Review of The Deer Hunter (1978) by Jane R — 29 Nov 2010

I feel after studying this film for a semester it should have a review written.

I was once told to watch/read something once for fun than again to analyse.

My first viewing of this film didn't go down well, I thought it was boring and had unnecessary parts in it i.e. the long wedding at the start. albeit I still think the wedding should be shorter as you don't really appreciate it's symbolism at the first time round as you would the second. It's most famous Russian Roulette scene was horrific, the power of the scene which is meant to show the Saigon Execution but within a film is immense.

A lot of reviews suggest that this film is very bias- this may be so but Vietnam was very controversial and was a very divided war amongst the Americans so you won't ever get a levelled opinion through the use of film.

DeNiro's character plays the heroic one of the men who tries his best to keep them all together mentally and physically- the relationship between the three men is shown during the wedding sequence at the start and again when they go on their last deer hunt before being posted to Vietnam. The metaphor regarding the deer hunt is very clever and well thought out. A simple sequence of men hunting deer becomes their biggest struggle in life after Vietnam with their trauma.

Surely most Vietnam war films are more like political statements rather than the escapism most film makers aim for?

Is the portrayal of Vietnam accurate? who know's- who will ever know.

Another Marmite film but one you should really watch before you die.