G.I. Jane (film) Navy intelligence officer Lt. Jordon O’Neil sets a historic precedence when she is recruited as a test case to be the first woman allowed to train for the highly covert operations unit known as the Navy SEALs. Selected for her courage, skills, and level headedness, O’Neil is determined to succeed in the most demanding, most merciless, and most honored fighting force in the world, in which 60 percent of her male counterparts will fail. Under the relentless command of Master Chief John Urgayle, O’Neil is put through weeks of physical and emotional hell, and is not expected to succeed. Indeed, military and high ranking government officials—including her sponsor, Senator Lillian DeHaven—are counting on her to fail. However, to their dismay and perplexity, O’Neil perseveres. When the recruits’ final training exercise is diverted to aid in extricating American troops in Libya, Urgayle is critically wounded, and O’Neil must gather all her leadership experience and courage to save him and the mission—even at the cost of risking her own life. A Hollywood Picture, in association with Scott Free Productions and Largo Entertainment. Directed by Ridley Scott. Released on August 22, 1997. 125 min. Filmed in CinemaScope. Stars Demi Moore (Jordan O’Neil), Viggo Mortensen (John Urgayle), Anne Bancroft (Lillian DeHaven), Jason Beghe (Royce). Casting directors began a search for actors and extras who were in perfect physical shape, and were lucky in finding many who had military backgrounds. For the training base, the filmmakers selected Camp Blanding, a 30,000 acre National Guard training site in northern Florida. Other filming took place in Jacksonville’s Huguenot Park, at Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort, South Carolina, and in Washington, D.C., and neighboring Virginia and Maryland.
