The Deer Hunter
I can't remember who recommended this movie to me, or what the movie is really about for that matter. Honestly, I picked it this week because I was able to DVR the movie when it was on Showtime. I don't think the movie will be completely awful, but I can't help but to think it's going to seem like such an incredibly long movie.
After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)
I was really surprised by the cast in the movie, not because I think the talent from this movie leaves something to be desired but because I didn't realize how many amazing actors were part of the cast. I also have to say that I don't know what I was thinking, or which movie I thought I was watching, but never had I imagined I would see a deer being shot - Even if it's in the leg of a deer.
The deer was the easy part, I hated having to watch Nick, played by Christopher Walken, go so far downhill and gamble with his life so easily. If I had been Michael, I don't know that I could ever even pretend to take part in the bet. Actually after witnessing all the trauma during the time I spent in the country during the war I would never go back to Vietnam. I also have to admit that I wasn't even a little excited to see Christopher Walken in the movie. It's not that I hate him; I just don't like the way he always seems to talk in a cadence. He did however win over points with me when he decided to cover Lady Gaga's song, Poker Face.
There were a couple of things that once I read them online, I had to call shenanigans on. I've worked on a movie with a 'live gun' before. There are so many precautions taken in oder to insure the safety of everyone on set. Only a trained person from the Props Department and the actor will handle the gun, and prior to shooting the scene there is an entire crew safety meeting where everyone is told about the gun and typically a blank is shot to let the crew know what to expect. I couldn't believe Robert De Niro suggested putting a real bullet into the gun when filming the Russian Roulette, of course it was checked to make sure there weren't any bullets in the gun when the actors had to actually pull the trigger. Personally I don't think it was worth it. I don't think we needed to add another sense of realism to the scene. And as if adding a bullet to the chamber of a gun wasn't enough the actors were actually slapped. Yeah, those aren't 'stage slaps the boys received.
Final thoughts: This is the kind of movie that's going to stick with you. It's not going to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, but instead vulnerable and a little closed off. After reading a lot of the stuff Michael Cimino had the cast and crew do for the movie, no one could argue that he didn't have a pretty solid handle on this gig. Actually at this point, I'm a little intimidated by him. If I were an actor, there's no way I would want to continuously film the Russian Roulette scenes and get slapped in the face each time, or even have to jump thirty feet from a helicopter so many times in just two days. This is easily considered a great movie and rightfully so, it's just not something you would want to watch repeatedly.
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Next up: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
1 comment:
John Cazale was dying of bone cancer during the filming of "The Deer Hunter". His scenes were shot first so the studio wouldn't find out. When they did, they threatened to fire him but his girlfriend, Meryl Streep threatened to quit if they did. He only appeared in 5 feature films, all of which were nominated for best picture. I was bored by this movie when I watched it in high school but watching it as an adult, with a better understanding of the historical context, the treatment of returning veterans, and the drama behind the camera I can appreciate the awkward home comings and that Michael let the deer go as being very significant.
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