Thursday, March 15, 2007

Deer Hunter


Director Michael Cimino is known for two films. His picture "Heaven´s Gate" is considered one of the greatest box office bombs of modern times. I happen to enjoy that film and feel it never got the credit or business it deserved. Offsetting the negative publicity and image of the derided western, Cimino is also responsible for the award winning "The Deer Hunter," which not only roped in a Best Picture Oscar, but also sits on the AFI´s 100 Films of All Time list. Featuring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage and George Dzundza, among others, the ensemble cast brings to life the story of how the Vietnam War affects the lives of both veterans and civilians of a small Pennsylvania town near the industrial center of Pittsburgh. "The Deer Hunter" is a powerful film that ignores much of the combat and conflict of the Vietnam War and looks directly at how the humanity of regular people was affected.

In the film, a tight group of friends that worked in a local Steel Mill find themselves enjoying a last couple days together before three of them depart for the Vietnam War. One of the men, Steven (John Savage) is set to be married just before he leaves for the war, and his wedding becomes the final hoorah for the group of friends, as they are unsure if those that are leaving will ever return to the small Western Pennsylvania town. Nick (Christopher Walken) and Michael (Robert De Niro) are the other two men who are leaving behind their normal lives to become soldiers. Nick is leaving behind his girlfriend Linda (Meryl Streep), and Michael, who is the toughest and most likely to succeed in the war is looking to become a member of the Army Rangers. The wedding is a bittersweet moment, as Steven is celebrating holy union with a woman he loves, but knows he will be leaving her behind shortly.

Once they arrive in Vietnam, the men are separated. Nick and Steven are in a combat unit together and Michael has succeeded in becoming one of the elite Rangers. Fate rears its ugly head and Michael finds himself involved in a battle that reunites him with his two friends. They survive the fight, but are capture by members of the North Vietnamese army and placed into rat infested cages while their captives gamble on games of Russian Roulette. Steven is not as strong as Nick and only a shadow of Michael´s courage and strength. He begins to break and is put into a cage to die. Steven and Nick stage a daring and life threatening escape that places their own lives as bets in a match of Russian Roulette. They succeed and carry Steven with them on their journey to freedom. During the escape, Steven is physically wounded and loses his legs.

The effects of their imprisonment have lasting effects on the three men. Steven becomes ashamed of his own existence when his is left horribly crippled. Michael is wounded and given a free pass to return home to the Pittsburgh area. Nick goes absent without leave and is mentally affected by the torturous games of Russian Roulette. He continually hedges his own life on underground games of the deadly game and becomes a notable celebrity in the Vietnamese underworld. When Nick returns home, he finds solace and comfort in the arms of Linda, but decides that he must return to the Asian country to find his friend Nick and bring him home. Michael also manages to bring Steven back home from the Veterans Association hospital. In the end, Michael finds Nick and manages to bring him back home, but not in the manner in which he had hoped to return with his best friend.

"The Deer Hunter" takes an interesting look at the human psyche. Robert De Niro´s character is the deer hunter. He believes it is only sporting to kill a deer with one shot and he is the great white hunter among his friends. He has a temper, but is viewed as the leader of his group of friends. He has natural survival instincts and it seems only natural that he would become a very good soldier. Michael has problems returning to civility upon coming home and does not particularly like the attention that his return has awarded him. At first, he struggles with the affections of Linda and feels that involvement with her would betray his friend Nick, a person he is tremendously loyal to.

Steven loses his legs and usage of an arm. He is unable to return to his loving wife and chooses to live in the VA hospital and not return to face his friends. He lives a lie and finds socks sent to him by his wife. He is a living casualty of the war, and his character shows the struggle that wounded veterans face. Finally, Nick is unable to mentally cope with the events that transpired towards him during his involvement in the conflict. He runs away from the military and chooses to lead a life that is closest to the darkest moments he faced during captivity. Though he has full physical use of his body, his handicap is far greater than that of Stevens.

As mentioned previously, "The Deer Hunter" chooses to not show the conflict and battles of the Vietnam War and in this sense, is a very different Vietnam War movie. The characters undergo radical changes in their lives during the film. They spend precious moments together before leaving for the war. They are then thrust into combat and ultimately become Prisoners of War. Finally, they are all able to return home in one manner or another. Interestingly, "The Deer Hunter" shows the different stages in the lives of these men, but never shows any transition. You never see the men leaving for Vietnam. You see them celebrate and then find them taking part in combat. You never seem them captured by the Viet Cong, instead, you see them in combat and then in captivity. You see a helicopter attempt to rescue them and you see Steven picked up by a Vietnamese caravan, but you never see them return to their units or events that transpired to allow them come home. The film chooses to not show transition, but simply the great difference in their lives that occurs at each stop in the film.

It took me until I shook off my teenage years to fully appreciate "The Deer Hunter." I´ve always been a fan of both Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken and my original interest was in seeing these two actors together in one film. However, the unusual structure of not showing transition and the symbolism of the deer hunting and other devices used by Cimino had initially turned me off to fully appreciating his award winning film. However, as I´ve gotten older, the more I watch the picture, the more I enjoy and appreciate the messages it has to deliver. War is hell. I remember my days in the Army Infantry during the first Gulf War and have seen first hand effects that war has on people. "The Deer Hunter" does a brilliant job of focusing on three men and portraying three diverse effects that war and conflict may have on men. It shows the disillusionment that those left behind at home can have towards veterans and how they can never fully understand what effects conflict can have on a man. This is a war movie that spends nary a moment on gunfire and explosions. This isn´t "Saving Private Ryan," and it won´t impress with grueling combat and awe-inspiring effects. However, it will impress with its look at war and humanity.

Director Michael Cimino is known for two films. His picture "Heaven´s Gate" is considered one of the greatest box office bombs of modern times. I happen to enjoy that film and feel it never got the credit or business it deserved. Offsetting the negative publicity and image of the derided western, Cimino is also responsible for the award winning "The Deer Hunter," which not only roped in a Best Picture Oscar, but also sits on the AFI´s 100 Films of All Time list. Featuring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage and George Dzundza, among others, the ensemble cast brings to life the story of how the Vietnam War affects the lives of both veterans and civilians of a small Pennsylvania town near the industrial center of Pittsburgh. "The Deer Hunter" is a powerful film that ignores much of the combat and conflict of the Vietnam War and looks directly at how the humanity of regular people was affected.

In the film, a tight group of friends that worked in a local Steel Mill find themselves enjoying a last couple days together before three of them depart for the Vietnam War. One of the men, Steven (John Savage) is set to be married just before he leaves for the war, and his wedding becomes the final hoorah for the group of friends, as they are unsure if those that are leaving will ever return to the small Western Pennsylvania town. Nick (Christopher Walken) and Michael (Robert De Niro) are the other two men who are leaving behind their normal lives to become soldiers. Nick is leaving behind his girlfriend Linda (Meryl Streep), and Michael, who is the toughest and most likely to succeed in the war is looking to become a member of the Army Rangers. The wedding is a bittersweet moment, as Steven is celebrating holy union with a woman he loves, but knows he will be leaving her behind shortly.

Once they arrive in Vietnam, the men are separated. Nick and Steven are in a combat unit together and Michael has succeeded in becoming one of the elite Rangers. Fate rears its ugly head and Michael finds himself involved in a battle that reunites him with his two friends. They survive the fight, but are capture by members of the North Vietnamese army and placed into rat infested cages while their captives gamble on games of Russian Roulette. Steven is not as strong as Nick and only a shadow of Michael´s courage and strength. He begins to break and is put into a cage to die. Steven and Nick stage a daring and life threatening escape that places their own lives as bets in a match of Russian Roulette. They succeed and carry Steven with them on their journey to freedom. During the escape, Steven is physically wounded and loses his legs.

The effects of their imprisonment have lasting effects on the three men. Steven becomes ashamed of his own existence when his is left horribly crippled. Michael is wounded and given a free pass to return home to the Pittsburgh area. Nick goes absent without leave and is mentally affected by the torturous games of Russian Roulette. He continually hedges his own life on underground games of the deadly game and becomes a notable celebrity in the Vietnamese underworld. When Nick returns home, he finds solace and comfort in the arms of Linda, but decides that he must return to the Asian country to find his friend Nick and bring him home. Michael also manages to bring Steven back home from the Veterans Association hospital. In the end, Michael finds Nick and manages to bring him back home, but not in the manner in which he had hoped to return with his best friend.

"The Deer Hunter" takes an interesting look at the human psyche. Robert De Niro´s character is the deer hunter. He believes it is only sporting to kill a deer with one shot and he is the great white hunter among his friends. He has a temper, but is viewed as the leader of his group of friends. He has natural survival instincts and it seems only natural that he would become a very good soldier. Michael has problems returning to civility upon coming home and does not particularly like the attention that his return has awarded him. At first, he struggles with the affections of Linda and feels that involvement with her would betray his friend Nick, a person he is tremendously loyal to.

Steven loses his legs and usage of an arm. He is unable to return to his loving wife and chooses to live in the VA hospital and not return to face his friends. He lives a lie and finds socks sent to him by his wife. He is a living casualty of the war, and his character shows the struggle that wounded veterans face. Finally, Nick is unable to mentally cope with the events that transpired towards him during his involvement in the conflict. He runs away from the military and chooses to lead a life that is closest to the darkest moments he faced during captivity. Though he has full physical use of his body, his handicap is far greater than that of Stevens.

As mentioned previously, "The Deer Hunter" chooses to not show the conflict and battles of the Vietnam War and in this sense, is a very different Vietnam War movie. The characters undergo radical changes in their lives during the film. They spend precious moments together before leaving for the war. They are then thrust into combat and ultimately become Prisoners of War. Finally, they are all able to return home in one manner or another. Interestingly, "The Deer Hunter" shows the different stages in the lives of these men, but never shows any transition. You never see the men leaving for Vietnam. You see them celebrate and then find them taking part in combat. You never seem them captured by the Viet Cong, instead, you see them in combat and then in captivity. You see a helicopter attempt to rescue them and you see Steven picked up by a Vietnamese caravan, but you never see them return to their units or events that transpired to allow them come home. The film chooses to not show transition, but simply the great difference in their lives that occurs at each stop in the film.

It took me until I shook off my teenage years to fully appreciate "The Deer Hunter." I´ve always been a fan of both Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken and my original interest was in seeing these two actors together in one film. However, the unusual structure of not showing transition and the symbolism of the deer hunting and other devices used by Cimino had initially turned me off to fully appreciating his award winning film. However, as I´ve gotten older, the more I watch the picture, the more I enjoy and appreciate the messages it has to deliver. War is hell. I remember my days in the Army Infantry during the first Gulf War and have seen first hand effects that war has on people. "The Deer Hunter" does a brilliant job of focusing on three men and portraying three diverse effects that war and conflict may have on men. It shows the disillusionment that those left behind at home can have towards veterans and how they can never fully understand what effects conflict can have on a man. This is a war movie that spends nary a moment on gunfire and explosions. This isn´t "Saving Private Ryan," and it won´t impress with grueling combat and awe-inspiring effects. However, it will impress with its look at war and humanity.

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