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:

Winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture 1978

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the 29th Berlin International Film Festival in 1979, the Soviet delegation expressed its indignation with the film which, in their opinion, insulted the Vietnamese people in numerous scenes. Other Communist countries also voiced their solidarity with the "heroic people of Vietnam". They protested against the screening of the film, and insisted that it violated the statutes of the festival, since it in no way contributed to the "improvement of mutual understanding between the peoples of the world." The ensuing domino effect led to the walk-outs of the Cubans, East Germans, Bulgarians, Poles, and Czechoslovakians, and two members of the jury resigned in sympathy.

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Goofs

The deer that Michael kills in the hunting scene is not the same species as the one that is strapped to the hood of the Cadillac when the hunting party arrives back into town.

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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 La Haine (1995)

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Soundtracks

Down From Heaven
(uncredited)
Written by Lt. Col. Byron Paige
Arranged by Sgt. George Whissen
Performed by Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, George Dzundza and Chuck Aspegren

User Reviews

It's about character development

A comment re the other comments: A lot of the comments criticize the first half hour as being too long. In my opinion, these comments miss the point of the movie.

Of course many of the scenes in the first hour don't advance the narrative. They're not supposed to; they're for character development.

The whole point of the movie is to show us how the various characters were affected by the war. It wouldn't have worked nearly as powerfully as it does had the first hour been trimmed down. We have to sense the careless and frat-boy-like immaturity of these young men. That's why the scenes all revolve around frivolity and seemingly senseless boyish behavior; it creates such a stark contrast to the devastated characters of the three who went to war (and the relatively unaffected personalities of those who stayed behind, like Stanley).

The strong points of the film are the outstanding performances of nearly every actor in the movie. Yes, there are technical deficiencies in the sound, but it hardly matters. This is nitpicking compared to the overall construction of the film.

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