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Summary: The Trauma of The Deer Hunter
Review: When THE DEER HUNTER was first released in 1978, the consensus of both critic and viewer was that it was a cinematic masterpiece, even if it was not clear why this was so. Some called it an anti-war opus. Others glorified it as a pro-war movie in the tradition of THE GREEN BERETS. Still others saw it on a symbolic level with the hunted deer as the inner self of the hunters who would later find that they were no more than two legged versions of that deer. The structure of THE DEER HUNTER, with its choppiness of dialogue, its puzzlingly long opening wedding scene, its unexpected shifts in place and tone combine to make critical analyses often seem at cross purposes. Yet, there is a pattern behind the surface confusion, much as a two-dimensional sphere full of random bubbles suddenly emerge with a pattern to those bubbles only when the viewer twists the sphere in a certain way. Director Michael Cimino wanted his movie to reflect not only the inherent chaos of war but also to force the viewer to see that chaos from the constantly changing perspective of those who fought it. At the center of this perspective is Michael, played by Robert DiNiro, who functions as the moral anchor for John Savage and Christopher Walken. At the movie's start there is the long wedding scene whose function is not only to marry the bride and groom, but to introduce the bride and groom to each other. They hardly know each other. One gets the idea that they just met the day before, but it is the wedding which is the eye-opener, not only to them but to all the major characters. The focus of the wedding is to foreshadow events that will happen both in Vietnam and later back in Clairton, Pennsylvania. In both locales, there is an undercurrent of confusion and chaos. The crudities of the wedding differ more in degree than in kind with the more lethal crudities of jungle warfare. The key to the wedding scene is the appearance of the silent soldier whom DeNiro, Savage, and Walken try to impress with their bravado and future plans to go to Vietnam and kick some serious butt. The soldier says not a word, and his silence alienates them, causing them to think that he is better somehow than they, but the reality is that he has seen so much of what the viewer will soon experience that he is mute. His silence says a great deal more than the incessant jabber of the bonding males who try futilely to verbalize their inability to form a significant friendship in the expected chaos of the coming war. The war scenes themselves are relatively short and occupy only a minority of the film's length, but their impact on both actor and viewer is enormously disproportional to their length. The violence of the Russian Roulette has been criticized as not being representative of action by either side. This is a valid criticism, but the collective perceptions of DiNiro, Savage, and Walken see this aberration as not an aberration at all, but as a garden variety mind twister generic to war in general and Vietnam in particular. Each is exposed to the horror of forced participation. DiNiro can shrug it off. Savage cannot do so but his fears focus on his lost limbs. It is Walken who emerges as the most seriously damaged. His body is unhurt, but he forces himself to re-enact the deadly game of Russian Roulette even after Saigon fell to the communists. The return home of DiNiro and Savage only reinforces in them that they need not just friendship, but a moral anchor. DiNiro can provide that for Savage, but he needs the help of Meryl Streep to remind him of his own vulnerabilities. At the film's end, DiNiro, Savage, and the others who stayed home to face the chaos of life in a steel town collectively bond in song as each realizes that in paying homage to Christopher Walken they are also reminding themselves of the reason why they sought each other out in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: So much emotion.
Review: Words cannot describe the emotions that arise within me when I watch this film. All of the actors are brilliant. The screenplay is superb. I recently read a review which gave the opinion that M. Streep's acting talent leads to a positive argument for cloning. I think that Robert De Niro can add just an equal argument. I simply am in awe of his acting skills. What can I say, along with Pacino, he is amazing and the BEST of the BEST.
Rating: 
Summary: Should you watch it? YES. Will you like it? ...hmmm......
Review: 'The Deer Hunter' concerns the friendship of a amiable group of working class chums and the experience of Vietnam affects those who, didn't go, or came back, in various states of psychological or physical trauma. It remains one of the more interesting American movie experiences, everyone should at least take a look. At times the film is a triumph - there is no fault with the acting in any role, right down to Joe Garfisi's very small appearance as a neighborhood butcher and wedding night band leader. Other times the film seems to be a jumbled up confused enterprise plodding along to who knows where, and yet it is still interesting to watch. The main reason is because it so completely captures and identifies with the people and culture of this small, gritty, working class industrial Pennsylvannia town. The film captures it's American character with 'Rolling Rock' bottles and 'Iron City' beer tappers and emershes itself in the Russian ethnic heritage of the region with onion domed Orthodox churches. Problems? There are more than a few that keep this film from getting four stars. With the exception of John Savage nearly all the characters who go to Vietnam seem too old and we really don't know WHY they are going - although that can be analyzed. The biggest drawback is that in Vietnam the enemy is portrayed as the comic sadistic half-crazed, near flesh eating pyschos one sees in the films that portrayed the Japanese from about 1943. It is so over the top as to make one wince. At its best 'The Deer Hunter' is a peek through the keyhole into the lives of real average working class Americans in the town in which they do their living and dying and loving. At worst it is like a poluted dream.
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Summary: The best....
Review: Seeing this film back in the late 70's after the war had ended was so real and seeing it again more recently and older of course I feel it is better now...this is not about the war per se but about the effects. The absolute best and I will never ever forget the last seen with Michael and Nicky. DeNiro was absolutely superb.
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Summary: "This ain't something else. This is this!"
Review: As a young film enthusiast, it's always unnerving to watch films and be limited to the full effect it had on the audience because it was made before your time and in a much different era. "The Deer Hunter" was no exception. But I love it regardless of that annoyance. "The Deer Hunter," next to "Apocalypse Now," is by far the best Vietnam movie ever. There's both an epic quality to this film as well as an intimacy about it. It looks at the mental, emotional, and physical toll the war had on American soldiers unlike any other film and it shows what it did to close friends and communities. The major sequence in the beginning is the wedding sequence. Yes, it's lengthy, but that sequence is this film's heart. It wouldn't be 'The Deer Hunter' without it. All major characters are introduced as well as their relationship with one another. Michael Vronsky (Robert De Niro), is the leader of his pack of four brother-like friends. Michael, Steve(John Savage), and Nick (Chris Walken), are all going to to Vietnam, while Stan(John Cazale) is left in Pennsylvania with Axel(Chick Aspegren. So the wedding sequence is both a celebration of Steve's wedding as well as a going away party for Steve, Mike and Nick. In the middle of all this, there's Linda(Meryl Streep)who's Nick's fiancee AND the object of Michael's affections. In Vietnam, Steve, Nick and Mike are captured by the Viet Cong and are forced to engage in endless games of Russian Roulette and with the efforts of Mike, they all escape but at a cost. Steve and Mike return home while Nick is left in Saigon. Michael is reunited with Linda, but is isolated and alienated from his surroundings.They comfort each other because she is also mourning Nick's absence as a loss. He attempts to go back to his deer hunting ways, but can't bring himself to shoot a deer
anymore because he now knows first-hand what it feels like to be hunted. With a visit to a Veteran's hospital, Steve, now a maimed, wheel-chair ridden man discloses to Mike about the money he has recieved from an annonymous sender from Siagon. Mike quickly figures out who it is and rapidly departs to Saigon in search for Nick. He finds Nick reliving his Russian Roulette ordeal by gambling with his own life. Mike shows up and desperately tries to get Nick to come back to Pennsylvania and to Linda.The rest I'll leave to those wanting to buy this movie. "The Deer Hunter" is an emotionally charged film. It's a gem! It brilliantly shows ordinary men who led simple lives going into the war and emerging forever scarred and forever changed by their experiences. The Russian Roulette scenes are the most powerful and heart-wrenching. You immediately feel the tension and fear of who will live and who will die, much like the overall reaction during the Vietnam war. You'll never forget the looks on De Niro's, Savage's, and Walken's faces in those scenes. They're a work of art created by rare emotional intensity. All three men give the performances of their careers. Meryl Streep gives a wonderful perfomance as well. The chemistry between her and De Niro is vivid and captivating. Great cinematography and wonderful contrasts between peace and chaos; Pennsylvania and Vietnam. It's a film about friendship and courage and how it's put to the test. It's one of the best American films. Period. You'll never forget it.
As Mike said, "This ain't something else. This is this!"
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Summary: Terrific Movie, average DVD
Review: ... The picture quality and sound were not a lot better, but I could infer that. If the film were restored and remastered down to the origional strip, and given a high definition transfer, and the sound was restored and remastered, the box would say it. I was in widescreen, but so was my VHS. I don't watch this enough times to were it out, and I'm content. If a special edition comes out, I'll still keep this version. It's not that bad. I don't have surround sound, so I'm guessing its mono, which is a pain for if I ever get one, but this movie is great. The only possible special features I'd want is deleted scenes, alternate endings, and maybe a making of documentary with interviews. I probably wouldn't listen to commentary. The DVD is not the best, but the movie is!
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Summary: Meryl Streep is a goddess
Review: The Deer Hunter is an extraordinary film, and the emotional effect is intense, bittersweet, and very thorough. Upon repeated viewings I did come to resent being so easily manipulated by its sentimentality. While the ensemble acting is exceptional and the sets intriguing, the characterizations of the VC as sickly obsessed with Russian roulette and the steelworkers as lovable, rambunctious alcoholics are probably inaccurate, to say the least. But there is a wealth of moments here that very accurately reflect the human experience. DeNiro's awkwardly stoic Michael is mesmerizing, and Meryl Streep is luminous and fascinating as ever. In fact, I believe Meryl Streep is a strong argument for cloning. There is some shocking footage of gunshot trauma in this movie, but if you're American you are probably so desensitized to brutal violence that it won't keep you up at night.
Rating: 
Summary: Some great performances, but otherwise a tedious movie
Review: This film is at least an hour too long. It's also one of the most overrated movies I've experienced. Why does Cimino spend so much set-up time in Pennsylvania? The wedding is quite unremarkable, and maybe that's worth telling us, but there must be far more concise ways of achieving that objective. And in what sense is this a realistic war movie? Of the 176 minutes of this movie, fewer than five are spent on scenes which have anything to do with combat or the wartime existence of the soldier. And of the thousands of Americans who went to Vietnam, how many were forced to play russian roulette? This film does not depict the Vietnamese people well. That said, there is some great acting here, particularly in the most traumatic sequences. The roulette sequences have stayed with me ever since I first saw them back in '78 or '79, but frankly the movie has not improved over the years. I suspect my copy of the DVD will gather dust. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Among the best
Review: The Deer Hunter is definitely among the top three Vietnam films of all time, in my opinion... However, what makes all three great is that, in reality, none of them are about war...The Deer Hunter takes place mostly outside of Vietnam and doesn't dwell there for more than a third of the film. Rather, it is merely the focal point of the film. The movie is about friendship, courage, loyalty, and pathos. The movie features a wonderful ensemble of actors, including Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale, Meryl Streep, and George Dzundza, just to name a few. The story is set in a small steel town in Pennsylvania, and De Niro and company are Russian-Americans and close friends. De Niro's character, Michael, is the leader. He is spontaneous and fun-loving, but also strict and methodical. When screw-up Stan (Cazale) forgets his boots, De Niro doesn't want to give him his extra pair. Walken portrays Nick as an intensely loyal friend, willing to risk death at Russian Roulette to escape on a plan conceived by Michael. Savage plays Steve, the married man who ends up losing his legs due to an injury in the war. The film investigates the lives of these three men, forever changed by Vietnam: one emotionally scarred, one physically scarred, one lost in a foreign land. I got choked up when Michael went to Vietnam to save Nick, but ends up playing one final game of Russian Roulette. That particular scene is the most affecting. See it and you'll understand.
In short, this film is a monumental examination of friendship, loyalty, and courage. It won the Best Picture Oscar in 1978, and will forever be a potent look at grief and sadness and joy and love. A must.
Rating:
Summary: great film...
Review: Great film, one of the best war films ever made. Shame about the DVD transfer though.The DVD version is identical to the VHS version so if you already have it on video don`t bother to buy on DVD also. This is one film that is crying out for the full re-mastering of both film and soundtrack.
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