play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, which they have never heard of. A small initial spark of interest is generated.
Rago further introduces them to Henry V, which generates further interest. Despite the disapproval of their hard-as-nails Drill Sergeant Cass, and the loss of one of the trainees, revealed as a drug dealer hiding under an assumed identity, he sets them an end-of-term examination, which Cass doesn't expect them to pass - but they do.
The climax comes as one of the soldiers proudly gives Cass the St. Crispin's Day Speech by King Henry V while in full combat gear in the middle of the rain at a night exercise. Rago realises that he has finally achieved success.
Rago also does some investigation, as a result of which one of the soldiers is awarded the medal his father was to have been given posthumously after he was killed on duty in Vietnam.
As the proud soldiers march at their passing-our parade, Rago signs on for a further period of teaching soldiers-in-training.
The title "Renaissance Man" refers to Leone Battista Alberti (14 February 1404 – 25th April 1472), an Italian painter, poet, linguist, philosopher and cryptographer, whom Rago greatly admires.
The scenes at the fictional "Fort McClane" were actually filmed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
[edit] Primary Cast of Characters
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Danny DeVito | Bill Rago |
| Gregory Hines | Sergeant Cass |
| James Remar | Captain Tom Murdoch |
| Ed Begley Jr. | Jack Markin |
| Lillo Brancato Jr. | Pvt. Donnie Benitez |
| Stacey Dash | Pvt. Miranda Myers |
| Kadeem Hardison | Pvt. Jamaal Montgomery |
| Richard T. Jones | Pvt. Jackson Leroy |
| Khalil Kain | Pvt. Roosevelt (Nathaniel) Hobbs |
| Peter Simmons | Pvt. Brian Davis, Jr. |
| Gregory Sporleder | Pvt. Melvin Melvin |
| Mark Wahlberg | Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood |
| Cliff Robertson | Colonel James |
| Ben Wright | Pvt. Oswald |
| Ann Cusack | Bill's Secretary |
[edit] Quotes
- Drill Sergeant Cass: If it ain't raining, we ain't training!
- Hobbes: [To Rago, during training] First thing; Don't look, down.
[Rago looks down, and then grabs hold of Hobbes]
Hobbes: I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK DOWN!!!
- Bill Rago: The choices you make dictate the life you live.
- Bill Rago: GO NAVY!
