G.I. Jane
Encyclopedia
G.I. Jane is a 1997 American action film
directed by Ridley Scott
, produced by Largo Entertainment, Scott Free Productions and Caravan Pictures
, distributed by Hollywood Pictures
and starring Demi Moore
and Viggo Mortensen
. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training in U.S. Navy
Special Warfare Group.
The SEAL/CRT (Combined Reconnaissance Team) course depicted in the film is offered at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base
in California
, but the film is set in Jacksonville, Florida
. O'Neil is hand-picked by U.S. Senator
Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft
) to go through the rigorous training right along with the men. O'Neil faces sexism
and physical challenges as well as the horse-trading
by the Senator who selected her for the experimental program.
Moore's performance earned her the 1997 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.
interviews a candidate for the position of Secretary of the Navy. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft
) from Texas
criticizes the Navy for not being gender-neutral
. Behind the curtains, a deal is struck: If women compare favorably with men in a series of test case
s, the military will integrate women fully into all branches of the Navy.
The first test is the training course of the (fictional) U.S. Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team (similar to U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S). Senator DeHaven hand-picks Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore
), because she is physically more feminine than the other, more "butch" candidates.
To make the grade, O'Neil must survive a grueling selection program in which almost 60 percent of all candidates wash out, most in the first week ("hell week"). The enigmatic Command Master Chief
John James Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen
) runs the brutal training program that involves 20-hour days of tasks designed to wear down recruits' physical and mental strength, including pushing giant ship fenders up beach dunes, working through obstacle courses, and hauling landing rafts.
Given a 30-second time allowance in an obstacle course
, O'Neil demands to be held to the same standards as the male trainees. Eight weeks into the program, she suffers a vicious beating from the Master Chief during SERE training, during which he tries to convince the other trainees that the presence of a woman will make them more vulnerable in combat. O'Neil fights back and wins his respect and that of the other trainees.
Navy leaders, confident that a woman would quickly drop out, become concerned. Civilian media
learn of O'Neil's involvement, and she becomes a sensation known as "G.I. Jane." Soon she must contend with trumped-up charges that she is a lesbian
, and is fraternizing
with women. O'Neil is told that she will be given a desk job during the investigation and, if cleared, will need to repeat her training. She decides to "ring out" (ringing a bell three times, signaling her voluntary withdrawal from the program) rather than accept a desk job.
It is later revealed that the photo evidence of O'Neil's alleged fraternization came from Senator DeHaven's office. DeHaven never intended for O'Neil to succeed; she used O'Neil as a bargaining chip in trade to prevent military base
closings in her home state (Texas). O'Neil threatens to expose DeHaven, who then has the charges void
ed and O'Neil restored to the program.
The final phase of training (an operational
readiness exercise) is interrupted by an emergency situation that requires the SEAL trainees' support. The situation involves a reconnaissance satellite powered by weapons-grade plutonium that fell into the Libya
n desert
. A team of U.S. Army Rangers
is dispatched to retrieve the plutonium
, but their evacuation plan fails, and the SEAL trainees are sent to assist the Rangers. The Master Chief's shooting of a Libyan soldier to protect O'Neil leads to a confrontation with a Libyan patrol
. During the mission, O'Neil displays a definitive ability in leadership and strategy while rescuing the injured Master Chief, whom she and McCool pull out of an explosives-laden "kill zone." With helicopter gunships delivering the final assault to the defenders, the rescue mission on the Libyan coast is a success.
Upon their return, all those who participated in the mission are accepted to the CRT. Urgayle gives O'Neil his Navy Cross
and a book of poetry containing a short poem, "Self-Pity
", written by D. H. Lawrence
, as acknowledgment of her accomplishment and in gratitude for rescuing him.
success. G.I. Jane opened at #1 grossing
$11,094,241 its opening weekend, playing at a total of 1,945 theaters. In its second weekend the film stayed at #1, grossing $8,183,861 and playing in 1,973 theaters. In the end the film played in a widest release of 2,043 theaters and grossed $48,169,156 domestically, falling slightly short of its $50,000,000 budget. However, the film was a larger box office success worldwide, eventually grossing $97,169,156 total with the U.S. and international receipts combined, thus turning a significant profit.
on April 22, 1998. The only extra feature was a theatrical trailer. It was released on Blu-ray on April 3, 2007 with no extra features aside from trailers for other movies. The film was also released on LaserDisc
; this release featured an audio commentary
by director Ridley Scott. The film grossed $22,122,300 in rentals.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
, produced by Largo Entertainment, Scott Free Productions and Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures
Caravan Pictures was a film production company arm of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group , formed by Roger Birnbaum and Joe Roth....
, distributed by Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures
Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
and starring Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
and Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
. The film tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training in U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Special Warfare Group.
The SEAL/CRT (Combined Reconnaissance Team) course depicted in the film is offered at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is a naval installation located across the bay from San Diego, CA. The base, situated on Silver Strand, between the San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean, is a major Navy shore command, supporting over 30 tenant commands, and is the West Coast focal point for special...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, but the film is set in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. O'Neil is hand-picked by U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
) to go through the rigorous training right along with the men. O'Neil faces sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and physical challenges as well as the horse-trading
Logrolling
Logrolling is the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member...
by the Senator who selected her for the experimental program.
Moore's performance earned her the 1997 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.
Plot
A Senate Armed Services CommitteeUnited States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
interviews a candidate for the position of Secretary of the Navy. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
) from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
criticizes the Navy for not being gender-neutral
Gender-neutral
Gender neutrality describes the idea that language and other social institutions should avoid distinguishing people by their gender, in order to avoid discrimination arising from the impression that there are social roles for which one gender is more suited than the other...
. Behind the curtains, a deal is struck: If women compare favorably with men in a series of test case
Test case
A test case in software engineering is a set of conditions or variables under which a tester will determine whether an application or software system is working correctly or not. The mechanism for determining whether a software program or system has passed or failed such a test is known as a test...
s, the military will integrate women fully into all branches of the Navy.
The first test is the training course of the (fictional) U.S. Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team (similar to U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S). Senator DeHaven hand-picks Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore
Demi Moore
Demi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
), because she is physically more feminine than the other, more "butch" candidates.
To make the grade, O'Neil must survive a grueling selection program in which almost 60 percent of all candidates wash out, most in the first week ("hell week"). The enigmatic Command Master Chief
Command Master Chief Petty Officer
-Background:First referenced in OPNAVINST 1306.2C dated 16 October 1995, the Navy's Command Master Chief Program is a valuable asset which stimulates free-flowing communications and ensures the highest standards of professionalism are upheld at all levels within the chain of command...
John James Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
) runs the brutal training program that involves 20-hour days of tasks designed to wear down recruits' physical and mental strength, including pushing giant ship fenders up beach dunes, working through obstacle courses, and hauling landing rafts.
Given a 30-second time allowance in an obstacle course
Obstacle course
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual or team must navigate usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed and endurance. Sometimes a course...
, O'Neil demands to be held to the same standards as the male trainees. Eight weeks into the program, she suffers a vicious beating from the Master Chief during SERE training, during which he tries to convince the other trainees that the presence of a woman will make them more vulnerable in combat. O'Neil fights back and wins his respect and that of the other trainees.
Navy leaders, confident that a woman would quickly drop out, become concerned. Civilian media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
learn of O'Neil's involvement, and she becomes a sensation known as "G.I. Jane." Soon she must contend with trumped-up charges that she is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, and is fraternizing
Fraternization
Fraternization is "turning people into brothers"—conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class as though they were siblings, family members, personal friends or lovers....
with women. O'Neil is told that she will be given a desk job during the investigation and, if cleared, will need to repeat her training. She decides to "ring out" (ringing a bell three times, signaling her voluntary withdrawal from the program) rather than accept a desk job.
It is later revealed that the photo evidence of O'Neil's alleged fraternization came from Senator DeHaven's office. DeHaven never intended for O'Neil to succeed; she used O'Neil as a bargaining chip in trade to prevent military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
closings in her home state (Texas). O'Neil threatens to expose DeHaven, who then has the charges void
Void
-In science and engineering:*Void , the empty spaces between galaxy filaments*Lack of matter, or vacuum*Void, in boiling heat transfer, formed where there is a departure from nucleate boiling, causing a critical heat flux...
ed and O'Neil restored to the program.
The final phase of training (an operational
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
readiness exercise) is interrupted by an emergency situation that requires the SEAL trainees' support. The situation involves a reconnaissance satellite powered by weapons-grade plutonium that fell into the Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. A team of U.S. Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
is dispatched to retrieve the plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
, but their evacuation plan fails, and the SEAL trainees are sent to assist the Rangers. The Master Chief's shooting of a Libyan soldier to protect O'Neil leads to a confrontation with a Libyan patrol
Military patrol
Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing respectively ski mountaineering, and rifle shooting. It is usually contested between countries or military units. Biathlon was developed from military patrol....
. During the mission, O'Neil displays a definitive ability in leadership and strategy while rescuing the injured Master Chief, whom she and McCool pull out of an explosives-laden "kill zone." With helicopter gunships delivering the final assault to the defenders, the rescue mission on the Libyan coast is a success.
Upon their return, all those who participated in the mission are accepted to the CRT. Urgayle gives O'Neil his Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
and a book of poetry containing a short poem, "Self-Pity
Self-pity
Self-pity is the psychological state of mind of an individual in perceived adverse situations who has not accepted the situation and does not have the confidence nor ability to cope with it. It is characterized by a person's belief that he or she is the victim of events and is therefore deserving...
", written by D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
, as acknowledgment of her accomplishment and in gratitude for rescuing him.
Cast
- Demi MooreDemi MooreDemi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
- as Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil - Viggo MortensenViggo MortensenViggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
- as Command Master Chief John James Urgayle - Anne BancroftAnne BancroftAnne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
- as Sen. Lillian DeHaven - Jason BegheJason BegheJason Beghe is an American film and television actor and critic of Scientology. As a young man he attended the Collegiate School in New York City, where he became best friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Duchovny. Beghe is married and lives in Los Angeles, California.Beghe starred in the...
- as Lieutenant Commander Royce - Daniel von BargenDaniel von BargenDaniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
- as Theodore Hayes - Scott WilsonScott Wilson (actor)Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
- as Captain Salem - John Michael HigginsJohn Michael HigginsJohn Michael Higgins is an American actor whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's The Late Shift, and a starring role in the American version of Kath & Kim....
- as Chief of Staff - Kevin Gage - as Instructor Max Pyro
- David WarshofskyDavid WarshofskyDavid Warshofsky is an American film and television actor.-Life and career:Warshofsky was born in Saratoga, California. There is some dispute about this. Other sources, some self-contradictory, have listed his place and date of birth as San Francisco in 1961 or 1959, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and...
- as Instructor Johns - David VadimDavid VadimDavid Vadim is a Ukrainian-born American actor who appeared in the movies Air Force One, Exit Wounds, G.I. Jane and Punisher: War Zone...
- as Sergeant First Class Cortez - Morris ChestnutMorris ChestnutMorris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
- as Lieutenant McCool - Josh HopkinsJosh HopkinsWilliam Joshua Hopkins is an American actor.-Career:Hopkins joined the fourth, and last season, of New York Undercover in 1998. In 1999 Hopkins starred in Alanis Morissette's "Unsent" music video...
- as Ensign F. Lee 'Flea' Montgomery - James CaviezelJames CaviezelJames Patrick Caviezel, Jr. is an American film actor, usually credited as Jim Caviezel. He is known for the roles of Jesus Christ in the 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, Bobby Jones in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, Detective John Sullivan in Frequency, Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte...
- as 'Slov' Slovnik - Boyd KestnerBoyd KestnerBoyd Kestner is an American actor, who starred in The Outsiders television series and later came to prominence in his role as Alex Barth in the television drama Knots Landing.-External links:...
- as Lieutenant 'Wick' Wickwire - Angel David - as Newberry
- Stephen Ramsey - as Stamm
Box Office
The movie was a box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
success. G.I. Jane opened at #1 grossing
Gross (economics)
In economics, gross means before deductions. The antonym is net, meaning after deductions.-Usage:In this sense, it may appear an adjective, following the noun it modifies, e.g., "earned two million dollars, gross"...
$11,094,241 its opening weekend, playing at a total of 1,945 theaters. In its second weekend the film stayed at #1, grossing $8,183,861 and playing in 1,973 theaters. In the end the film played in a widest release of 2,043 theaters and grossed $48,169,156 domestically, falling slightly short of its $50,000,000 budget. However, the film was a larger box office success worldwide, eventually grossing $97,169,156 total with the U.S. and international receipts combined, thus turning a significant profit.
Home media
G.I. Jane was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on April 22, 1998. The only extra feature was a theatrical trailer. It was released on Blu-ray on April 3, 2007 with no extra features aside from trailers for other movies. The film was also released on LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
; this release featured an audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
by director Ridley Scott. The film grossed $22,122,300 in rentals.