The Deer Hunter (1978)

An in-depth examination of the ways in which the U.S. Vietnam War impacts and disrupts the lives of people in a small industrial town in Pennsylvania.

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Michael Cimino (story), Deric Washburn (story)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale

Top Rated Movies #182 | Won 5 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Michael
John Cazale	...	Stan
John Savage	...	Steven
Christopher Walken	...	Nick
Meryl Streep	...	Linda
George Dzundza	...	John
Chuck Aspegren	...	Axel
Shirley Stoler	...	Steven's Mother
Rutanya Alda	...	Angela
Pierre Segui	...	Julien
Mady Kaplan	...	Axel's Girl
Amy Wright	...	Bridesmaid
Mary Ann Haenel	...	Stan's Girl
Richard Kuss	...	Linda's Father
Joe Grifasi	...	Bandleader

Storyline

Michael, Steven and Nicky are 3 best friends who enjoy going Deer hunting quote often. These men get enlisted to head to Vietnam to fight for their country and celebrate with a farewell party, as well as Nicky marrying a pregnant woman named "Angela." After the horrors during the war and edge-grabbing games of Russian Roulette that these men are forced to play, Michael returns home and realizes that his Deer hunting outings aren't the same as they used to be, because of the war and he eventually finds out that Steven is handicapped and Nicky hasn't returned from Vietnam, and in response, he heads back to Vietnam to rescue him.

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Plot Keywords:

american imperialism | vietnam war veteran | psychic | disorder | mental health | 

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Taglines:

One of the most important and powerful films of all time!

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep starred in Falling in Love (1984).

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Goofs

When Linda goes to Mike and Nick's trailer for the first time, the trailers hitch as well as the tail lights can be seen. The wires from the tail lights are seen running into the windows above the hitch. The tail lights should be on the rear while the hitch is on the front.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michael: Hey, watch out, Axel. We'll be calling him old fireballs after tonight.
Axel: Fuckin' A.
Michael: Not bad.

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Crazy Credits

We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of our Thai crew in the production of "The Deer Hunter"

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Alternate Versions

The Region 2 Spain DVD is cut for violence.

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Connections

Referenced in Year of the Dragon (1985)

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Soundtracks

Katyusha
(uncredited)
Music by Matvei Blanter
Lyrics by Mikhail Isakovskiy (as Mikhail Isakovsky)
Adapted and Arranged by Ken Kovach

User Reviews

A War Like All Wars A Film Like No Other

"The Deer Hunter" is 32 years old. How extraordinary to sit through it now. Walking over the politics that divided , somehow, all of its admirers then. "Great film but..." How silly to think of it now. Michael (a sensational young Robert De Niro) is as extreme a character as Rocco was in "Rocco And His Brothers" His goodness, the one that was always there but that he discovers under the most horrendous circumstances, underlined by Stanley Mayers's "Cavatina" permeates the entire film. I remember thinking, when I saw the film for the first time, that I couldn't or wouldn't spend ten minutes with Michael and his friends, the ones we meet at the beginning of the film but by the end I thought of them as brothers and I loved them. I actually loved them. That in itself is a sort of film miracle. John Savage will break your heart, it certainly broke mine and Christopher Walken is absolutely riveting. How strange to tho think that Michael Cimino, still a young man, is nowhere to be seen. Is still a punishment for "Heaven's Gate" and "Indecent Exposure" or there is something else we don't know about. The Cimino behind "The Deer Hunter" is a true master.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Vietnamese French Cantonese

Release Date:

23 February 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Came to Play

Filming Locations:

Mingo Junction, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$48,979,328

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,074,243

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

183 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (as Dolby System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1