Taps

Name: Taps
Genre: War, Drama
Released: 1981-12-20
Duration: 2 h 6 min
Rating: 6.8
Cast: George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise

“This school is our home, we think it's worth defending.”

Taps (1981)

Timing: 2:6 (126 min)

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6.7/10
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6.8/10
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Everything about the movie

Video 1

Photo 21

Actors and characters

2:22

Photo 21

Release date

Country

Production

Genre

Budget

$14 000 000

Box office

$35 900 000

Website

Director

Harold Becker

Actors

George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, John P. Navin, Jr., Billy Van Zandt, Evan Handler, Giancarlo Esposito, Brendan Ward
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Stanley R. Jaffe, Howard B. Jaffe

Camera operator

Owen Roizman

Composer

Maurice Jarre

Artist

Audition

Shirley Rich

Editing

Maury Winetrobe
Whole Team (78)

Short description

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

What's left behind the scenes

Frequent rains caused many problems during filming. Director Harold Becker had to keep up to four different shooting schedules on hand in case rain interrupted outdoor shooting and they had to move indoors. This is noticeable to viewers in some cases, as the characters are wearing rain capes in one shot and not in the next.
The film's sound design included recordings of everyday cadet life. Drill training was filmed during the cadets' preparation for a parade.
Sean Penn's first role in a feature film.
The actors were issued genuine uniforms with only the patches changed ("Valley Forge" was replaced with "Bunker Hill"). However, cadets at Valley Forge Military Academy do not wear military uniforms for field exercises or work details, as depicted in the film. Filming continued even in the summer, after the end of the school year at the academy.
Tom Cruise was initially intended to play one of the supporting characters, but his performance at rehearsals impressed director Harold Becker so much that he offered the actor the role of David Shawn. Cruise initially refused, but eventually gave in under pressure from the director and producer Stanley R. Jaffe.
The actors were issued genuine uniforms, with only the patches changed ("Valley Forge" was replaced with "Bunker Hill"). However, cadets at Valley Forge Military Academy do not wear military uniforms for field work and chores, as depicted in the film. Filming continued even in the summer, after the academy year had ended.
Before filming began, the lead actors Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, and others had to undergo a 45-day boot camp course alongside cadets at a military academy. The actors were issued genuine uniforms and given military haircuts. They lived in barracks and trained alongside regular cadets. Most of the actors passed the test with flying colors, while Cruise broke down and moved to a hotel, where he stayed until filming began.
The actors who played the honor guard had to learn some weapon handling techniques, including tossing rifles to each other.
Over 2000 actors auditioned for the role of Alex Dwyer, which was played by Sean Penn. The role went to Penn, whom Shirley Rich, the assistant director responsible for casting, had once seen on an off-Broadway stage (a professional theater term referring to performance venues in New York City with a capacity of 100 to 499 spectators, making these theaters smaller than Broadway theaters).
Casting actors for the roles of cadets required interviewing over 2,000 candidates. The film featured 650 actual cadets from the Valley Forge Military Academy—mostly in the parade scene.
Tom Cruise's first role with lines in his career.