The Deer Hunter (1978) --Mea culpa
Oct 2, 2020 15:15:01 GMT
mattgarth, TheOriginalPinky, and 1 more like this
Post by kijii on Oct 2, 2020 15:15:01 GMT
The Deer Hunter (1978) / Michael Cimino
For years, after watching this movie over and over, I had always found this movie too long; overexaggerated; and enigmatic. Enigmatic, that is, as to why so many reviewers and critics had found it to be such a masterpiece. I always found it bloated and slow. Why--I thought--did the movie take SO long with the wedding and bridal party scenes at the beginning and why did it emphasize the deer hunting scenes (shot at Mount Baker, Washington rather than the Allegheny Mountains)? To be sure, those scenes are beautiful to behold, but why are they there, thought I. After patiently watching this 3-hour movie again, it all finally came crashing in on me. This movie shows more clearly than any other Viet Nam movie (with the possible exception of Born on the Fourth of July), the futility of war in general, and this war in particular.
The movie spends about a third of its time showing us the closeness and playfulness of several young men in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania (Steel Town of Clairton). These opening scenes become very important to ultimately contrast how this super patriotic town of Greek(?) immigrate decedents is affected by the war. It shows how this town (and the young people of the town) lose their lives and their youthful exuberant existance. One has to experience it to know it. Once watched, it is hard to get that beautiful plaintive song, "Cavatina" (played by John Williams), which permeates the entire film out of your mind.
The movie received several 9 Oscar nominations, with 5 wins including Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Cimino), and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken). Robert De Niro gives one of his very best performances--second only to Raging Bull, IMO-- as the protagonist who stands by his friends and tries to heal the town from its losses.
For years, after watching this movie over and over, I had always found this movie too long; overexaggerated; and enigmatic. Enigmatic, that is, as to why so many reviewers and critics had found it to be such a masterpiece. I always found it bloated and slow. Why--I thought--did the movie take SO long with the wedding and bridal party scenes at the beginning and why did it emphasize the deer hunting scenes (shot at Mount Baker, Washington rather than the Allegheny Mountains)? To be sure, those scenes are beautiful to behold, but why are they there, thought I. After patiently watching this 3-hour movie again, it all finally came crashing in on me. This movie shows more clearly than any other Viet Nam movie (with the possible exception of Born on the Fourth of July), the futility of war in general, and this war in particular.
The movie spends about a third of its time showing us the closeness and playfulness of several young men in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania (Steel Town of Clairton). These opening scenes become very important to ultimately contrast how this super patriotic town of Greek(?) immigrate decedents is affected by the war. It shows how this town (and the young people of the town) lose their lives and their youthful exuberant existance. One has to experience it to know it. Once watched, it is hard to get that beautiful plaintive song, "Cavatina" (played by John Williams), which permeates the entire film out of your mind.
The movie received several 9 Oscar nominations, with 5 wins including Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Cimino), and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken). Robert De Niro gives one of his very best performances--second only to Raging Bull, IMO-- as the protagonist who stands by his friends and tries to heal the town from its losses.
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 American epic war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of steelworkers whose lives were changed forever after fighting in the Vietnam War. The three soldiers are played by Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage, with John Cazale (in his final role), Meryl Streep, and George Dzundza playing supporting roles. The story takes place in Clairton, Pennsylvania, a working-class town on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, and in Vietnam.
The film was based in part on an unproduced screenplay called The Man Who Came to Play by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker, about Las Vegas and Russian roulette. Producer Michael Deeley, who bought the script, hired writer/director Michael Cimino who, with Deric Washburn, rewrote the script, taking the Russian roulette element and placing it in the Vietnam War. The film went over-budget and over-schedule, and ended up costing $15 million. The scenes depicting Russian roulette were highly controversial after the film's release. EMI Films, who produced the film, released the film internationally while Universal Pictures handled its distribution in North America.
The film received acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for Cimino's direction, the performances of its cast (particularly from De Niro, Walken, and Streep), and its screenplay, realistic themes and tones, and cinematography. It was also successful at the box office, grossing $49 million. At the 51st Academy Awards, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won five: Best Picture, Best Director for Cimino, Best Supporting Actor for Walken, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. The film marked Meryl Streep's first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress).
It has been featured on lists of the best films ever made, such as being named the 53rd-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007 in their 10th Anniversary Edition of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1996, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[4][5] ---------Wikipedia
The film was based in part on an unproduced screenplay called The Man Who Came to Play by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker, about Las Vegas and Russian roulette. Producer Michael Deeley, who bought the script, hired writer/director Michael Cimino who, with Deric Washburn, rewrote the script, taking the Russian roulette element and placing it in the Vietnam War. The film went over-budget and over-schedule, and ended up costing $15 million. The scenes depicting Russian roulette were highly controversial after the film's release. EMI Films, who produced the film, released the film internationally while Universal Pictures handled its distribution in North America.
The film received acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for Cimino's direction, the performances of its cast (particularly from De Niro, Walken, and Streep), and its screenplay, realistic themes and tones, and cinematography. It was also successful at the box office, grossing $49 million. At the 51st Academy Awards, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won five: Best Picture, Best Director for Cimino, Best Supporting Actor for Walken, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. The film marked Meryl Streep's first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress).
It has been featured on lists of the best films ever made, such as being named the 53rd-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007 in their 10th Anniversary Edition of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1996, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[4][5] ---------Wikipedia
Wikipedia Plot Summary with SPOILERS:
Three friends in Pennsylvania – Mike Vronsky, Steven Pushkov and Nick Chevotarevich – work in a steel mill and hunt for deer. They prepare to leave for military service in Vietnam. Steven is engaged to Angela, who is secretly impregnated by another man. Mike and Nick both love Linda, who will be moving into Nick's home to escape from her abusive and alcoholic father. During Steven and Angela's wedding, Nick asks for Linda's hand, and she accepts. As the newly-weds drive away, Nick asks Mike to not abandon him in Vietnam. Mike and Nick make a final deer hunt. As is his custom, Mike fires a single shot, which kills the deer.
In Vietnam, the friends, along with other soldiers, are captured by the Viet Cong, and are forced to participate in a torturous game of Russian roulette while the jailers place bets. Steven yields to fear and exhaustion and fires his round at the ceiling. As punishment for breaking the rules, Steven is thrown into a cage that is immersed in a river filled with rats and dead bodies. Mike convinces Nick to attempt an escape by inserting three rounds into the revolver's cylinder; after convincing their tormentors with the increased risk, they kill the captors and escape.
After Steven is freed, the three float along the river's current on a tree trunk. When they reach a suspension bridge, they are rescued by an American helicopter, but Steven is weak and falls into the water. Mike immediately jumps in to save Steven, while Nick is held by the aircraft crew. Steven's legs are broken in the fall, and Mike carries him until they meet a caravan of soldiers fleeing to Saigon. Nick is admitted to a military hospital for physical and psychological trauma, and he ventures to Saigon after he is discharged. In his wandering, he hears gunshots emanating from a gambling den and attempts to leave, reminded of his previous torture experience. However, French businessman Julien Grinda persuades him to come inside and play for him. Mike is present in the den and recognizes Nick, but is unsuccessful in getting his attention.
Mike is repatriated and he has difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. He fails to appear at a party organized by his friends. He meets Linda the next morning and learns that Nick has deserted. Mike then visits Angela, who is now the mother of a child, but has slipped into catatonia following the return of Steven, who has been rendered an invalid. Those within Mike's circle who stayed at home seem to understand nothing of war, and the following days further prove his disorientation; he is unable to shoot a deer during a hunting trip, and in another trip, he sees one hunting partner, Stan, jokingly threatening another partner with a gun. To make Stan understand the gravity of his gesture, Mike violently slaps the gun out of Stan's hand, leaves only one round in the cylinder, points the gun at Stan's forehead and pulls the trigger on an empty chamber.
Mike visits Steven at a veterans' facility; both of Steven's legs have been amputated, and he has lost the use of an arm. Steven has learned of Angela's infidelity and refuses to come home. He tells Mike that he has been regularly receiving large sums of money from Vietnam. Mike senses that Nick is the source of these payments, and after convincing Steven to return to Angela, he returns to Vietnam in search of Nick. Wandering around Saigon, now in a state of chaos, Mike finds Julien and persuades him to take him to the gambling den. Mike finds himself facing Nick, who has become a professional in the macabre game and fails to recognize Mike. Mike attempts to bring Nick back to reason, but Nick, who is now a heroin addict, is indifferent. During a game of Russian roulette, Mike evokes memories of their hunting trips. Nick recalls Mike's "one shot" method and smiles before pulling the trigger and killing himself as Mike tearfully witnesses.
Mike and his friends attend Nick's funeral, and the atmosphere at their local bar is dim and silent. Moved by emotion, the patrons sing "God Bless America" in honor of Nick.
In Vietnam, the friends, along with other soldiers, are captured by the Viet Cong, and are forced to participate in a torturous game of Russian roulette while the jailers place bets. Steven yields to fear and exhaustion and fires his round at the ceiling. As punishment for breaking the rules, Steven is thrown into a cage that is immersed in a river filled with rats and dead bodies. Mike convinces Nick to attempt an escape by inserting three rounds into the revolver's cylinder; after convincing their tormentors with the increased risk, they kill the captors and escape.
After Steven is freed, the three float along the river's current on a tree trunk. When they reach a suspension bridge, they are rescued by an American helicopter, but Steven is weak and falls into the water. Mike immediately jumps in to save Steven, while Nick is held by the aircraft crew. Steven's legs are broken in the fall, and Mike carries him until they meet a caravan of soldiers fleeing to Saigon. Nick is admitted to a military hospital for physical and psychological trauma, and he ventures to Saigon after he is discharged. In his wandering, he hears gunshots emanating from a gambling den and attempts to leave, reminded of his previous torture experience. However, French businessman Julien Grinda persuades him to come inside and play for him. Mike is present in the den and recognizes Nick, but is unsuccessful in getting his attention.
Mike is repatriated and he has difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. He fails to appear at a party organized by his friends. He meets Linda the next morning and learns that Nick has deserted. Mike then visits Angela, who is now the mother of a child, but has slipped into catatonia following the return of Steven, who has been rendered an invalid. Those within Mike's circle who stayed at home seem to understand nothing of war, and the following days further prove his disorientation; he is unable to shoot a deer during a hunting trip, and in another trip, he sees one hunting partner, Stan, jokingly threatening another partner with a gun. To make Stan understand the gravity of his gesture, Mike violently slaps the gun out of Stan's hand, leaves only one round in the cylinder, points the gun at Stan's forehead and pulls the trigger on an empty chamber.
Mike visits Steven at a veterans' facility; both of Steven's legs have been amputated, and he has lost the use of an arm. Steven has learned of Angela's infidelity and refuses to come home. He tells Mike that he has been regularly receiving large sums of money from Vietnam. Mike senses that Nick is the source of these payments, and after convincing Steven to return to Angela, he returns to Vietnam in search of Nick. Wandering around Saigon, now in a state of chaos, Mike finds Julien and persuades him to take him to the gambling den. Mike finds himself facing Nick, who has become a professional in the macabre game and fails to recognize Mike. Mike attempts to bring Nick back to reason, but Nick, who is now a heroin addict, is indifferent. During a game of Russian roulette, Mike evokes memories of their hunting trips. Nick recalls Mike's "one shot" method and smiles before pulling the trigger and killing himself as Mike tearfully witnesses.
Mike and his friends attend Nick's funeral, and the atmosphere at their local bar is dim and silent. Moved by emotion, the patrons sing "God Bless America" in honor of Nick.
