There are three distinct parts in the film Full Metal Jacket. This first part takes place on Parris Island. A group of you men come together and are put through rigorous training and are tested both mentally and physically. They are taught to be killers and are essentially brainwashed in preparation for the war. These men are commanded by Sergeant Hartman who is often times rude and direct. In this section, we follow a soldier named Joker who is becomes head of his squad. Partway through this section Joker is assigned to work with Pyle, a struggling company member. After a while, Pyle becomes stronger and better at the daily tasks at hand. At the end of this section however, Pyle cracks and kills the sergeant and himself. This part of the film shows the lives of young soldiers going through boot camp preparing for war and becoming killers. It shows how mentally draining and physically tough it really is.
The second part of the film follows Joker into Vietnam where is he a journalist for the Stars and Stripes. Jokers job is to write about the good things that happen in the war and all the positive events that happen. My doing so he is deceiving the Americans into thinking that things are going well. He never see’s the front lines but expressed interest in doing so. Joker wore a peace sign on his vest, and on his helmet is said “Born to Kill” This is ironic and shows that most of the soldiers didn’t really understand their position in the war. He wanted peace and would be happy with peace, but he was taught to kill and that is his job.
The third part of the movie takes place on the front lines. Joker meets on of his buddy’s from boot camp , Cowboy. He joins Cowboys platoon and they go out on patrol. Now Joker is experiencing everything he was writing about, but it’s real. He’s seeing people die all around him. A little while into their patrol, Cowboy is shot by a sniper and he dies. Joker and the rest of the platoon go on a search for the sniper and it turns out it was a woman. When they find her, they shoot her many times and is essentially killed by Joker, who takes the last shot.
Although each section is important in and of itself, they tie together to show how gruesome and challenging war is from beginning to end. It’s mentally and physically draining and hard from day one of boot camp until the solders get home.
In the last scene of the movie, the soldiers are marching toward to enemy while singing the Mickey Mouse song, which is a well known childhood song. This reminds us that the war is being fought by 18, 19 and 20 year olds who lost their childhood because they’re out there fighting.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Blog 6 - AEE Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket, a Vietnam War movie made in 1987, follows Private Joke, a Vietnam soldier, through his experiences as a marine. The movie is subtly divided into three different parts, more specifically three different environments. From Joker’s perspective, we see the Vietnam War in training, under fire and in the “safety” of the barracks. These three parts come together to primarily portray the chaos that is the Vietnam war.
On the island, where the marines were trained, we only begin to get acquainted with 3different soldiers, Pvt. Joker, Pvt. Cowboy, and Pvt. Pyle. Cowboy plays Joker’s friend while Pyle is the overweight burden of the entire squad. Every time he can’t complete a task for the drill sergeant, the entire squad is punished. His incompetency isolates him and gives the other soldiers a reason to bully and physically torment him. Eventually, Pyle begins to adapt and succeed in training, specifically after all the others each take one swing at him with a bar of soap. The monotony and the stress of basic training wear deep into Pyle, and he becomes the movie’s first example of the toll Vietnam took on the young boys. On the last night at the training island, Pvt. Joker finds Pyle in the bathroom with a loaded gun. When Hartman enters the bathroom Pyle shoots first Hartman and then himself. The suicide marks the end of the first section. It shows us the magnitude of the war; that the insanity of it had even trickled down to training camp.
The middle segment of the film revolves mainly around Lieutenant Lockhart and Joker’s position as a writer for Stars and Stripes. At one point Lockhart instructs the writers to refer to “Search and Destroy” now as “Sweep and Clear”. He wants the writers to use language which will make the war more appealing than it is. When Joker and Lockhart are discussing Joker’s piece, Lockhart persistently asks Joker if he saw any sign of a death (“drag marks”, blood smears”, etc.). Lockhart won’t accept the article if it doesn’t refer to any deaths. This middle segment’s main significance lies within the conversation at Stars and Stripes because it lays out a lot of shared ideals of the war. People wanted to hear about deaths because it created the illusion that something productive was being done. There was also a lot of sugar-coating in the details of the Vietnam war as some common behaviors in-country were not fit to be communicated with the rest of America.
The final segment of the film is the piece most similar to that of other Vietnam (or any) war movies. Joker and Cowboy reunite when Joker and Rafterman, Joker’s photographer for Stars and Stripes, go out to report on and assist Cowboy’s rifle squad. In this piece we are finally introduced to other soldiers, such as 8-ball, Mother, and “Crazy Earl”. In this piece we begin to become familiar with the soldiers, something that we were not open to earlier in the movie. There is much more emotion connected to this segment as we see 8-ball writhing in pain as a sniper oppresses the platoon. The platoon overrides commands from Cowboy and move in in attempt to both save their friends as well as seek avengement. There is a strong suggestion of brotherhood and comradery. When the platoon finally discovers the sniper, they find a younger Vietnamese girl. This final piece of the story line represents the disorder and bedlam found throughout the Vietnam war.
At the very end, the soldiers are shown marking through a destroyed Vietnam city at dusk all singing the Mickey Mouse song. Once again, this element adds to the illustration of complete chaos and dysfunction, and the soldiers seem to be connecting through this. When interviewed on camera, all the soldiers expressed a desire for killing individual Vietnam, both North and South, not necessarily a want to stomp out communism. The Vietnam war is infamous for having a difficult defining its purpose and goals, and the Mickey Mouse song represents that tie to mayhem. There was no reason to be in Vietnam, there was no reason to be singing the song, but both are being done anyways. Also, the Mickey Mouse song connects to the Joker’s voiceover where he talks about past fantasy because both relate back to a time before he knew war. The men’s song reminds them both of where they came from and where they want to go, which is home.
On the island, where the marines were trained, we only begin to get acquainted with 3different soldiers, Pvt. Joker, Pvt. Cowboy, and Pvt. Pyle. Cowboy plays Joker’s friend while Pyle is the overweight burden of the entire squad. Every time he can’t complete a task for the drill sergeant, the entire squad is punished. His incompetency isolates him and gives the other soldiers a reason to bully and physically torment him. Eventually, Pyle begins to adapt and succeed in training, specifically after all the others each take one swing at him with a bar of soap. The monotony and the stress of basic training wear deep into Pyle, and he becomes the movie’s first example of the toll Vietnam took on the young boys. On the last night at the training island, Pvt. Joker finds Pyle in the bathroom with a loaded gun. When Hartman enters the bathroom Pyle shoots first Hartman and then himself. The suicide marks the end of the first section. It shows us the magnitude of the war; that the insanity of it had even trickled down to training camp.
The middle segment of the film revolves mainly around Lieutenant Lockhart and Joker’s position as a writer for Stars and Stripes. At one point Lockhart instructs the writers to refer to “Search and Destroy” now as “Sweep and Clear”. He wants the writers to use language which will make the war more appealing than it is. When Joker and Lockhart are discussing Joker’s piece, Lockhart persistently asks Joker if he saw any sign of a death (“drag marks”, blood smears”, etc.). Lockhart won’t accept the article if it doesn’t refer to any deaths. This middle segment’s main significance lies within the conversation at Stars and Stripes because it lays out a lot of shared ideals of the war. People wanted to hear about deaths because it created the illusion that something productive was being done. There was also a lot of sugar-coating in the details of the Vietnam war as some common behaviors in-country were not fit to be communicated with the rest of America.
The final segment of the film is the piece most similar to that of other Vietnam (or any) war movies. Joker and Cowboy reunite when Joker and Rafterman, Joker’s photographer for Stars and Stripes, go out to report on and assist Cowboy’s rifle squad. In this piece we are finally introduced to other soldiers, such as 8-ball, Mother, and “Crazy Earl”. In this piece we begin to become familiar with the soldiers, something that we were not open to earlier in the movie. There is much more emotion connected to this segment as we see 8-ball writhing in pain as a sniper oppresses the platoon. The platoon overrides commands from Cowboy and move in in attempt to both save their friends as well as seek avengement. There is a strong suggestion of brotherhood and comradery. When the platoon finally discovers the sniper, they find a younger Vietnamese girl. This final piece of the story line represents the disorder and bedlam found throughout the Vietnam war.
At the very end, the soldiers are shown marking through a destroyed Vietnam city at dusk all singing the Mickey Mouse song. Once again, this element adds to the illustration of complete chaos and dysfunction, and the soldiers seem to be connecting through this. When interviewed on camera, all the soldiers expressed a desire for killing individual Vietnam, both North and South, not necessarily a want to stomp out communism. The Vietnam war is infamous for having a difficult defining its purpose and goals, and the Mickey Mouse song represents that tie to mayhem. There was no reason to be in Vietnam, there was no reason to be singing the song, but both are being done anyways. Also, the Mickey Mouse song connects to the Joker’s voiceover where he talks about past fantasy because both relate back to a time before he knew war. The men’s song reminds them both of where they came from and where they want to go, which is home.
Full Metal Jacket AB
At first it seems that the movie is really only broken into two parts, that really characterize the idea of the war in Vietnam and the ideas, be fiefs, and treacherous training of the Marine Core. But when going over it again, I realized that there is three distinct parts, The training, Joker's time being a reporter at the base, and Joker's time in "The Shit" as many soldiers explained it.
The first part at Paris Island gives us a great sense of the hardship these men or should I say young adults had to endure before the war. They went through terrible physical abuse, but the biggest impact, as seen when Pile shoots the Sargent, is the mental abuse these recruits went through on a daily basis. They were trained to kill, they were strained to survive and protect their country, but more importantly, they were trained to become a brotherhood, to protect one another and become a family. A family that will always live on even when parts of it died and I think the first part of the movie was really dedicated to not only the training of US soldiers but to the Marine Core itself.
The second part of the movie involves Joker's time in country, but not in "the Shit". He was a journalist so he got to go around and write stories about to war to report back to home, but much of this part is dedicated to show how worked up these young men were to see the action they trained for, but without realizing what they were truly going to face. It also shows how the military was not truthful in their stories by any means. They would lie in their reports to tell the American people what they wanted to hear so that the troops and the government could keep the little support they had for being involved in Vietnam. I think this is a very important part to express how people really don't know what war is like unless you have gone toe to toe or face to face with it.
The last part of the film involves Joker being in country, but also being in "the Shit" as a reporter, but eventually as a soldier. Joker finally gets to face what he had always been waiting for and i think he realizes that its something he really didn't want to do, but he does anyway because he has already gone that far and I think that whole idea is portrayed in the scene when he is about to kill the woman solider and takes quite a while to do so. At first he is like we can't leave her like this, but he didn't want to be the one to waste her. So it is something that he wanted to do, something he never thought he would face, but in the end had to do it, and did it for his brothers, his family, and his country. And by killing the woman it shows how these men had to face such horrible things like women and children running around with guns that they had no choice but to kill in order to save their own lives. And all the horror the a solider has to endure after the war due to experiences similar to the last killing scene in the movie.
To me the Mickey Mouse song represented the idea of family and brotherhood among the marines. They had all gone through the same thing and they were all there for the same reason and singing that song was a way to bring them together and in a sense have a little fun while they are there. It is a song that they all would know, that they might pull from their childhood, but with in the song some of the lyrics discuss joining the family and anyone can be part of the family because even though brothers in the group die, the family must live on and to never let the Marine Core die.
The first part at Paris Island gives us a great sense of the hardship these men or should I say young adults had to endure before the war. They went through terrible physical abuse, but the biggest impact, as seen when Pile shoots the Sargent, is the mental abuse these recruits went through on a daily basis. They were trained to kill, they were strained to survive and protect their country, but more importantly, they were trained to become a brotherhood, to protect one another and become a family. A family that will always live on even when parts of it died and I think the first part of the movie was really dedicated to not only the training of US soldiers but to the Marine Core itself.
The second part of the movie involves Joker's time in country, but not in "the Shit". He was a journalist so he got to go around and write stories about to war to report back to home, but much of this part is dedicated to show how worked up these young men were to see the action they trained for, but without realizing what they were truly going to face. It also shows how the military was not truthful in their stories by any means. They would lie in their reports to tell the American people what they wanted to hear so that the troops and the government could keep the little support they had for being involved in Vietnam. I think this is a very important part to express how people really don't know what war is like unless you have gone toe to toe or face to face with it.
The last part of the film involves Joker being in country, but also being in "the Shit" as a reporter, but eventually as a soldier. Joker finally gets to face what he had always been waiting for and i think he realizes that its something he really didn't want to do, but he does anyway because he has already gone that far and I think that whole idea is portrayed in the scene when he is about to kill the woman solider and takes quite a while to do so. At first he is like we can't leave her like this, but he didn't want to be the one to waste her. So it is something that he wanted to do, something he never thought he would face, but in the end had to do it, and did it for his brothers, his family, and his country. And by killing the woman it shows how these men had to face such horrible things like women and children running around with guns that they had no choice but to kill in order to save their own lives. And all the horror the a solider has to endure after the war due to experiences similar to the last killing scene in the movie.
To me the Mickey Mouse song represented the idea of family and brotherhood among the marines. They had all gone through the same thing and they were all there for the same reason and singing that song was a way to bring them together and in a sense have a little fun while they are there. It is a song that they all would know, that they might pull from their childhood, but with in the song some of the lyrics discuss joining the family and anyone can be part of the family because even though brothers in the group die, the family must live on and to never let the Marine Core die.
Blog 6 MGB
Maddie Bulkley
Blog 6
Full Metal Jacket is a different style war movie. It has the stereotypical blood, gore and death but what sets it apart from dramatic heart-wrenching war films is the incorporation of offbeat humor. In all three sections of the film, the plot was linear and novel.
The first section of the film began with the new Marine recruitments enduring training on Paris Island. The instructor Sergeant Hartman is relentless and bullies all of the men into uniformity and obedience. He commands them to recite his crude and adolescent vulgar chants which are humorous in contrast to their purpose of training. They are training to become killing machines and to be independent war obsessed Marines. Private Pyle’s lack of conformity and skill alienate him from the rest of the group. Although Pyle does have the skill to kill and shoot he does not have the frame of context to understand when it is appropriate to do so. There are many reasons why Pyle snapped, mainly because his mindset had transformed to that of a lethal private without the feeling of comradely to the other privates. Pyle felt they were the enemy and thus took his own life in addition to Sergeant Hartman’s. This final even in the first section summarized the pull the soldiers felt between their grounded innocent values that applied back home versus the belligerent acts they needed in war. Many young men found the equilibrium between the two.
Private Joker is followed in the second section of the film. He is not in country and seems to be enjoying the effects of not being in combat. Private Joker is an interesting character because he wears a peace sign and has written “born to kill” on his helmet. When prodded about the reasoning behind this by the Colonel he responded, “I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man”. Joker, like many of the men fighting struggled with the reasoning as to the reason for the war. The Vietnam war was not structured and the men fighting were immature in their knowledge of a war they were fighting that started for reasons they could not comprehend. The second section is to show the struggle the duality of men face, and Joker leads the viewers into the third section of the film as a journalist with his sidekick photographer, Private Cowboy.
The third section of the film shows more of the gruesome effects of the war. People are shown being blown up, both on the American side and Vietnam. The 3rd section highlights the fighting during the launch of the Tet Offensive. The sniper, a young Vietnamese woman, represents the atypical set up of the war. Woman and children are not just victims but they are part of the effort. Through the fighting, there is lively music and tone in the film. Thus juxtaposition is meant to be shocking. The purpose of the sniper was to portray the killing machines the privates had become as they sought revenge on Cowboy’s death.
The final scene is the men singing “Mickey Mouse” as they march through fiery destruction. This connects back to an early quote from the first section. Sergeant Hartman declares, “What is this Mickey Mouse shit? What are you two animals doing in my beloved head? Why is Private Pyle out of his bunk after lights out? Why is Private Pyle holding that weapon? Why are you not stomping Private Pyle's guts out?”. The Mickey Mouse song shows the young men’s unity as they sing together. It shows they are still confused as to the context in which death occurs. The song highlights the overall tone of the film, boyhood innocence when war was just a game versus killing machine men.
Blog 6
Full Metal Jacket is a different style war movie. It has the stereotypical blood, gore and death but what sets it apart from dramatic heart-wrenching war films is the incorporation of offbeat humor. In all three sections of the film, the plot was linear and novel.
The first section of the film began with the new Marine recruitments enduring training on Paris Island. The instructor Sergeant Hartman is relentless and bullies all of the men into uniformity and obedience. He commands them to recite his crude and adolescent vulgar chants which are humorous in contrast to their purpose of training. They are training to become killing machines and to be independent war obsessed Marines. Private Pyle’s lack of conformity and skill alienate him from the rest of the group. Although Pyle does have the skill to kill and shoot he does not have the frame of context to understand when it is appropriate to do so. There are many reasons why Pyle snapped, mainly because his mindset had transformed to that of a lethal private without the feeling of comradely to the other privates. Pyle felt they were the enemy and thus took his own life in addition to Sergeant Hartman’s. This final even in the first section summarized the pull the soldiers felt between their grounded innocent values that applied back home versus the belligerent acts they needed in war. Many young men found the equilibrium between the two.
Private Joker is followed in the second section of the film. He is not in country and seems to be enjoying the effects of not being in combat. Private Joker is an interesting character because he wears a peace sign and has written “born to kill” on his helmet. When prodded about the reasoning behind this by the Colonel he responded, “I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man”. Joker, like many of the men fighting struggled with the reasoning as to the reason for the war. The Vietnam war was not structured and the men fighting were immature in their knowledge of a war they were fighting that started for reasons they could not comprehend. The second section is to show the struggle the duality of men face, and Joker leads the viewers into the third section of the film as a journalist with his sidekick photographer, Private Cowboy.
The third section of the film shows more of the gruesome effects of the war. People are shown being blown up, both on the American side and Vietnam. The 3rd section highlights the fighting during the launch of the Tet Offensive. The sniper, a young Vietnamese woman, represents the atypical set up of the war. Woman and children are not just victims but they are part of the effort. Through the fighting, there is lively music and tone in the film. Thus juxtaposition is meant to be shocking. The purpose of the sniper was to portray the killing machines the privates had become as they sought revenge on Cowboy’s death.
The final scene is the men singing “Mickey Mouse” as they march through fiery destruction. This connects back to an early quote from the first section. Sergeant Hartman declares, “What is this Mickey Mouse shit? What are you two animals doing in my beloved head? Why is Private Pyle out of his bunk after lights out? Why is Private Pyle holding that weapon? Why are you not stomping Private Pyle's guts out?”. The Mickey Mouse song shows the young men’s unity as they sing together. It shows they are still confused as to the context in which death occurs. The song highlights the overall tone of the film, boyhood innocence when war was just a game versus killing machine men.
Blog#6: FMJ RGV
The first part of Full Metal Jacket takes place on a military base in Parris Island, South Carolina. This portion of the film follows a group of soldiers through the rigorous process of basic training through which all new recruits must pass in order to become marines. The first scene of the movie displays a military barber repeatedly shaving various heads of new recruits. This initial experience of incoming soldiers to boot camp is largely representative of a theme present throughout a soldier's basic training. The shaved heads of new recruits symbolizes the dehumanization process the military utilizes with its members in order to create an effective fighting force. Recruits are forced by their instructors to act, talk, and dress in identically the same manner. Soldiers are stripped of their individuality and uniqueness so that they can be viewed as one collective body with a composition that is the same throughout. This process allows combat troops to view each other more objectively with less emotion in order for quick decisions on the battlefield to be made more easily.
At one point in the first part of the film when the recruits are in their barracks, the drill sergeant tells them that the Marine Corp. does not want robots - it wants killers. The dehumanization process the military employs in training its recruits successfully accomplishes this goal. Drill instructors similar to the one portrayed in the film perpetually demean soldiers physically and verbally. These actions merit considerable emotional repercussions amongst recruits that, in many cases, last for years. In Full Metal Jacket, Private Pyle continuously performs inadequately throughout basic training. As a result of his actions, Pyle receives increased ridicule from his drill sergeant and alienation from his comrades. His fellow recruits eventually beat him in the middle of the night because of the punishment they receive for his mistakes. Pyle begins to appear as though he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression, or insanity. He ultimately fulfills his role as a killer when he kills the drill sergeant and subsequently commits suicide with the rifle that the Marine Corps. demanded he spend so much time with.
The second part of the film is set in Vietnam where the protagonist, Joker, is stationed as a journalist for the patriotic newspaper Stars and Stripes. At first, Joker writes articles by accurately depicting events as he understands they happened. He experiences conflict with his boss, though, when he portrays a company of Marines as unsuccessful in finding and killing enemy troops on a particular night. His boss explains to him that people want to read positive stories concerned with success that "win hearts and minds." Joker's boss also asks him and his fellow journalists to use the phrase "sweep and clear" rather than "search and destroy" in their future articles. Joker is forced to dedicate himself to promoting a positive image of the Vietnam War to the American people rather than reporting facts accurately. The American government relied on the misrepresentation of the events that took place in the Gulf of Tonkin in order to acquire a reason to conduct the war in Vietnam, and it convoluted information and facts to paint an optimistic portrayal of the war so public opinion could remain positive.
The last part of the film is composed of Joker's combat experiences in country. Joker witnesses firsthand the horror and cruelty of war when his platoon is under heavy sniper that it cannot locate. The Vietnamese sniper wounds a member of his platoon that is standing in a clearing with no cover. The platoon must decide whether to attempt to save this man and risk further casualties, or move on and leave the man behind. The emotions of the men are evident through their angry and confused yelling and serve as a prime example for how the best military training in the world cannot prepare a soldier to react objectively in every situation. The platoon makes several attempts at rescuing its wounded comrade, but they only succeed in finding the sniper and identifying her as a woman. The sniper is shot and wounded by a member of the platoon, and Joker is confronted morally again as he deliberates over whether to put her out of her misery or "leave her to rot." Joker kills the girl in a representation of the severely savage conditions of war and the killer instinct instilled in soldiers.
The singing of the Mickey Mouse song by the soldiers in the conclusion of the film relates to the irony of a particular aspect of the Vietnam War. In many cases, the eighteen year old men that compose the American military during the war are barely high school graduates but have witnessed atrocities that most people do not witness in a lifetime. These soldiers are essentially boys at heart, but they are forced to kill and destroy life in order for them to survive. The Mickey Mouse song symbolizes the youth of the soldiers and the innonence that they lost through their participation in the Vietnam War. In addition, the singing of this song can be viewed as a club singing its anthem. The soldiers use the song as a sort of rationalization for the horrible things they have to do to survive.
At one point in the first part of the film when the recruits are in their barracks, the drill sergeant tells them that the Marine Corp. does not want robots - it wants killers. The dehumanization process the military employs in training its recruits successfully accomplishes this goal. Drill instructors similar to the one portrayed in the film perpetually demean soldiers physically and verbally. These actions merit considerable emotional repercussions amongst recruits that, in many cases, last for years. In Full Metal Jacket, Private Pyle continuously performs inadequately throughout basic training. As a result of his actions, Pyle receives increased ridicule from his drill sergeant and alienation from his comrades. His fellow recruits eventually beat him in the middle of the night because of the punishment they receive for his mistakes. Pyle begins to appear as though he is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, depression, or insanity. He ultimately fulfills his role as a killer when he kills the drill sergeant and subsequently commits suicide with the rifle that the Marine Corps. demanded he spend so much time with.
The second part of the film is set in Vietnam where the protagonist, Joker, is stationed as a journalist for the patriotic newspaper Stars and Stripes. At first, Joker writes articles by accurately depicting events as he understands they happened. He experiences conflict with his boss, though, when he portrays a company of Marines as unsuccessful in finding and killing enemy troops on a particular night. His boss explains to him that people want to read positive stories concerned with success that "win hearts and minds." Joker's boss also asks him and his fellow journalists to use the phrase "sweep and clear" rather than "search and destroy" in their future articles. Joker is forced to dedicate himself to promoting a positive image of the Vietnam War to the American people rather than reporting facts accurately. The American government relied on the misrepresentation of the events that took place in the Gulf of Tonkin in order to acquire a reason to conduct the war in Vietnam, and it convoluted information and facts to paint an optimistic portrayal of the war so public opinion could remain positive.
The last part of the film is composed of Joker's combat experiences in country. Joker witnesses firsthand the horror and cruelty of war when his platoon is under heavy sniper that it cannot locate. The Vietnamese sniper wounds a member of his platoon that is standing in a clearing with no cover. The platoon must decide whether to attempt to save this man and risk further casualties, or move on and leave the man behind. The emotions of the men are evident through their angry and confused yelling and serve as a prime example for how the best military training in the world cannot prepare a soldier to react objectively in every situation. The platoon makes several attempts at rescuing its wounded comrade, but they only succeed in finding the sniper and identifying her as a woman. The sniper is shot and wounded by a member of the platoon, and Joker is confronted morally again as he deliberates over whether to put her out of her misery or "leave her to rot." Joker kills the girl in a representation of the severely savage conditions of war and the killer instinct instilled in soldiers.
The singing of the Mickey Mouse song by the soldiers in the conclusion of the film relates to the irony of a particular aspect of the Vietnam War. In many cases, the eighteen year old men that compose the American military during the war are barely high school graduates but have witnessed atrocities that most people do not witness in a lifetime. These soldiers are essentially boys at heart, but they are forced to kill and destroy life in order for them to survive. The Mickey Mouse song symbolizes the youth of the soldiers and the innonence that they lost through their participation in the Vietnam War. In addition, the singing of this song can be viewed as a club singing its anthem. The soldiers use the song as a sort of rationalization for the horrible things they have to do to survive.
Blog 6 CG
Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is a film that depicts the Vietnam War like no other. Kubrick divides his film up into three parts. The movie starts out with Marine basic training at Parris Island in South Carolina. The movies opening scene is a bunch of fresh-faced teenagers having their heads shaved by the military barbers -- the first of many steps toward breaking down the recruits and building them back up again. Parris Island is depicted as a hellish and grotesquely unforgiving place, where men come to be made into killing machines. We are introduced to Joker, the main character, and Gomer Pyle, a hefty man who can do no right. Gomer ends up taking all the harsh punishment to his head and committing a murder suicide to end the first part. This first part shows us how men are trained to become robots. The repetition of lines like "I am a killing machine" and "This is my rifle. Without me it is useless. Without it I am useless" really gets to the point of the training. Everything humane and socially acceptable is thrown out the window as these young boys are taught to kill.
The second part of the film follows Joker as he works as a combat correspondant. Joker travels through many parts of Vietnam, seeing all that the once beautiful country's conflict has to offer. This lets him see alot of different soldiers takes on the Vietnam War, war in general, and their overall outlooks. Most soldiers seem to have a dark sense of humor. One soldier who Joker ran into dressed up a dead VC and put him in a chair. He claimed the dead man was their "guest of honor". Also, most soldiers didnt care if America should be in the war politically speaking, but they did believe that they should be there killing the Vietnamese. This is the military chain of command controlling the soldiers morality through orders given by superiors. Overall this second part gets highlights the life of a Vietnam soldier when not under fire. Soldiers are cocky, dark, hardass, and manly. Soldiers talk a big game and seem to have no moral fiber. This all changes in the third part.
The third part follows Joker out onto the front lines, where he is in the real bush. Soldiers under fire take on a whole new form. Joker and his squad recieve enemy sniper fire in the most memorable section of this part. 8-Ball is hit with an enemy sniper round, and the medic who goes out to treat him is greeted in the same fashion. After seeing their brothers hit, the squad falls out of formation, ignores command and general strategy, and pretty much goes into chaos. The mixture of brotherhood, sympathy, anger, and fear all add to the chaos. Eventually the men get into the snipers tower and down the markswoman, who is severley injured but not yet dead. Five or six soldiers gathered around her as she suffered and muttered "kill me". When the time comes for the soldiers to actually kill someone who they have to look in the face, they all freeze up. This highlights the difference between faceless killing and personal killing, and the soldiers are hard pressed to commit the latter. This shows killing in a whole new light, and shows that the infantry men are actual humans and not killing machines. The third part shows us why war truly is hell.
These three parts give us a more full experience of the Vietnam War. In the first part, we get to see the brutal beatdown and the emotional breakdown that goes along with basic training. In the second, we see soldiers at ease, confident and full of piss and vinegar. The final part shows us the chaos and fear that go along with being under fire. I think the Mickey Mouse song is a fitting song for the end of the movie because it is a very upbeat and positive song, and I feel like that represents how the surviving soldiers feel to be alive. They consider themselves lucky to be able to march on, so a happy-go-lucky tune is fitting. Also, this song is ironic in the fact that the situation they are in is actually quite terrible. This song provides positive contrast to the negative atmosphere of the war.
The second part of the film follows Joker as he works as a combat correspondant. Joker travels through many parts of Vietnam, seeing all that the once beautiful country's conflict has to offer. This lets him see alot of different soldiers takes on the Vietnam War, war in general, and their overall outlooks. Most soldiers seem to have a dark sense of humor. One soldier who Joker ran into dressed up a dead VC and put him in a chair. He claimed the dead man was their "guest of honor". Also, most soldiers didnt care if America should be in the war politically speaking, but they did believe that they should be there killing the Vietnamese. This is the military chain of command controlling the soldiers morality through orders given by superiors. Overall this second part gets highlights the life of a Vietnam soldier when not under fire. Soldiers are cocky, dark, hardass, and manly. Soldiers talk a big game and seem to have no moral fiber. This all changes in the third part.
The third part follows Joker out onto the front lines, where he is in the real bush. Soldiers under fire take on a whole new form. Joker and his squad recieve enemy sniper fire in the most memorable section of this part. 8-Ball is hit with an enemy sniper round, and the medic who goes out to treat him is greeted in the same fashion. After seeing their brothers hit, the squad falls out of formation, ignores command and general strategy, and pretty much goes into chaos. The mixture of brotherhood, sympathy, anger, and fear all add to the chaos. Eventually the men get into the snipers tower and down the markswoman, who is severley injured but not yet dead. Five or six soldiers gathered around her as she suffered and muttered "kill me". When the time comes for the soldiers to actually kill someone who they have to look in the face, they all freeze up. This highlights the difference between faceless killing and personal killing, and the soldiers are hard pressed to commit the latter. This shows killing in a whole new light, and shows that the infantry men are actual humans and not killing machines. The third part shows us why war truly is hell.
These three parts give us a more full experience of the Vietnam War. In the first part, we get to see the brutal beatdown and the emotional breakdown that goes along with basic training. In the second, we see soldiers at ease, confident and full of piss and vinegar. The final part shows us the chaos and fear that go along with being under fire. I think the Mickey Mouse song is a fitting song for the end of the movie because it is a very upbeat and positive song, and I feel like that represents how the surviving soldiers feel to be alive. They consider themselves lucky to be able to march on, so a happy-go-lucky tune is fitting. Also, this song is ironic in the fact that the situation they are in is actually quite terrible. This song provides positive contrast to the negative atmosphere of the war.
Blog 6 SN
Full Metal Jacket is a film that is divided into three different parts. The first part of the Film involves the young characters as the enter the military camp for the first time. The film is through the eyes of Joker, who is an aspiring writer for the military. Another character is named Lenard. He is an overweight private who seems to fail at all the tasks he is called upon to undertake. Eventually, every time he screws up, the rest of the privates have to suffer for him and are punished. Because of this, they beat him with bars of soap while he sleeps, taking the life out of him. Learning about the nature of rifles, Lenard becomes one with his rifle. By the time graduations arrives, Lenard has gone mad. He then, the night before graduation, shoots not only himself, but the Lieutenant as well. First off, this shows how military camps can completely affect a person. Many people say that the war affects the soldiers, but the camp is just as harsh. He loses all sense of himself, and becomes a killing machine, which is stated by the Marines as the ideal soldier. They are all the same people, without independent thought or actions because the military made them that way. It also notes the senseless killing involved in Vietnam. Lenard has no respect for the Lieutenant because of the brutality forced on him. He only returns the favor when he has nothing left inside. Because there were such harsh conditions, two lives were lost, when it could have been avoided.
The Second sections is when Joker is now in part of the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for the war. They talk about how the war is not in approval by anyone in the U.S. or Vietnam, so they need to talk about killing and get blood photos into the articles. with the already low self esteem of the soldiers, Joker must provide stories that are able to make the soldiers keep fighting. They know that the country is not on there side, which is why they need the newspaper to help them. When they are bunked up, a conversation comes up about staring in the distance after a soldier has been in battle for too long. It symbolizes that a soldier has seen it all. This is a tribute to the truly affected soldiers that have their life turned upside down by the tragedies of war.
The third part of the movie is when Joker goes into the field. Here he sees many disgusting things, which includes a helicopter gunner shooting civilians, and other dead civilians in a hole covered. This is another example of the senseless killing of war. The gunners are just killing civilians because they want to. There is no regret coming from the killers. Also, throughout the movie, Joker seems to be the soldier who does not want to kill anyone. Although he has the "born to kill" on his helmet, he wears a peace pin also. He does not stress violence at all throughout the movie, and the only reason he wrote born to kill on his helmet was because of the Lieutenant from the first part of the movie. When he kills the sniper, he is no longer the guy who didn't kill anyone. It shows that it is either kill, or be killed in war and at that time he didn't have a choice. The sniper tried to kill him first, so he killed her after.
With all of the sections put together, it outlines the senseless killing of young men for a cause that is blurred throughout the U.S . Also, the film shows how young men can be transformed into killing machines created by the U.S. military. Also, the film does a good job of showing how the affects of war can change a person forever. Whether it is Lenard at the beginning who snaps or Joker who loses his peace ways to kill the sniper, people are changed throughout the film. The Mickey Mouse is sung as the soldiers are marching at the end of the film. Its relation to the film is how these young men are no longer young men in terms of war and fighting, but still very young on the grand scale of life. Many of them in their early twenties, this song is just barely gone from their lives. It shows how the kids go from the Mickey Mouse song, to war in a short time.
The Second sections is when Joker is now in part of the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for the war. They talk about how the war is not in approval by anyone in the U.S. or Vietnam, so they need to talk about killing and get blood photos into the articles. with the already low self esteem of the soldiers, Joker must provide stories that are able to make the soldiers keep fighting. They know that the country is not on there side, which is why they need the newspaper to help them. When they are bunked up, a conversation comes up about staring in the distance after a soldier has been in battle for too long. It symbolizes that a soldier has seen it all. This is a tribute to the truly affected soldiers that have their life turned upside down by the tragedies of war.
The third part of the movie is when Joker goes into the field. Here he sees many disgusting things, which includes a helicopter gunner shooting civilians, and other dead civilians in a hole covered. This is another example of the senseless killing of war. The gunners are just killing civilians because they want to. There is no regret coming from the killers. Also, throughout the movie, Joker seems to be the soldier who does not want to kill anyone. Although he has the "born to kill" on his helmet, he wears a peace pin also. He does not stress violence at all throughout the movie, and the only reason he wrote born to kill on his helmet was because of the Lieutenant from the first part of the movie. When he kills the sniper, he is no longer the guy who didn't kill anyone. It shows that it is either kill, or be killed in war and at that time he didn't have a choice. The sniper tried to kill him first, so he killed her after.
With all of the sections put together, it outlines the senseless killing of young men for a cause that is blurred throughout the U.S . Also, the film shows how young men can be transformed into killing machines created by the U.S. military. Also, the film does a good job of showing how the affects of war can change a person forever. Whether it is Lenard at the beginning who snaps or Joker who loses his peace ways to kill the sniper, people are changed throughout the film. The Mickey Mouse is sung as the soldiers are marching at the end of the film. Its relation to the film is how these young men are no longer young men in terms of war and fighting, but still very young on the grand scale of life. Many of them in their early twenties, this song is just barely gone from their lives. It shows how the kids go from the Mickey Mouse song, to war in a short time.
Malini_Samtani FMJ
Full Metal Jacket is a film about how war messes with peoples minds. The first part of the movie is a depiction of the training the marines undergo before being sent to the war in Vietnam. During training the marines are insulted, degraded and brainwashed that they are worthless. They are under so much pressure that they crack. It is drilled into their heads that they are born to kill and that their rifles are their only friend. In many scenes in the movie the sergeant who trains the marines brainwashes them to believe they are weapons and that they will give up their lives for the marines. Private Pyle, who is a slightly slow and overweight, has a hard time keeping up with the orders of the sergeant. Therefore, he is the constant target of Sergeant Hartman's insults. Sergeant Hartman eventually stops punishing Private Pyle for his acts and starts punishing all his fellow teammembers for his mistakes. This is a far worse punishment for Private Pyle because he turns the entire group of marines against Private Pyle and even Pyle's friend and 'mentor', a man going by Joker, succumbs under the pressure from the entire group and betrays Pyle. After this incident Private Pyle becomes so bitter and hard and begins to realize the power he has through his rifle. After successfully passing through the marine training, he shoots his sergeant with his rifle and then puts a bullet into his own mouth.
This scene ends the first part about creating 'killing machines' and the second part depicts Joker after graduating from the marines not as a fighter but as a reporter. Throughout the second part of the movie he continues to say that he wants to kill and that he has been trained to kill.
As a journalist, Joker wants to report the truth but the head of the team of reporters tells him to change his story to portray the Americans as the good and the Vietnamese soldiers as the 'evil'
The second part of the movie really shows the lives and the lifestyles of the soldiers when they are not fighting. Prostitutes seem to be a big part of their entertainment since they do not have contact with other females. This part of the film depicts the crudeness of the soldiers through their language, mentality and actions. For example, the way the soldiers negotiate with the prostitutes and the way the soldier drags the prostitute inside after she accepts.
The third part of the movie is a contrast in the way Joker feels about fighting in the war as he finally has a chance to go and fight on the field, he does not want to anymore. After actually being attacked by the Vietnamese by means of bombs and snipers he is horrified and even says ' I don't think I'm ready for this' but has no choice. In the last battle in the movie they are being attacked by Vietnamese with snipers and do not know from which side they are being attacked making it extremely difficult to retaliate or even protect themselves. In this battle, one of the Americans get hit on the field while the rest of the team is hiding behind a wall for protection. This scene really portrays a dilemma because their teammate is being shot over and over again but the soldier in command cannot let anyone go to rescue him because he says they will take every team member like that one by one. When one person finally goes to rescue him, the Vietnamese soldiers take him as down well. Finally the Americans find the Vietnamese soldier who killed three of their men including the leader and she turns out to be a woman. They shoot her down but she does not die and two of the American soldiers argue, one saying they should leave her their to rot and the other wanting to help her. The girl is shaking from the pain from the gunshot wound and asks the men to kill her. This is a traumatic moment for Joker but he finally shoots her out of mercy.
I think that in some ways the movie is trying to portray that even though the men have been brainwashed to kill there is some emotion left. Just as we see with Joker, throughout the movie he is desperate to kill but when that moment finally arrives he cannot take it. The mickey mouse song is significant to the ending of the movie. There are two lines in the lyrics that we can interpret, the first :"Boys and girls from far and near you're welcome as can be" refers to the recruitment and harsh training of the marines going to Vietnam. The second :" Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?", I think this line may indicate the marines or the makers of the film questioning the government for contributing to so much suffering.
This scene ends the first part about creating 'killing machines' and the second part depicts Joker after graduating from the marines not as a fighter but as a reporter. Throughout the second part of the movie he continues to say that he wants to kill and that he has been trained to kill.
As a journalist, Joker wants to report the truth but the head of the team of reporters tells him to change his story to portray the Americans as the good and the Vietnamese soldiers as the 'evil'
The second part of the movie really shows the lives and the lifestyles of the soldiers when they are not fighting. Prostitutes seem to be a big part of their entertainment since they do not have contact with other females. This part of the film depicts the crudeness of the soldiers through their language, mentality and actions. For example, the way the soldiers negotiate with the prostitutes and the way the soldier drags the prostitute inside after she accepts.
The third part of the movie is a contrast in the way Joker feels about fighting in the war as he finally has a chance to go and fight on the field, he does not want to anymore. After actually being attacked by the Vietnamese by means of bombs and snipers he is horrified and even says ' I don't think I'm ready for this' but has no choice. In the last battle in the movie they are being attacked by Vietnamese with snipers and do not know from which side they are being attacked making it extremely difficult to retaliate or even protect themselves. In this battle, one of the Americans get hit on the field while the rest of the team is hiding behind a wall for protection. This scene really portrays a dilemma because their teammate is being shot over and over again but the soldier in command cannot let anyone go to rescue him because he says they will take every team member like that one by one. When one person finally goes to rescue him, the Vietnamese soldiers take him as down well. Finally the Americans find the Vietnamese soldier who killed three of their men including the leader and she turns out to be a woman. They shoot her down but she does not die and two of the American soldiers argue, one saying they should leave her their to rot and the other wanting to help her. The girl is shaking from the pain from the gunshot wound and asks the men to kill her. This is a traumatic moment for Joker but he finally shoots her out of mercy.
I think that in some ways the movie is trying to portray that even though the men have been brainwashed to kill there is some emotion left. Just as we see with Joker, throughout the movie he is desperate to kill but when that moment finally arrives he cannot take it. The mickey mouse song is significant to the ending of the movie. There are two lines in the lyrics that we can interpret, the first :"Boys and girls from far and near you're welcome as can be" refers to the recruitment and harsh training of the marines going to Vietnam. The second :" Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?", I think this line may indicate the marines or the makers of the film questioning the government for contributing to so much suffering.
Blog 6 FY
Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam film Full Metal Jacket is split into three distinct parts all focusing on the experience of a soldier named Joker.Part one of the film takes place on Parris Island the marine training center. From the start of the film you can tell that the army wants every soldier to conform to the entire group. In the very first scene all the marines have their heads shaved taking away their individuality and instilling a sense of unity with fellow troops. They are told that even if they die on the battlefield they can never truly die because they are part of the marines and the unified spirit of marines can never be killed. Parris island is hell for all the new marines because of its tyrannical command. In particular we are introduced to Sergent Hartman who is cruel and incompassionate to all the new recruits. In particular Private Pyle has a hard time with his training. Pyle is shown as a character who is clearly slow mentally and physically fat. He cant do the exercises as well as the other marines and faces much abuse about this from Sgt. Hartman. At one point Pyre screws up and the Sergent made the rest of the recruits do exercises while Pyre gets to rest. As revenge the rest of the marines beat Pyre with soap in the night. I think that this shows the cruelty of war. The filmmakers used the kind and ignorant Pyre, a character that the viewer should sympathise with, and showed that these recruits felt no remorse for their actions. Even among your own comrades you can be picked on if you are different. After this incident you can clearly see a change in Pyre he no longer smiles in a goofy manner but instead carries a maniacal grin and becomes obsessed with his rifle. Joker, who looks after him, calls him a class 8 mental case. At the end of the first part Pyre takes his rifle and shoots Hartman without mercy and then himself. I think this whole part is meant to show how drastically war can change a person. Pyre came in as a gentle giant and died portrayed as a crazy gunman capable of killing.
The second part of the film took place in Vietnam itself this time with Joker as a journalist at a base with other journalists. In this section Joker has a hard time writing what his commanding officer wants. His leader wants him to write one of two kinds of stories: a story about a soldier who killed one of the Vietnamese, or a story about some soldier who gave up his own comfort for the sake of others. This second section demonstrated how the journalists at the time were ordered to boost support and moral for the war. Any article that went against that was not printed. At the time the US citizens were starting to lose interest in a meaningless war and the army was clearly trying to regain confidence in the war. The end of this section occurs during the Tet offensive and Joker is sent into Vietnam to write about a unit that was actually participating in the fighting.
In the third part of film Joker and Rafterman go into Phu Bai to cover a military unit with one of Jokers former friends from Parris island Cowboy. In this section the film introduces us to the character of Mother who is the Rambo type soldier in the unit. He seems to love fighting and killing the Vietnamese. This is clearly demonstrated because he carries around the largest gun of anyone which he fires constantly. Near the end of this part of the film the troop encounters a sniper who shoots down two of the companies men. Eventually they find and shoot the sniper. It is revealed that the one who was attacking them was actually a young woman. I think that this shows how transforming this war was. The fact that such a young woman would be so mercilessly killing the Americans demonstrates how the Vietcong used anyone to fight no matter what. This young girl who otherwise might be still in school is the face of the enemy. After they catch her she is shot and wounded and begs for someone to kill her to put her out of her misery. Joker shoots her in the head which is the first time we see him fire a gun at another person, let alone kill someone else. This part shows how merciless this war was. In this situation the best way to be merciful is to kill another. This part also signifies Jokers loss of innocence more than any other part in the film. While before he was protected from the brutality of war because of his expertise in journalism, now he finally kills another and gains the "thousand yard stare".
To me the Mickey Mouse song that they sang at the end of the movie demonstrated how inside they were really just kids. They were sent off to war to become killing machines at such a young age that they will probably never be able to recover and still act like very young men who were trained to kill. It also shows the ironic contrast that we saw with Pyre. The goofy child in all of us vs the instinctive and cruel killer. The film brings this issue up very often and we see it again with Jokers uniform that on one hand has a peace sign and on the other has "born to kill" written on the helmet.
The second part of the film took place in Vietnam itself this time with Joker as a journalist at a base with other journalists. In this section Joker has a hard time writing what his commanding officer wants. His leader wants him to write one of two kinds of stories: a story about a soldier who killed one of the Vietnamese, or a story about some soldier who gave up his own comfort for the sake of others. This second section demonstrated how the journalists at the time were ordered to boost support and moral for the war. Any article that went against that was not printed. At the time the US citizens were starting to lose interest in a meaningless war and the army was clearly trying to regain confidence in the war. The end of this section occurs during the Tet offensive and Joker is sent into Vietnam to write about a unit that was actually participating in the fighting.
In the third part of film Joker and Rafterman go into Phu Bai to cover a military unit with one of Jokers former friends from Parris island Cowboy. In this section the film introduces us to the character of Mother who is the Rambo type soldier in the unit. He seems to love fighting and killing the Vietnamese. This is clearly demonstrated because he carries around the largest gun of anyone which he fires constantly. Near the end of this part of the film the troop encounters a sniper who shoots down two of the companies men. Eventually they find and shoot the sniper. It is revealed that the one who was attacking them was actually a young woman. I think that this shows how transforming this war was. The fact that such a young woman would be so mercilessly killing the Americans demonstrates how the Vietcong used anyone to fight no matter what. This young girl who otherwise might be still in school is the face of the enemy. After they catch her she is shot and wounded and begs for someone to kill her to put her out of her misery. Joker shoots her in the head which is the first time we see him fire a gun at another person, let alone kill someone else. This part shows how merciless this war was. In this situation the best way to be merciful is to kill another. This part also signifies Jokers loss of innocence more than any other part in the film. While before he was protected from the brutality of war because of his expertise in journalism, now he finally kills another and gains the "thousand yard stare".
To me the Mickey Mouse song that they sang at the end of the movie demonstrated how inside they were really just kids. They were sent off to war to become killing machines at such a young age that they will probably never be able to recover and still act like very young men who were trained to kill. It also shows the ironic contrast that we saw with Pyre. The goofy child in all of us vs the instinctive and cruel killer. The film brings this issue up very often and we see it again with Jokers uniform that on one hand has a peace sign and on the other has "born to kill" written on the helmet.
Full Metal Jacket SAL
The first part of Full Metal Jacket is when all the new “grunts” are at Paris Island for marine training. The first scene of the movie is very telling; all the young men getting their heads shaved showing how every marine is the same in the eyes of the government. The first part of this movie shows how these young men are turned into machines. It is eight weeks of stripping down these men mentally, physically, and emotionally. The privates are called every name in the book comparing them to the lowest forms of life. The name calling and the continuous being put down are not the only obstacles that the privates must face; the physical obstacles seem easy compared to these mental games that are played. It is pure brutality as shown when Private Lenard Pyle is choked by his commanding officer for not wiping a smile off of his face. All of this brutality divides the men, really only pushes Lenard over the edge. The men are all tired of having to do extra work, so they punish Lenard just as they had been punished by the commanding officer. Lenard cannot handle the pressure and he eventually loses it killing himself and his officer. These men have been turned into killing machines. “Marine Corp does not want robots. Marine Corp wants killers. Marine Corp wants to build indestructible men, men without fear;” and that is what these marines have become, killers.
The second part of the film is when one of the Marines, Joker, is in Vietnam working as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes paper. This transition from training to being in Vietnam seems very similar to how the young men went from being young men in the United States to being young men preparing for a world of the unknown and then being in the world of unknown and trying to put a face to it as a writer. Joker is given an assignment that thrusts him into the war and eventually moves him into being a killing machine as he was trained to be in training. In this part of the movie though, Joker does not understand the war because he has not had to deal with being “in country.” Joker is forced into the war when he goes on assignment and joins his friend’s platoon. While joining the platoon, he and his friend Rafterman are in a helicopter with a sniper who is killing any human that moves out in the fields. Joker asks how he could shoot women, and the sniper just laughs. Joker does not understand, but then later when the platoon is taking on shots, Joker delivers the last shot to a sniper who was shooting at them. This sniper was a woman; this propels Joker into the killing machine that he was trained to be when he was in training. This is the third part of the movie; Joker’s final transition to a killer and not just a journalist bystander who is watching the war from afar, he is not completely submerged.
In the last scene of the film, the soldiers are signing the “Mickey Mouse” song, representing the young and innocence that these young men have lost. It is often forgotten that these young men are just out of high school and that not that long ago they were watching the Mickey Mouse Show and hearing this song. Mickey Mouse is an American icon, and is really makes the viewer think about the youth that was lost in this war. This scene at the end of the film showing the youth lost, reminds the viewer of the first scene of the young men losing these hair, which is seen as a loss of self identity.
The second part of the film is when one of the Marines, Joker, is in Vietnam working as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes paper. This transition from training to being in Vietnam seems very similar to how the young men went from being young men in the United States to being young men preparing for a world of the unknown and then being in the world of unknown and trying to put a face to it as a writer. Joker is given an assignment that thrusts him into the war and eventually moves him into being a killing machine as he was trained to be in training. In this part of the movie though, Joker does not understand the war because he has not had to deal with being “in country.” Joker is forced into the war when he goes on assignment and joins his friend’s platoon. While joining the platoon, he and his friend Rafterman are in a helicopter with a sniper who is killing any human that moves out in the fields. Joker asks how he could shoot women, and the sniper just laughs. Joker does not understand, but then later when the platoon is taking on shots, Joker delivers the last shot to a sniper who was shooting at them. This sniper was a woman; this propels Joker into the killing machine that he was trained to be when he was in training. This is the third part of the movie; Joker’s final transition to a killer and not just a journalist bystander who is watching the war from afar, he is not completely submerged.
In the last scene of the film, the soldiers are signing the “Mickey Mouse” song, representing the young and innocence that these young men have lost. It is often forgotten that these young men are just out of high school and that not that long ago they were watching the Mickey Mouse Show and hearing this song. Mickey Mouse is an American icon, and is really makes the viewer think about the youth that was lost in this war. This scene at the end of the film showing the youth lost, reminds the viewer of the first scene of the young men losing these hair, which is seen as a loss of self identity.
Blog 6 FMJ AM
The movie Full Metal Jacket was a very detailed account of what basic training and combat was like for soldiers in the Vietnam. The first section of the film followed two soldiers through basic training on Parris Island in South Carolina. The training of the soldiers was absolutly brutal. The training appeared to try and break the soldiers down and build them back up as killing machines. Also, it seemed to try and make the soldiers depend on eachother. This was shown early on when Private Joker was made a squad leader that was put in charge of helping to train a slower soldier named Private Pyle. When Private Pyle succeeded they all succeeded and when he failed the entire unit was punished. Even though this method seemed to bring the soldiers together it was at Private Pyle's expense. Eventually Private Pyle snapped under the pressure and killed Drill Sergeant Heartland. This showed that it was possible for soldiers to start suffering post traumatic stress disorder even before they left the United States and set foot in Vietnam. I think that the brutal training was necessay though because if they didnt deal with such hardships and adversity before they went to war then they wouldnt be able to be functional, productive soldiers, they would be liabilities to themselves and eachother.
The second section of the movie followed Private Joker as he worked as a combat reporter for the magazine Stars and Stripes. In this film Private Joker is seperated from actual combat. This section of the film demonstrates how sensationalized the war was. There is a scene where the commanding officer tells the reporters how to rephrase reports and fudge figures of enemies killed to make the war seem more appealing to the American public and other soldiers. This section of the movie also seemed like a break from the intense training and actual combat. Private Joker clearly got a simple job where he didn' have to deal with the horrors of war. He is able to easily act like a big shot and talk about killing like it is nothing because he has not experienced combat. It also seems like he has forgotten many of his lessons he learned in basic training and that the war is a big vacation for him.
The third and final part of the movie shows Private Joker joining up with his old friend from basic trainig Private Cowboy in combat during the Tet Offensive. In this section Private Joker finally experiences the horrors of combat. The strain is shown when he witnesses a soldier snapping and firing on civilians in a rice paddy for no reason. Also, this section shows how constantly on edge all the soldiers are. Almost every time there is a gunshot all the soldiers that here it fire at least a clip of ammo in the direction of the sound regardless of if they can see a target or not. Even when they are told to cease fire they continue to shoot until they think they have killed their target. Also, in this section of the movie Private Joker is confronted with the decision to actually kill an enemy sniper that killed two members of his squad. Despite talking about death and killing earlier it takes him a long while to make his decision to finally pull the trigger and after he does it it is evident that it was not an easy decision that it will affect him for a long while. It is no wonder that so many soldiers came homoe with post traumatic stress disorder.
The song that is being sung at the end of the movie was the theme song from the Mickey Mouse Club. This is significant because in the beginning of the movie Sergeant Heartland told them that when they graduated from basic training they would become part of an elite club. This song is a light hearted song of an American Club back home. It takes the edge off of the seriousness of the situation. It helps the soldiers cope with the insanity of their situation by bringing back positive comforting memories of their childhood.
The second section of the movie followed Private Joker as he worked as a combat reporter for the magazine Stars and Stripes. In this film Private Joker is seperated from actual combat. This section of the film demonstrates how sensationalized the war was. There is a scene where the commanding officer tells the reporters how to rephrase reports and fudge figures of enemies killed to make the war seem more appealing to the American public and other soldiers. This section of the movie also seemed like a break from the intense training and actual combat. Private Joker clearly got a simple job where he didn' have to deal with the horrors of war. He is able to easily act like a big shot and talk about killing like it is nothing because he has not experienced combat. It also seems like he has forgotten many of his lessons he learned in basic training and that the war is a big vacation for him.
The third and final part of the movie shows Private Joker joining up with his old friend from basic trainig Private Cowboy in combat during the Tet Offensive. In this section Private Joker finally experiences the horrors of combat. The strain is shown when he witnesses a soldier snapping and firing on civilians in a rice paddy for no reason. Also, this section shows how constantly on edge all the soldiers are. Almost every time there is a gunshot all the soldiers that here it fire at least a clip of ammo in the direction of the sound regardless of if they can see a target or not. Even when they are told to cease fire they continue to shoot until they think they have killed their target. Also, in this section of the movie Private Joker is confronted with the decision to actually kill an enemy sniper that killed two members of his squad. Despite talking about death and killing earlier it takes him a long while to make his decision to finally pull the trigger and after he does it it is evident that it was not an easy decision that it will affect him for a long while. It is no wonder that so many soldiers came homoe with post traumatic stress disorder.
The song that is being sung at the end of the movie was the theme song from the Mickey Mouse Club. This is significant because in the beginning of the movie Sergeant Heartland told them that when they graduated from basic training they would become part of an elite club. This song is a light hearted song of an American Club back home. It takes the edge off of the seriousness of the situation. It helps the soldiers cope with the insanity of their situation by bringing back positive comforting memories of their childhood.
Blog 6: JWE
Stanley Kubrick's film Full Metal Jacket is broken up into three clear parts which are different but come together to tell a story. The first part follows marine recruits through boot camp on Parris Island. We see how physically and mentally draining this can be especially with a Gunnery Sergeant like Hartman. He is brutally tough on his men, basically making them feel worthless. He has to do this to prepare them for war but while some young men can step up to the plate, others like Private Pyle can't quite cut it. Even from the beginning of the movie it is clear that the ways of the marines, the killer attitude, isn't in Pyle. By the end of the first part Pyle was so mentally unstable from the brutal tactics of Hartman he goes completely mad and shoots him and then himself. The first part shows how even in basic training, without anyone trying to kill you, the young men begin to lose their innocence. They are trained to be killers and thats all.
In part two, we see Private Joker working for a military newspaper called "Stars and Stripes". He spends his days writing stories that "the why are we here civilian newsman ignore" and anything that will encourage the grunts to keep fighting. His superior at the newspaper tells him that they must continue to write these encourage stories because it is not a very popular war. This part of the film shows how the government tried to only show what it wanted to show and how it tried to control what the American people knew about the fighting.
Part three of the film takes place in country with Joker and Rafterman fighting in the bush. Joker is experiencing death everywhere including his first run in with NVA's where Lt. Touchdown is killed. We also see the companionship and brotherhood that the military is when the sniper picks off two platoon members.
In part two, we see Private Joker working for a military newspaper called "Stars and Stripes". He spends his days writing stories that "the why are we here civilian newsman ignore" and anything that will encourage the grunts to keep fighting. His superior at the newspaper tells him that they must continue to write these encourage stories because it is not a very popular war. This part of the film shows how the government tried to only show what it wanted to show and how it tried to control what the American people knew about the fighting.
Part three of the film takes place in country with Joker and Rafterman fighting in the bush. Joker is experiencing death everywhere including his first run in with NVA's where Lt. Touchdown is killed. We also see the companionship and brotherhood that the military is when the sniper picks off two platoon members.
Blog 6 CJ
In Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket the journey of young men during the Vietnam War is shown through three different parts. These parts include basic training at Parris Island, time in Vietnam following Joker as a journalist, and time in the bush with a platoon. Parris Island shows the hardening of young recruits into Marines. Their drill sergeant beats them down and degrades them, forcing one soldier to lose control and become insane. Gomer Pile was an obese young man that was holding the class back at Paris Island. He was both emotionally and physically abused by his platoon members. He forced himself to become an excellent marksman and even began talking to his rifle, showing the insanity that could potentially overtake someone while in boot camp. One evening, Pile murders the drill sergeant and then commits suicide, which is significant to the mindset that could be seen in Vietnam. The negative atmosphere did not only start when they were in Vietnam, but also while they were in boot camp. When desperation leads to insanity, it was not uncommon for offers to be killed in order for a soldier to benefit himself or his platoon.
The second part of the film follows Joker as he is stationed in Vietnam working for the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that reported on the war. Joker is told to write what the people want to hear about at home, including killings of the enemy and images of victory. In reality, Joker was not personally viewing any of the ideas that his editor wanted him to write about in the paper. He was told to only write two types of stories, which were the ones that won over the hearts and minds of the people and the ones that had combat action with American victory. Joker was told to not use the terms “search” and “destroy,” but instead to use “sweep” and “clear” in order to promote positive information about the war. The media was not supposed to discuss the negative implications or anything that would lead people to believe that the Americans should not be in Vietnam.
The third part of the film takes place while Joker is in the bush with a platoon. During this time they become under sniper fire. The leader of the troop chooses to leave a man behind who has been hit by the sniper in open land. The rest of the platoon disagrees with his decision and tries to save him. In the process, the leader of the platoon and another soldier die, displaying the insubordination that plagued the platoons during the war. The lack of control is the opposite of what was seen in the beginning of the film on Paris Island, which shows that the structure often broke down while in country. Joker learned firsthand the difference between what they wrote in the paper sitting in the rear compared to what really happens in the bush.
The Mickey Mouse song at the end of the movie serves to show the anarchy and lack of structure during the war. The playful song denotes the serious matter of the war, showing the United State’s ignorance to jungle warfare and guerilla fighting. The song plays as the soldiers are marching, as though they are their own club, as heard in the lyrics, taking over Vietnam rather than a military unit fighting against communism. The song also asks others to join in their fight, just as the Stars and Stripes rallies for people to support the war. In the song, it states that they play fair and work in harmony, which is ironic because harmony was nonexistent amongst the soldiers in war.
The second part of the film follows Joker as he is stationed in Vietnam working for the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper that reported on the war. Joker is told to write what the people want to hear about at home, including killings of the enemy and images of victory. In reality, Joker was not personally viewing any of the ideas that his editor wanted him to write about in the paper. He was told to only write two types of stories, which were the ones that won over the hearts and minds of the people and the ones that had combat action with American victory. Joker was told to not use the terms “search” and “destroy,” but instead to use “sweep” and “clear” in order to promote positive information about the war. The media was not supposed to discuss the negative implications or anything that would lead people to believe that the Americans should not be in Vietnam.
The third part of the film takes place while Joker is in the bush with a platoon. During this time they become under sniper fire. The leader of the troop chooses to leave a man behind who has been hit by the sniper in open land. The rest of the platoon disagrees with his decision and tries to save him. In the process, the leader of the platoon and another soldier die, displaying the insubordination that plagued the platoons during the war. The lack of control is the opposite of what was seen in the beginning of the film on Paris Island, which shows that the structure often broke down while in country. Joker learned firsthand the difference between what they wrote in the paper sitting in the rear compared to what really happens in the bush.
The Mickey Mouse song at the end of the movie serves to show the anarchy and lack of structure during the war. The playful song denotes the serious matter of the war, showing the United State’s ignorance to jungle warfare and guerilla fighting. The song plays as the soldiers are marching, as though they are their own club, as heard in the lyrics, taking over Vietnam rather than a military unit fighting against communism. The song also asks others to join in their fight, just as the Stars and Stripes rallies for people to support the war. In the song, it states that they play fair and work in harmony, which is ironic because harmony was nonexistent amongst the soldiers in war.
Blog 6 NR
If Full Metal Jacket is to be divided into three parts, the first is surely Paris Island. Here we get a view of what boot camp might be like. Gunnery Sgt. Hartman was rough on his platoon, especially on Pvt. Pyle, but he does so in order to prepare them for a wartime situation as best he can. While Pvt. Joker ends up being the central character of the film, the Paris Island stretch focuses more on Pvt. Pyle. The mentally slow and physically inept trainee has a particularly hard stay, eventually killing his drill instructor and himself the night of his graduation. This was foreshadowed the day Hartman discussed Whitman and Oswald with his platoon and we got a good look at Pyle’s face. One could say that the “eight week college for the phony tough and the crazy brave” may make or break American youths, but produces killing machines nonetheless.
Joker’s stay in DaNang up until his rendezvous with Hotel 2-5 is the second major part of the film. We get our first taste of this portion of the film’s message here during the haggling scene with the prostitute. After they agree on a price, a Vietnamese man comes out of nowhere and snatches Rafter Man’s camera. If the civilians of the country saw the US troops in a positive light, they wouldn’t be stealing from them. Additionally, we sit in on Joker’s meeting with the other military journalists as they get their articles reviewed. In the meeting we get a glimpse at a couple key points trying to be made by the film makers; hints at a possible Vietnamese attack were taken too lightly, newspaper articles were getting irresponsibly glazed over to appease naysayers, and there was an overall sense of ignorance by the brass. This third point is further emphasized later when an officer brings attention to Joker’s pin, telling him how every person in Vietnam has an American inside it that’s waiting to get out.
The third and final part of the film begins once Joker and Hotel Company are fired upon. One lasting image in this segment is when they finally shoot down the sniper, only to realize that it is a young girl. Rafter Man is the one that gets her down, boasting about it afterwards as if he has something to be proud of. However, it’s Joker that puts her out of her misery after much deliberation, finally getting his kill. The scene as a whole is a symbol of that the war has done to the country of Vietnam. With the film taking place around the year 1968 and the girl looking as young as she does, one realizes that there is a whole generation of Vietnamese that were born into a world of war, and particular distaste for Americans.
The film as a whole is a statement of how ugly and crazy the war was as well as a criticism of the military’s mind set at the time. Pyle’s suicide, the meeting in DaNang, shooting down a 14 year old sniper, and the attitude of particular US troops and officers are all building blocks of a war film that stands without an established hero, fanfare music, or a feel good ending. The Mickey Mouse song at the end can be interpreted on two levels. It serves as a symbol of the US’s foreign policy and its desire to spread democracy. It also serves as another glimpse into the mindset of the troops. What are they doing singing something as juvenile as the Mickey Mouse song? This along with their runs on Paris Island could be the film makers trying further express their feelings that something was off with this war.
Joker’s stay in DaNang up until his rendezvous with Hotel 2-5 is the second major part of the film. We get our first taste of this portion of the film’s message here during the haggling scene with the prostitute. After they agree on a price, a Vietnamese man comes out of nowhere and snatches Rafter Man’s camera. If the civilians of the country saw the US troops in a positive light, they wouldn’t be stealing from them. Additionally, we sit in on Joker’s meeting with the other military journalists as they get their articles reviewed. In the meeting we get a glimpse at a couple key points trying to be made by the film makers; hints at a possible Vietnamese attack were taken too lightly, newspaper articles were getting irresponsibly glazed over to appease naysayers, and there was an overall sense of ignorance by the brass. This third point is further emphasized later when an officer brings attention to Joker’s pin, telling him how every person in Vietnam has an American inside it that’s waiting to get out.
The third and final part of the film begins once Joker and Hotel Company are fired upon. One lasting image in this segment is when they finally shoot down the sniper, only to realize that it is a young girl. Rafter Man is the one that gets her down, boasting about it afterwards as if he has something to be proud of. However, it’s Joker that puts her out of her misery after much deliberation, finally getting his kill. The scene as a whole is a symbol of that the war has done to the country of Vietnam. With the film taking place around the year 1968 and the girl looking as young as she does, one realizes that there is a whole generation of Vietnamese that were born into a world of war, and particular distaste for Americans.
The film as a whole is a statement of how ugly and crazy the war was as well as a criticism of the military’s mind set at the time. Pyle’s suicide, the meeting in DaNang, shooting down a 14 year old sniper, and the attitude of particular US troops and officers are all building blocks of a war film that stands without an established hero, fanfare music, or a feel good ending. The Mickey Mouse song at the end can be interpreted on two levels. It serves as a symbol of the US’s foreign policy and its desire to spread democracy. It also serves as another glimpse into the mindset of the troops. What are they doing singing something as juvenile as the Mickey Mouse song? This along with their runs on Paris Island could be the film makers trying further express their feelings that something was off with this war.
Blog 6 TJM
Stanley Kubrick brings us a realistic soldiers journey through the triumphs and tribulations of the Vietnam War in Full Metal Jacket. The movie begins with the training of marines at the training facility in on Parris Island. The men are entering basic training before their deployment to Vietnam. Joker, Cowboy, and Pyle are the first three soldiers that we meet in the film. They encounter their first taste of the horrors of war from their drill instructor, Sgt. Hartman. He quickly tears them down both physically and mentally. He especially picks on Pyle who is not only out of physical shape but is stupid to boot. Joker decides to take Pyle under his wing and teach him the basics so he can escape the ridicule and humiliation he receives from Sgt. Hartman. Though Joker teaches him what he needs to know, Pyle keeps screwing up until one night during lights out the rest of the men beat him with socks filled with soap. Suddenly Pyle snaps out of his trance. After that night he seems to be the perfect soldier, until that fateful night in the bathroom. Pyle is found with a loaded rifle in the bathroom and seems to lose his mind, shoots the Sgt. and himself. This scene exemplifies the strain that was put on our soldiers at the time. Many of these men were young, most just out of high school, and often many of the trainees could not handle the training mentally.
The second chapter in the movie brings us into the war. Joker has been placed in the journalism division of the military and is working for Stars and Stripes magazine. Joker and his cameraman, Rafterman, are living the easy life in Da Nang. Joker wants to go on an assignment to the front lines and report on the action there. At first he is denied by his superior officer but soon gets his wish when the Tet offensive begins. He and Rafterman are given an assignment to go to Hue and cover the Marines as they attempt to fight off the NVA forces that have captured the city. When Joker arrives in Hue he runs into his old buddy Cowboy and his platoon. Many of the men in Cowboy's outfit are just as young as he and Joker and they act as such. One of the Marines wants to pose next to his "friend", a dead NVA soldier. He sits next to him and explains to Rafterman and Joker that it is the dead mans party. This scene shows us that many of these men were very immature. These men were so young yet so desensitized to all of the violence and death that surrounded them. It was evident that they had become the killing machines that the marine corp training was meant for.
The men move out from their current position to infiltrate and destroy the enemy NVA forces that are within the city. Joker and Rafterman have to put down their pens and cameras and pick up their guns for the first time in combat to protect themselves and their fellow soldiers. We can see on Jokers face that he is torn between shooting the enemy and keeping himself alive. Throughout the movie we see his feelings about the war come through. He goes into the journalism department because he doesn't believe in the violence, yet in the end he is forced to act violently himself. When they come upon a block of destroyed buildings they start to take sniper fire. A few of the men are killed including Cowboy. When Cowboy is killed we immediately see a new fire in Jokers eyes. He volunteers himself to hunt down the sniper with another soldier. They enter the building and Joker comes face to face with the female sniper, but his gun jams. Rafterman wounds the sniper and leaves her on the ground to die. All of the men huddle around the sniper and just stare at her, watching her slowly die. Joker wants them to kill the sniper humanely but the other men want to leave her for dead. They leave it to him but he cant bring himself to do it.
As the men leave we hear them start to chant the theme to the Mickey Mouse Club. This is just another example of the youth trapped in these "hard" men. They have become trained killers, hardened to the violence and death, but through this all they can tap into their inner child and release some joy.
The second chapter in the movie brings us into the war. Joker has been placed in the journalism division of the military and is working for Stars and Stripes magazine. Joker and his cameraman, Rafterman, are living the easy life in Da Nang. Joker wants to go on an assignment to the front lines and report on the action there. At first he is denied by his superior officer but soon gets his wish when the Tet offensive begins. He and Rafterman are given an assignment to go to Hue and cover the Marines as they attempt to fight off the NVA forces that have captured the city. When Joker arrives in Hue he runs into his old buddy Cowboy and his platoon. Many of the men in Cowboy's outfit are just as young as he and Joker and they act as such. One of the Marines wants to pose next to his "friend", a dead NVA soldier. He sits next to him and explains to Rafterman and Joker that it is the dead mans party. This scene shows us that many of these men were very immature. These men were so young yet so desensitized to all of the violence and death that surrounded them. It was evident that they had become the killing machines that the marine corp training was meant for.
The men move out from their current position to infiltrate and destroy the enemy NVA forces that are within the city. Joker and Rafterman have to put down their pens and cameras and pick up their guns for the first time in combat to protect themselves and their fellow soldiers. We can see on Jokers face that he is torn between shooting the enemy and keeping himself alive. Throughout the movie we see his feelings about the war come through. He goes into the journalism department because he doesn't believe in the violence, yet in the end he is forced to act violently himself. When they come upon a block of destroyed buildings they start to take sniper fire. A few of the men are killed including Cowboy. When Cowboy is killed we immediately see a new fire in Jokers eyes. He volunteers himself to hunt down the sniper with another soldier. They enter the building and Joker comes face to face with the female sniper, but his gun jams. Rafterman wounds the sniper and leaves her on the ground to die. All of the men huddle around the sniper and just stare at her, watching her slowly die. Joker wants them to kill the sniper humanely but the other men want to leave her for dead. They leave it to him but he cant bring himself to do it.
As the men leave we hear them start to chant the theme to the Mickey Mouse Club. This is just another example of the youth trapped in these "hard" men. They have become trained killers, hardened to the violence and death, but through this all they can tap into their inner child and release some joy.
Blog Six LDT
The first part of Full Metal Jacket is during the training for marines who are going to go to war. The first scene is the men getting their heads shaved; this shows what the first scene shows, the changes made to the men. The marines are taught to be machines, doing whatever their commander says and do whatever is asked of them, including dying. This request is not possible for all men, as it can be seen when Lenard Pyle snaps. The men are pushed emotionally, which is in turn supposed to give the men a common bond. However, this strategy did not include Lenard. Lenard kept messing up, in Sergeant Hartman’s eyes, which meant he was punished. Joker was put in charge of Lenard to teach him the ways except Lenard kept messing up which lead to the whole group getting punished. The group was not pleased with having to do extra because Lenard kept messing up and beat him with bars of soap one night. The next day Lenard was different, the marines controlled him. Sergeant Hartman says “marines die, that’s what we are here for.” The marines are asking for literally everything from their soldiers, which says a lot about the Vietnam War. The war became the lives of these men, not only during the war, but also long after the war. Hartman also says that: “Marines are not allowed to die without permission.” When Pyles commits suicide, it is very graphic for Joker, and questions the difference between death of a leader that someone doesn’t agree with versus the death of a leader of someone who is Vietnamese.
In part two of the movie Joker is working in Vietnam for a newspaper called the “Stars and Stripes”. The “Stars and Stripes” is supposed to be telling war stories that give reason to why men are dying. Joker is told that they only tell war stories that promote the war; ones that make people feel patriotic. When Joker is introduced as writing for the “Stars and Stripes”, he is also introduced as “the man who will get you famous.” This idea of the press not even being able to tell what is really going on in Vietnam was a huge issue during the War. The government had a large control over what was going to be said and what the people back home would hear. In one scene Joker is sitting and a prostitute walks over to him telling him how she will “love him long time”, then Rafterman takes Joker and the prostitutes picture, another man comes and takes the camera. Rafterman, whose camera was stolen, poses the idea to Joker that they are “supposed to be helping (the Vietnamese) and they shit all over us…” This paradox makes the men wonder if they are wanted and if the people do want their help.
In part three of the movie, Joker and Rafterman are sent in country to see what war is like. Joker is told: “ they are in a huge shit sandwich and everyone has to take a bite of it.” The men are constantly in a horrible state and that even when they leave they will still have the taste in their mouth. Joker does not understand what the war is truly doing to the men until he goes out on the front line with his brother from Parris Island, Cowboy. When they are out on patrol, a sniper shoots Cowboy; a doctor tries to save Cowboy but is shot as well. Joker learns fast how cruel the war can be. The group then hunts down the sniper, who turns out to be a woman. The woman is then shot repeatedly. This idea is reminds the viewer of when Joker and Raftman are in the helicopter and ask the man shooting the gun if he had another ever killed a woman, and asked how he could do that. Joker delivers the final shot to the woman, in doing so, killing his innocence and finally becoming a machine of the marines who is born to kill.
In the last scene of the movie, the men are marching along singing what is known as the Mickey Mouse march. The Mickey Mouse march shows how American the soldiers are as well as how young they are. The war takes away the youth of the men, and quickly turns them to killing machines. Full Metal Jacket embodies the cruelty of the Vietnam War. The struggles and changed made to all of the men in Vietnam was not a game that ended; the men were thoroughly changed because of the viciousness of the war.
In part two of the movie Joker is working in Vietnam for a newspaper called the “Stars and Stripes”. The “Stars and Stripes” is supposed to be telling war stories that give reason to why men are dying. Joker is told that they only tell war stories that promote the war; ones that make people feel patriotic. When Joker is introduced as writing for the “Stars and Stripes”, he is also introduced as “the man who will get you famous.” This idea of the press not even being able to tell what is really going on in Vietnam was a huge issue during the War. The government had a large control over what was going to be said and what the people back home would hear. In one scene Joker is sitting and a prostitute walks over to him telling him how she will “love him long time”, then Rafterman takes Joker and the prostitutes picture, another man comes and takes the camera. Rafterman, whose camera was stolen, poses the idea to Joker that they are “supposed to be helping (the Vietnamese) and they shit all over us…” This paradox makes the men wonder if they are wanted and if the people do want their help.
In part three of the movie, Joker and Rafterman are sent in country to see what war is like. Joker is told: “ they are in a huge shit sandwich and everyone has to take a bite of it.” The men are constantly in a horrible state and that even when they leave they will still have the taste in their mouth. Joker does not understand what the war is truly doing to the men until he goes out on the front line with his brother from Parris Island, Cowboy. When they are out on patrol, a sniper shoots Cowboy; a doctor tries to save Cowboy but is shot as well. Joker learns fast how cruel the war can be. The group then hunts down the sniper, who turns out to be a woman. The woman is then shot repeatedly. This idea is reminds the viewer of when Joker and Raftman are in the helicopter and ask the man shooting the gun if he had another ever killed a woman, and asked how he could do that. Joker delivers the final shot to the woman, in doing so, killing his innocence and finally becoming a machine of the marines who is born to kill.
In the last scene of the movie, the men are marching along singing what is known as the Mickey Mouse march. The Mickey Mouse march shows how American the soldiers are as well as how young they are. The war takes away the youth of the men, and quickly turns them to killing machines. Full Metal Jacket embodies the cruelty of the Vietnam War. The struggles and changed made to all of the men in Vietnam was not a game that ended; the men were thoroughly changed because of the viciousness of the war.
PAB BLOG 6. (Seven-six-two millimeter) FULL METAL JACKET
Stanley Kubruck’s Full Metal Jacket loosely follows the military life of a US Marine nicknamed “Joker”. In typical Kubrick fashion, this film was excellent. Full Metal Jacket delivered powerful and beautiful images that represented the human psyche in a time of war.
The first “part” of this film took place at Paris Island where the new wave of hopeful marines becomes trained. The first shots of the film simply watched as a dozen or so young men had their heads shaved in preparation for training. Even in the first shot of this movie, a powerful theme and good amount of foreshadowing are displayed: these young men have already lost a part of themselves, but soon they will lose even more. From that point on, we mostly see the soldiers in nothing but boxers and a tee-shirt while the drill sergeant berates them.
The most important aspect of this part of the film is the drastic change in Private Pyle. Private Pyle was first seen on camera laughing at the drill sergeant’s vulgar tirades. Immediately, the drill sergeant makes Pyle choke himself (possibly a metaphor for what every Vietnam War draftee endured). Private Pyle constantly makes mistakes and soon Private Joker is in charge of cleaning up his act. Eventually, whenever Pyle made a mistake, the entire platoon would be punished. Naturally, all the marines beat Private Pyle with bars of soap in the middle of the night. This event causes Private Pyle to ‘snap’, and become introverted and psychotic. Pyle talks to his gun, starts excelling at all of the things he once could not do, and begins sporting a complexion of pure evil. Before they graduate, Private Pyle has a stand-off with the drill sergeant and Private Joker. Pyle kills the drill sergeant and himself. A scene like this one illustrates what can happen to the human mind when faced with war. Private Pyle had not even made it to the front lines before he was pushed too far and killed himself.
The story follows Private Joker to his position at a military base in Vietnam where he is a journalist. In the film, the man who Joker works for is telling his group of writers ‘what to write’. For instance, he mentions to them that instead of saying “search and destroy”, they should write “sweep and clear”. It was important to have one of two types of stories: one that will capture the readers’ hearts, or one that shows how we are winning. After Joker mentions a possible attack on US bases during the Tet Holiday, the bases gets attacked. They are attacked while the soldiers tell Joker that he hasn’t truly been “in the shit” long enough because he doesn’t have the thousand yard stare. The soldiers treat this thousand yard stare as a rite of passage. After this attack, Joker and “Rafterman” are sent into the front lines.
On the helicopter ride to the front lines, Joker and Rafterman watch as the gunner has a fun time shooting down Vietnamese people. He has had no instruction to shoot, but he finds a particular enjoyment in this senseless killing. This guy is the first person these two soldiers see, and he is a pointlessly killing maniac. When the soldiers meet their squad, Joker and “Animal Mother” get into a verbal stand-off. While Animal Mother asks questions in anger, Joker continues with his typical string of “John Wayne” quotes. Throughout the movie, Joker speaks like the lone hero “John Wayne”, which gives the impression that he is, or at least aspires to be, a lone hero in the Vietnam War.
The Squad spends the ending scenes of the film fighting against a mysterious sniper who kills three of their soldiers. The sniper turns out to be a Vietnamese girl no more than 15 years old. The soldiers injure her, and Joker ends her misery by shooting her in the head. This is an extremely moving scene that compares the soldiers of the United States with those of Vietnam. They are all merely children. This notion of soldiers in childhood is given an example when the soldiers sing “The Mickey Mouse March”. The Mickey Mouse March was the song sung at the end of the “Mickey Mouse Club Show”: a Disney program with a very young audience. When the show closed, the children actors on the show would sing this song. When the soldiers sing this song, it reminds the viewer that these soldiers are only kids marching to the end of the war.
The first “part” of this film took place at Paris Island where the new wave of hopeful marines becomes trained. The first shots of the film simply watched as a dozen or so young men had their heads shaved in preparation for training. Even in the first shot of this movie, a powerful theme and good amount of foreshadowing are displayed: these young men have already lost a part of themselves, but soon they will lose even more. From that point on, we mostly see the soldiers in nothing but boxers and a tee-shirt while the drill sergeant berates them.
The most important aspect of this part of the film is the drastic change in Private Pyle. Private Pyle was first seen on camera laughing at the drill sergeant’s vulgar tirades. Immediately, the drill sergeant makes Pyle choke himself (possibly a metaphor for what every Vietnam War draftee endured). Private Pyle constantly makes mistakes and soon Private Joker is in charge of cleaning up his act. Eventually, whenever Pyle made a mistake, the entire platoon would be punished. Naturally, all the marines beat Private Pyle with bars of soap in the middle of the night. This event causes Private Pyle to ‘snap’, and become introverted and psychotic. Pyle talks to his gun, starts excelling at all of the things he once could not do, and begins sporting a complexion of pure evil. Before they graduate, Private Pyle has a stand-off with the drill sergeant and Private Joker. Pyle kills the drill sergeant and himself. A scene like this one illustrates what can happen to the human mind when faced with war. Private Pyle had not even made it to the front lines before he was pushed too far and killed himself.
The story follows Private Joker to his position at a military base in Vietnam where he is a journalist. In the film, the man who Joker works for is telling his group of writers ‘what to write’. For instance, he mentions to them that instead of saying “search and destroy”, they should write “sweep and clear”. It was important to have one of two types of stories: one that will capture the readers’ hearts, or one that shows how we are winning. After Joker mentions a possible attack on US bases during the Tet Holiday, the bases gets attacked. They are attacked while the soldiers tell Joker that he hasn’t truly been “in the shit” long enough because he doesn’t have the thousand yard stare. The soldiers treat this thousand yard stare as a rite of passage. After this attack, Joker and “Rafterman” are sent into the front lines.
On the helicopter ride to the front lines, Joker and Rafterman watch as the gunner has a fun time shooting down Vietnamese people. He has had no instruction to shoot, but he finds a particular enjoyment in this senseless killing. This guy is the first person these two soldiers see, and he is a pointlessly killing maniac. When the soldiers meet their squad, Joker and “Animal Mother” get into a verbal stand-off. While Animal Mother asks questions in anger, Joker continues with his typical string of “John Wayne” quotes. Throughout the movie, Joker speaks like the lone hero “John Wayne”, which gives the impression that he is, or at least aspires to be, a lone hero in the Vietnam War.
The Squad spends the ending scenes of the film fighting against a mysterious sniper who kills three of their soldiers. The sniper turns out to be a Vietnamese girl no more than 15 years old. The soldiers injure her, and Joker ends her misery by shooting her in the head. This is an extremely moving scene that compares the soldiers of the United States with those of Vietnam. They are all merely children. This notion of soldiers in childhood is given an example when the soldiers sing “The Mickey Mouse March”. The Mickey Mouse March was the song sung at the end of the “Mickey Mouse Club Show”: a Disney program with a very young audience. When the show closed, the children actors on the show would sing this song. When the soldiers sing this song, it reminds the viewer that these soldiers are only kids marching to the end of the war.
Post 6 S.R.
The first part of the movie "Full Metal Jacket" stages at the marine training camp on Parris Island. From the very beginning the soon to be marine soldiers are stripped from their man-hood by first shaving their heads, creating a image that everyone is the same and will be treated the same. Their Sargeant Hartmen verbally abuses them by saying harsh comments to put them and their self- esteem lower than low. He also physically abuses some of them while they have to stand there and take it. He does this to toughen them up for the things they will have to experience in their near future. They are almost treated as if they were robots and are told to kill and that is their number one goal. Every morning they are expected to wake up early and complete all the task that they are given. This creates them to be more dicipline and structural, something they are going to have to be in the field. When Pyle cant complete all the task the Sargeant punishes the whole group for the wrongs that Pyle commits. This gets too overwhelming for the rest of the Soldiers so they beat Pyle with bars of soap in the middle of the night. This one event causes Pyle to gain more of a focus that gets him better at the drills, but he distance himself socially from the other soldiers. He soon becomes crazy and shoots the sargeant as well as commiting suicide. This foreshadows the future horrors the soldiers will go through when they actually go to war.
The second part of the movie was about Joker and him being a a journalist in the war. His job was to write about being on the frontline on the war and what the experience was during these times for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes". For most of the time Joker and other soldiers spend most of their time picking up Vietnanamese prostitutes. Even though much is not going on in the war, the head editor makes the writers beef of their stories to please the Americans back home. This shows how much control the American Government has during the war. During this time Joker reunites with his old friend cowboy and meets with the rest of the soldiers he will be traveling and fighting with for the rest of the movie.
The third part of the movie is when Joker and the rest of the soldier are about to experience the real thing. War at its worst. They are sent on a mission and Cowboy is made leader of the crew. Accidently one of the Soldiers leads the crew the wrong way and into a deadly situation. While the African American soldier checks to see if its okay to pass by the current location they are in, he is shot by a sniper several times. One of the soldiers try to save him but then is soon killed. As the rest of the soldiers try to go kill the sniper their leader Cowboy is shot in the chest unexpectedly. When Joker and the rest of the soldiers finally find the sniper they shoot her down. Joker is then faced with a decision to "waste" the Vietnam girl or let her suffer in her own blood. He chooses to kill her.
At the end of the movie the soldiers are singing the mickey mouse song because it brings them to a feeling of hope and happiness. They have lost important people to them and still have the rest of their journey to go. Singing this song allows them to get their mind off of war and all the pain it brings for the moment. It is ironic they are singing this song because they are shot in the dark and right after there experience with the sniper.
The second part of the movie was about Joker and him being a a journalist in the war. His job was to write about being on the frontline on the war and what the experience was during these times for the newspaper "Stars and Stripes". For most of the time Joker and other soldiers spend most of their time picking up Vietnanamese prostitutes. Even though much is not going on in the war, the head editor makes the writers beef of their stories to please the Americans back home. This shows how much control the American Government has during the war. During this time Joker reunites with his old friend cowboy and meets with the rest of the soldiers he will be traveling and fighting with for the rest of the movie.
The third part of the movie is when Joker and the rest of the soldier are about to experience the real thing. War at its worst. They are sent on a mission and Cowboy is made leader of the crew. Accidently one of the Soldiers leads the crew the wrong way and into a deadly situation. While the African American soldier checks to see if its okay to pass by the current location they are in, he is shot by a sniper several times. One of the soldiers try to save him but then is soon killed. As the rest of the soldiers try to go kill the sniper their leader Cowboy is shot in the chest unexpectedly. When Joker and the rest of the soldiers finally find the sniper they shoot her down. Joker is then faced with a decision to "waste" the Vietnam girl or let her suffer in her own blood. He chooses to kill her.
At the end of the movie the soldiers are singing the mickey mouse song because it brings them to a feeling of hope and happiness. They have lost important people to them and still have the rest of their journey to go. Singing this song allows them to get their mind off of war and all the pain it brings for the moment. It is ironic they are singing this song because they are shot in the dark and right after there experience with the sniper.
Blog 6 AZ
The first part of "Full Metal Jacket" occurs at the marine training camp on Parris Island. At this camp we see the very first steps that the boys go through in order to become soldiers. The physical changes of shaving their hair, getting into shape, and performing daily activites symbolize the stripping of their innocence,state of mind, and personal identities. Sergeant Heartman puts the boys through rigorous training and tests in order to transform them from compassionate human beings into killing machines. Unfortunately not all of the boys can handle this kind of pressure. For example, when Pyle can not complete all of the tasks the other boys beat him with soap at night. After this event, Pyle goes through a significant transformation and something inside of him snaps. Although Joker was able to help him and attempt to keep him up to speed, Pyle was unable to handle the pressure and ends up killing Hartman and commiting suicide. Pyle's sudden rage and death symbolize the intensity and unpredictableness of the war. It also sets the stage for the intense brutality and gruesomness that all the soldiers will soon experience in Vietnam.
In the second part of the movie Joker is in Vietnam working as a writer for the "Stars and Stripes" newspaper. While working for the paper we see how the writers were severly limited and restriceted to what they reported. They were only allowed to report the "good" things that happened and even when they did write a story they were told to use certain words instead of others to give the reader a more positive spin on the story. This shows how much control the government had on what Americans heard about the war. This part of the movie also emphasizes the use of language. Earlier at Parris Island the language was much more vulgar and used to tear down the soldiers. Now while working at the newspaper, every word used is carefully picked out and evaluated to make sure that the correct message is sent to the American people. Language is further emphasized through the tag-names of the main characters. For example, Joker's nickname is ironic because he is very intellectual, Cowboy is from Texas, Sergeant Heartman doesn't appear to have much of a heart, and Pyle represents Gomer Pyle from the popular sitcom on CBS.
Also in the second part of the movie we see how the Vietnamese citizens are struggling with the war. Many women are forced to turn to prostitution and the men also have to steal from the Americans or do whatever they can to get by. So just like the American soldiers, the Vietnamese citizens are also fighting for their own survival.
In the third part of the movie, Joker is sent on a mission in country to work on a story about being on the front lines of the war. Joker meets up with one of his old friends from Parris Island, Cowboy. This reunion shows the companionship and brother-like bond that the soldiers have amongst themselves. Finally we see what the real war is like. We become aware that the soldiers are there to kill and stay alive. Besides those two goals, there is no other motive behind the war. On one of their missions the soldiers become lost and Cowboy and some other men from the group are killed by a sniper. Joker is then forced to perform a mercy killing and shoot the suffering sniper girl. After he experiences this he changes, he loses all of his innocence and gets that "blank stare" in his eyes.
At the end of the movie all the soldiers were marching along and singing to the Mickey Mouse theme song. This is ironic because they are in the dark, walking through a destroyed country with dirt and blood on their hands and singing to a childlike melody. This scene is very powerful and represents the loss of their innocence. It uses the language from the song to symbolize the transformation that they have gone through to become these killing machines. Singing the song brings the soldiers back to safe and happy memories from their youth. This is important because for many of them memories are the only way they are able to survive.
The movie as a whole shows the entire transformation that the soldiers go through, from boys to soldiers to mindless killing machines. It shows how they were dragged into a war that they didn't understand and forced to pick up a gun and fight to stay alive. The only thing that mattered to these soldiers was to stay alive. For Joker, this is represented at the end of the movie when he says "I am happy that I am alive. I am in a world of shit, but I am alive and not afraid". The movie takes the point of view of the American soldier and shows the American government negatively. It emphasizes how the government basically abused all of these boys and lied to the public about what was actually happening in Vietnam.
In the second part of the movie Joker is in Vietnam working as a writer for the "Stars and Stripes" newspaper. While working for the paper we see how the writers were severly limited and restriceted to what they reported. They were only allowed to report the "good" things that happened and even when they did write a story they were told to use certain words instead of others to give the reader a more positive spin on the story. This shows how much control the government had on what Americans heard about the war. This part of the movie also emphasizes the use of language. Earlier at Parris Island the language was much more vulgar and used to tear down the soldiers. Now while working at the newspaper, every word used is carefully picked out and evaluated to make sure that the correct message is sent to the American people. Language is further emphasized through the tag-names of the main characters. For example, Joker's nickname is ironic because he is very intellectual, Cowboy is from Texas, Sergeant Heartman doesn't appear to have much of a heart, and Pyle represents Gomer Pyle from the popular sitcom on CBS.
Also in the second part of the movie we see how the Vietnamese citizens are struggling with the war. Many women are forced to turn to prostitution and the men also have to steal from the Americans or do whatever they can to get by. So just like the American soldiers, the Vietnamese citizens are also fighting for their own survival.
In the third part of the movie, Joker is sent on a mission in country to work on a story about being on the front lines of the war. Joker meets up with one of his old friends from Parris Island, Cowboy. This reunion shows the companionship and brother-like bond that the soldiers have amongst themselves. Finally we see what the real war is like. We become aware that the soldiers are there to kill and stay alive. Besides those two goals, there is no other motive behind the war. On one of their missions the soldiers become lost and Cowboy and some other men from the group are killed by a sniper. Joker is then forced to perform a mercy killing and shoot the suffering sniper girl. After he experiences this he changes, he loses all of his innocence and gets that "blank stare" in his eyes.
At the end of the movie all the soldiers were marching along and singing to the Mickey Mouse theme song. This is ironic because they are in the dark, walking through a destroyed country with dirt and blood on their hands and singing to a childlike melody. This scene is very powerful and represents the loss of their innocence. It uses the language from the song to symbolize the transformation that they have gone through to become these killing machines. Singing the song brings the soldiers back to safe and happy memories from their youth. This is important because for many of them memories are the only way they are able to survive.
The movie as a whole shows the entire transformation that the soldiers go through, from boys to soldiers to mindless killing machines. It shows how they were dragged into a war that they didn't understand and forced to pick up a gun and fight to stay alive. The only thing that mattered to these soldiers was to stay alive. For Joker, this is represented at the end of the movie when he says "I am happy that I am alive. I am in a world of shit, but I am alive and not afraid". The movie takes the point of view of the American soldier and shows the American government negatively. It emphasizes how the government basically abused all of these boys and lied to the public about what was actually happening in Vietnam.
Blog 6 JCP
The first part of the film Full Metal Jacket, takes place in the marine training camp on Parris Island. The film starts with with the physical change in the soldiers as they enter boot camp, the shaving off of their hair. This physical change represents the emotional change they will face through boot camp and being in country. Sergeant Hartman commands the unit through boot camp, physically and emotionally pushing them to the breaking point to turn them into killers. Killing is drilled into these boys throughout boot camp, being instructed that marines live to kill and there is no other way to survive. In their time at boot camp one soldier stands out in front of the pack, Joker. Joker is given the assignment to teach everything he knows to Pyle, who has been struggling throughout camp. One evening the company decides to haze Pyle for all of his mess ups which have lead to them all being punished. They hit him with bars of soap until her cries. Pyle wakes up that morning a new person. He is a hardened killer. Pyle ends up completely snapping killing Sergeant Hartman and then himself. This shows that the soldiers are not the boys who entered boot camp, they are desensitized marines, programed to kill. Not everyone can handle that assignment as shown by Pyle's suicide.
The second part of the film takes place in Vietnam, however not in country. It details Joker's time on a base, who is a journalist for Stars and Stripes. The soldiers on the front lines would consider Joker's work to be R&R. Joker spends his time on the base picking up prostitutes and glorifying the war. For one story Joker's superior officer instructed him to make up kills of Vietnamese officers, because that's what the Americans like to read about. This shows how the government and its people were not in line during the Vietnam War. Americans were lied to about the progress in Vietnam so the government could save face. Joker wore a peace sign on his jacket, yet his helmet said "born to kill." This represents the duality the soldiers faced. They themselves did not understand the war and would be happy with peace yet it was their job as marines to kill.
In the third and final section of the film Joker is finally in country, with the platoon of one of his buddies from boot camp, Cowboy. At this point of the film Joker is experiencing death, in one of the first fire fights he faces, the company commander Touchdown is killed. Now everything Joker has been reporting about is real. He is now a part of the harsh reality of war. In another battle, Joker's friend Cowboy and other marines were killed by a sniper. The rest of the company and Joker go to get revenge on the sniper. Joker is the one who finally shots her dead. From that moment forward Joker has changed, his is no longer an Innocent reporter running around in Vietnam, he is a killer. Sergeant Hartman's transformation finally took place in Joker.
The three sections of this film are all very important individually representing the different aspects of the war, but when combined they represent the struggles the soldiers face. They depict the transformation from young innocent boys, to men born to kill on the front lines of Vietnam.
The film ending with the Mickey Mouse song shows the youth of the soldiers. As much as the government would like them to be hardened killers, they are simply boys. The Mickey Mouse Song brings them back to their childhood, and away from the fires of war burning in the distance.
The second part of the film takes place in Vietnam, however not in country. It details Joker's time on a base, who is a journalist for Stars and Stripes. The soldiers on the front lines would consider Joker's work to be R&R. Joker spends his time on the base picking up prostitutes and glorifying the war. For one story Joker's superior officer instructed him to make up kills of Vietnamese officers, because that's what the Americans like to read about. This shows how the government and its people were not in line during the Vietnam War. Americans were lied to about the progress in Vietnam so the government could save face. Joker wore a peace sign on his jacket, yet his helmet said "born to kill." This represents the duality the soldiers faced. They themselves did not understand the war and would be happy with peace yet it was their job as marines to kill.
In the third and final section of the film Joker is finally in country, with the platoon of one of his buddies from boot camp, Cowboy. At this point of the film Joker is experiencing death, in one of the first fire fights he faces, the company commander Touchdown is killed. Now everything Joker has been reporting about is real. He is now a part of the harsh reality of war. In another battle, Joker's friend Cowboy and other marines were killed by a sniper. The rest of the company and Joker go to get revenge on the sniper. Joker is the one who finally shots her dead. From that moment forward Joker has changed, his is no longer an Innocent reporter running around in Vietnam, he is a killer. Sergeant Hartman's transformation finally took place in Joker.
The three sections of this film are all very important individually representing the different aspects of the war, but when combined they represent the struggles the soldiers face. They depict the transformation from young innocent boys, to men born to kill on the front lines of Vietnam.
The film ending with the Mickey Mouse song shows the youth of the soldiers. As much as the government would like them to be hardened killers, they are simply boys. The Mickey Mouse Song brings them back to their childhood, and away from the fires of war burning in the distance.
Blog 6 Ryan L
The first part of Full Metal Jacket takes place in the Marine Corps training facility on Paris island. The film provides an insight on the intensity of the Marines training, and the brutality taken out on the recruits. Here we get a glimpse on the damaging psychological effects of the training, as well as the lack of concern for the soldiers well being. We see how the government attempted to turn these kids into tools of war. As stated in the film, they lost control of the Marines and released them so they may act on their own as a destructive force. After the beating Pyle takes from his fellow recruits, he snaps and is no longer controllable. This reflects the need for companionship that all soldiers sought for. The soldiers went not to kill but to survive, and save their comrades, but when Pyle felt betrayed, he became unstable and could no longer cope.
The second part takes place at a supply base, where Joker works as a reporter for Stars and Stripes. We see the propaganda that was used in order to defend the war. The editor informs him to go back and rewrite the story so there are dead, rather than writing the truth. This seems similar to the idea of the award medals which were given out. It is a form of rationalizing a war to those who have lost the most. They both seem as a way to rationalize to the soldiers that they are not suffering and dying for nothing. It makes this war easier to swallow. Furthermore, we see the prostitution that took place across Vietnam. It was odd that the film brought this up not once but twice. Clearly, it was to emphasize the impact this had on the soldiers.
The third part depicts the actual fighting in Vietnam. The scene with the female sniper embodies the care and devotion for their fellow soldier. They all risked their lives at an attempt to save those who had already been lost. This seems similar to the idea that the soldiers just felt like they were doing their job. In addition when Joker is faced with the choice of killing the sniper he executes her but only after prompting from fellow soldiers. This is reminiscent of the idea from The Things They Carried when Tim O'Brien put forth that the soldiers kill not because they want to, but rather they were afraid not to.
Lastly, we see the soldiers marching to the sound of the Mickey Mouse song. Clearly, the Mickey Mouse song comes across as a young innocent song, one that many of the soldiers experienced when they were young. This march of the Mickey Mouse song is a endless memory of their childhood, of their home life, one to which they will never fully return. Consequently, they will never fully be able to leave Vietnam.
The second part takes place at a supply base, where Joker works as a reporter for Stars and Stripes. We see the propaganda that was used in order to defend the war. The editor informs him to go back and rewrite the story so there are dead, rather than writing the truth. This seems similar to the idea of the award medals which were given out. It is a form of rationalizing a war to those who have lost the most. They both seem as a way to rationalize to the soldiers that they are not suffering and dying for nothing. It makes this war easier to swallow. Furthermore, we see the prostitution that took place across Vietnam. It was odd that the film brought this up not once but twice. Clearly, it was to emphasize the impact this had on the soldiers.
The third part depicts the actual fighting in Vietnam. The scene with the female sniper embodies the care and devotion for their fellow soldier. They all risked their lives at an attempt to save those who had already been lost. This seems similar to the idea that the soldiers just felt like they were doing their job. In addition when Joker is faced with the choice of killing the sniper he executes her but only after prompting from fellow soldiers. This is reminiscent of the idea from The Things They Carried when Tim O'Brien put forth that the soldiers kill not because they want to, but rather they were afraid not to.
Lastly, we see the soldiers marching to the sound of the Mickey Mouse song. Clearly, the Mickey Mouse song comes across as a young innocent song, one that many of the soldiers experienced when they were young. This march of the Mickey Mouse song is a endless memory of their childhood, of their home life, one to which they will never fully return. Consequently, they will never fully be able to leave Vietnam.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Blog 6 DRS
Full Metal Jacket depicts a soldier's wartime experience through Vietnam; from military training to the war front. The film is broken into three main segments, the first beginning at Parris Island, a marine training ground in South Carolina. Upon arrival, the new recruits are required to have their heads shaved and are designated a uniform. They quickly experience the brutal mental and physical abuse doled out by Drill-Sergeant Hartman, whose goal is to break down the boys and mold them into a unit of desensitized killing machines.
This segment of the movie introduces the protagonist Joker, who rises through the ranks to become squad leader. Joker is charged with the improvement of private Pyle, an out of shape and almost infantile recruit who becomes a liability for the entire platoon. Pyle eventually becomes a model soldier, but, by graduation day, and after a constant barrage of hazing and abuse, suffers a mental breakdown and kills both himself and Hartman. This segment introduces the "loss of innocence" theme, as is witnessed through Pyle's descent from childlike innocence into insanity. It also introduces the notion of random death and brutality in wartime, as is witnessed through Pyle's merciless killing of Hartman and Pyle's contemplation of shooting Joker.
The second segment reveals Joker in his new role as a reporter for Stars and Stripes in Danang, Vietnam, at around the time of the Tet Offensive in 1968. He has a fairly cushy position, charged with spinning stories of Vietnam to depict acts of heroism or grandeur. He has not yet been exposed to the warfront, but expresses a desire to be "put in the shit". The soldiers spending time there exaggerate their wartime experiences, and one soldier makes the comment that you could tell if a soldier had been in the shit if they have the "thousand yard stare", which is held only by those soldiers that have experienced the mindnumbing cruelty of war firsthand. He is soon assigned to do an investigative piece near Hue, which inevitably sucks him into the war.
The third segment deals with Joker's exposure to combat experience. Joker meets up with his old buddy Cowboy and meets the colorful members of his platoon--most notably Animal Mother, who believes in winning this war by any means necessary. Joker and Cowboy share a strong bond, representing the comradery many soldiers share. One of the first scenes shows soldiers messing with the dead body of a Vietnamese soldier, propping it up and declaring it 'the guest of honor.' This presents the use of gruesome humor as a sort of coping mechanism to deal with the harshness of war. Eventually on a botched mission, Cowboy, 8-Ball, and Doc are killed by an enemy sniper, and the decision to kill the sniper (who turns out to be a young girl) falls to joker, who shoots her out of mercy. Upon the killing, Joker is seen staring off into the distance with "the thousand yard" stare, signifying the turning point in his loss of innocence, as well as the abandonment of his boyhood.
The final scene is brilliant, depicting a number of soldiers marching amid burning ruins and singing the Mickey Mouse club song. Kubrick contrasts the chaotic reality of war with childhood memories and innocence. By singing the song in unison, the soldiers share a sense of unity as they all attempt to relive a happier, more peaceful time in their lives.
Taken together, the film portrays the life of an American soldier in Vietnam, and the struggles they face both internally and externally. Through their experiences in training and in country, the soldiers are transformed from boys into desensitized killing machines. The film itself portrays the war as a violent, chaotic, and confusing quagmire, which required constant media spinning in the futile attempt of its justification.
This segment of the movie introduces the protagonist Joker, who rises through the ranks to become squad leader. Joker is charged with the improvement of private Pyle, an out of shape and almost infantile recruit who becomes a liability for the entire platoon. Pyle eventually becomes a model soldier, but, by graduation day, and after a constant barrage of hazing and abuse, suffers a mental breakdown and kills both himself and Hartman. This segment introduces the "loss of innocence" theme, as is witnessed through Pyle's descent from childlike innocence into insanity. It also introduces the notion of random death and brutality in wartime, as is witnessed through Pyle's merciless killing of Hartman and Pyle's contemplation of shooting Joker.
The second segment reveals Joker in his new role as a reporter for Stars and Stripes in Danang, Vietnam, at around the time of the Tet Offensive in 1968. He has a fairly cushy position, charged with spinning stories of Vietnam to depict acts of heroism or grandeur. He has not yet been exposed to the warfront, but expresses a desire to be "put in the shit". The soldiers spending time there exaggerate their wartime experiences, and one soldier makes the comment that you could tell if a soldier had been in the shit if they have the "thousand yard stare", which is held only by those soldiers that have experienced the mindnumbing cruelty of war firsthand. He is soon assigned to do an investigative piece near Hue, which inevitably sucks him into the war.
The third segment deals with Joker's exposure to combat experience. Joker meets up with his old buddy Cowboy and meets the colorful members of his platoon--most notably Animal Mother, who believes in winning this war by any means necessary. Joker and Cowboy share a strong bond, representing the comradery many soldiers share. One of the first scenes shows soldiers messing with the dead body of a Vietnamese soldier, propping it up and declaring it 'the guest of honor.' This presents the use of gruesome humor as a sort of coping mechanism to deal with the harshness of war. Eventually on a botched mission, Cowboy, 8-Ball, and Doc are killed by an enemy sniper, and the decision to kill the sniper (who turns out to be a young girl) falls to joker, who shoots her out of mercy. Upon the killing, Joker is seen staring off into the distance with "the thousand yard" stare, signifying the turning point in his loss of innocence, as well as the abandonment of his boyhood.
The final scene is brilliant, depicting a number of soldiers marching amid burning ruins and singing the Mickey Mouse club song. Kubrick contrasts the chaotic reality of war with childhood memories and innocence. By singing the song in unison, the soldiers share a sense of unity as they all attempt to relive a happier, more peaceful time in their lives.
Taken together, the film portrays the life of an American soldier in Vietnam, and the struggles they face both internally and externally. Through their experiences in training and in country, the soldiers are transformed from boys into desensitized killing machines. The film itself portrays the war as a violent, chaotic, and confusing quagmire, which required constant media spinning in the futile attempt of its justification.
Blog 6 KSP
The first part of the film Full Metal Jacket takes place on Parris Island in the late 1960s. A group of young men go through the Marine Corps training camp in which they endure both rigorous mental and physical training. The men are commanded by Sergeant Hartman who acts rather bluntly and indecently trying to turn these boys into men. The film focuses on one soldier in particular named Joker. Joker is one of the best in his company which is recognized when the Sergeant makes him the head of his squadron. Later on Joker is assigned to work with a struggling company member named Pyle. As the two work together, Pyle becomes better at his daily tasks. However, he later snaps and kills the sergeant and then himself. This part of the film encompasses the life of a young man going through basic training during the time of the Vietnam War. It was physically grueling and mentally challenging, but the boys had to be turned into men who were not afraid to kill.
The second part of the movie details Joker as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes in Vietnam. In one of the beginning scenes of this section, Joker and Rafterman are trying to be picked up by a Vietnamese prostitute. This shows how people were just trying to survive in Vietnam, even if that meant selling themselves for sex. At this point in time Joker does not fight in war, but writes about soldiers’ kills and the good things happening in Vietnam. On his vest he wears a peace sign, yet on his helmet he has “Born to Kill” written. When asked by a Colonel what he was trying to suggest with both of those symbols Joker responds by saying that he was trying to “suggest something about the duality of man.” As the section progresses Joker is sent to the front lines to do some investigation for a story but he becomes encompassed in the fighting while there.
The third part of the movie focuses on the action in the front lines. While on assignment Joker meets up with a former Parris Island officer named Cowboy. The men go out for patrol, but quickly become lost. While making their way through deserted buildings Cowboy is shot by a sniper. It is here that Joker loses one of his best friends and realizes that war is not a game. The doctor tries to save Cowboy, but he too is shot. Therefore, the rest of the platoon hunts out the sniper who ends up being a woman. Once found, she is shot several times, but is killed only when Joker delivers the final shot. It is here that Joker loses his boyish persona, and becomes a man who is born to kill.
These three sections explain the various parts of war, but when combined they chronicle the story of one man and his brotherhood. In Sgt. Hartman’s final speech to his men he says, “Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But remember this: Marines die. That’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.” The Marine Corps is family and as long as the family remains the memory and story of all those fallen men are never forgotten.
In the last scene of the movie, the Marines are marching at night to find the enemy while singing the Mickey Mouse song. It is ironic because the soldiers are signing an American childhood song, yet they are going to kill the Vietnamese. War is dangerous and unpredictable, but this song allows the men to connect to a time where their lives were predictable and safe.
The second part of the movie details Joker as a journalist for the Stars and Stripes in Vietnam. In one of the beginning scenes of this section, Joker and Rafterman are trying to be picked up by a Vietnamese prostitute. This shows how people were just trying to survive in Vietnam, even if that meant selling themselves for sex. At this point in time Joker does not fight in war, but writes about soldiers’ kills and the good things happening in Vietnam. On his vest he wears a peace sign, yet on his helmet he has “Born to Kill” written. When asked by a Colonel what he was trying to suggest with both of those symbols Joker responds by saying that he was trying to “suggest something about the duality of man.” As the section progresses Joker is sent to the front lines to do some investigation for a story but he becomes encompassed in the fighting while there.
The third part of the movie focuses on the action in the front lines. While on assignment Joker meets up with a former Parris Island officer named Cowboy. The men go out for patrol, but quickly become lost. While making their way through deserted buildings Cowboy is shot by a sniper. It is here that Joker loses one of his best friends and realizes that war is not a game. The doctor tries to save Cowboy, but he too is shot. Therefore, the rest of the platoon hunts out the sniper who ends up being a woman. Once found, she is shot several times, but is killed only when Joker delivers the final shot. It is here that Joker loses his boyish persona, and becomes a man who is born to kill.
These three sections explain the various parts of war, but when combined they chronicle the story of one man and his brotherhood. In Sgt. Hartman’s final speech to his men he says, “Most of you will go to Vietnam. Some of you will not come back. But remember this: Marines die. That’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.” The Marine Corps is family and as long as the family remains the memory and story of all those fallen men are never forgotten.
In the last scene of the movie, the Marines are marching at night to find the enemy while singing the Mickey Mouse song. It is ironic because the soldiers are signing an American childhood song, yet they are going to kill the Vietnamese. War is dangerous and unpredictable, but this song allows the men to connect to a time where their lives were predictable and safe.
Blog 6 SJC
The first part of the film takes place in a training camp on Parris Island. It is here that the new recruits bond with one another, are trained to become killers, and essentially go through a process that dehumanizes them in preparation for going to war. Each soldier is taught to become one of many through actions such as training together, looking and moving alike as well as facing punishments as a team. This section of the film follows a soldier known as Joker who is given the position of squad leader and then given command of a fellow soldier who needs special help in each and every activity. Looking at just this section of the film we can see that the U.S. military did their best to desensitize soldiers while in boot camp so that the harsh realities of war would not affect them. It shows that there is a very thin line between what soldiers can handle, and what they can't.
The second part of the movie depicts Joker again, this time as a writer for the Stars and Stripes while he is based at a supply camp in Danang. Jokers job is to write stories about the war that deal with successful battles or soldiers giving aid to Vietnam in one form or another, and nothing else. Joker and the other journalists are only allowed to write about things that put a positive spin on the war in an attempt to fool the American people and the soldiers themselves into thinking the war can be won. This portion of the film takes place around the same time as the Tet Offensive, a major turning point in the war and when the United States needed as much positive publicity as it could get. When we examine this part of the film we see that it is obvious in the United States that the Vietnam War is not a popular war and the government and military are trying to do their best to ignore or change that. We also see that the military may have had an idea that the war was not going well and were fighting for the sake of fighting and saving face.
The third section of the film features Joker working on a feature story with a platoon that engages in the Battle of Hue. This section deals with the trials soldiers face while at war and engaged in combat, including the stress of war, death, the different forms of killing, and how soldiers take themselves away from the realities of war. This section of the film shows how easy it is to talk and joke about what goes on during war when one is sitting on the sidelines compared to when one actually becomes involved in war and that even the best military training in the world cannot necessarily prepare the soldiers for the things they experience in combat.
When the three sections of the film are put together, an interesting portrait of war is painted for the viewer. The film shows how soldiers are transformed from innocent young men into killing machines and how the soldiers were giving up their freedom to fight a war for Vietnamese freedom. The film shows how the soldiers were forced into a war they didn't want and didn't understand from an American soldiers perspective.
At the end of the film we see the soldiers marching towards the river singing what is known as the Mickey Mouse March. This is an important scene because it shows how young the soldiers are even though they are currently in the middle of the war. The song gives them a way to bond and reminisce about their childhoods, reliving their former innocence. The song portrays just how young the soldiers are, since it was the theme song for The Mickey Mouse Club from 1955 to 1959 and the film is set around 1968.
The second part of the movie depicts Joker again, this time as a writer for the Stars and Stripes while he is based at a supply camp in Danang. Jokers job is to write stories about the war that deal with successful battles or soldiers giving aid to Vietnam in one form or another, and nothing else. Joker and the other journalists are only allowed to write about things that put a positive spin on the war in an attempt to fool the American people and the soldiers themselves into thinking the war can be won. This portion of the film takes place around the same time as the Tet Offensive, a major turning point in the war and when the United States needed as much positive publicity as it could get. When we examine this part of the film we see that it is obvious in the United States that the Vietnam War is not a popular war and the government and military are trying to do their best to ignore or change that. We also see that the military may have had an idea that the war was not going well and were fighting for the sake of fighting and saving face.
The third section of the film features Joker working on a feature story with a platoon that engages in the Battle of Hue. This section deals with the trials soldiers face while at war and engaged in combat, including the stress of war, death, the different forms of killing, and how soldiers take themselves away from the realities of war. This section of the film shows how easy it is to talk and joke about what goes on during war when one is sitting on the sidelines compared to when one actually becomes involved in war and that even the best military training in the world cannot necessarily prepare the soldiers for the things they experience in combat.
When the three sections of the film are put together, an interesting portrait of war is painted for the viewer. The film shows how soldiers are transformed from innocent young men into killing machines and how the soldiers were giving up their freedom to fight a war for Vietnamese freedom. The film shows how the soldiers were forced into a war they didn't want and didn't understand from an American soldiers perspective.
At the end of the film we see the soldiers marching towards the river singing what is known as the Mickey Mouse March. This is an important scene because it shows how young the soldiers are even though they are currently in the middle of the war. The song gives them a way to bond and reminisce about their childhoods, reliving their former innocence. The song portrays just how young the soldiers are, since it was the theme song for The Mickey Mouse Club from 1955 to 1959 and the film is set around 1968.
Blog 6 DW
The first part of the movie takes place at boot camp on Parris Island. The soldiers are being trained to go to Vietnam by going through intense physical conditioning as well as other things that will help get them accustomed to military life. When they first get there, they are made to look identical to one-another. Their heads are shaved and they are all given the same uniforms and taught to march in unison. They lose their personal identity and become just a part of the Marines; one of many. The main character, Joker, is ordered to help a struggling soldier named Pyle. The other soldiers in the platoon become frustrated and start resenting Lt. Pyle because he cannot keep up and continues to screw up, which they are punished for. Finally, even Joker gets fed up with Pyle so one night the hold him down and everyone takes turns beating him. This causes Pyle to start talking to his gun and losing his mind, but becoming a better soldier, however, later ends up killing the platoons Sergeant and then himself. This shows that there is a fine line where you have to be on to be a good soldier, but if you go too far, you will end up completely losing your mind and doing something crazy.
The second part of the movie takes place on a supply base in Vietnam with Joker. Joker has been assigned as a Journalist for Stars and Stripes where he and the other journalists chose which stories they want to write about that put a positive spin on the war. Jokers boss explains to the group that they need to report only on the good stuff happening in the war, like a Vietnamese soldier dead or battle won, but not about the bad things like a dead US soldier. This is because there are a lot of reporters that are against the war and if they are the only ones reporting on the war, everyone will soon become anti-war. He is ordered to do an investigative report on a platoon and the war on the front lines. An old friend of his from boot camp named Cowboy is in the platoon and helps accommodate him to the other soldiers and to actually having to fight. This shows the bonds that soldiers develope between each other and that even after so much time has passed, they still feel like brothers.
The final section of the movie is about the actual fighting that Joker has to do with the new platoon. There he experiences things like death and having to kill someone yourself. He is involved in a firefight with the whole platoon and then has to watch cowboy die after being shot by a sniper. He has his eyes opened to the real war by being out there on the front lines. He was used to writing about the positive parts of the war from somewhere he wasn't in danger, but when he personally goes to the front lines and is involved with the fighting, he learns the hard way that the war is full of tragedy and harship. He even has to kill a woman after she is wounded by Rafterman. She is the sniper that killed three of their soldiers and is dying very slowly, begging for death so he takes out his pistol and shoots her. Joker has now become a soldier and a killing machine like they were training him to be in boot camp. In the very last scene, the soldiers are singing the Mickey Mouse song in a very eerie walk in the dark. This represents the transformation of the young boys into soldiers. They are singing a child's song about a cartoon character while they are in a war zone looking for the enemy so they can kill them.
Together, these different parts of the movie depict what the lives of the soldiers are like from the very beginning. It starts with the boot camp of the soldiers and follows them through the different stages of their tour in the war. It shows the development of the young soldiers as they move through the different stages from innocent young men into "killing machines" developed by the military. We get a brief view into the struggles and experiences that the common soldier would have to endure.
The second part of the movie takes place on a supply base in Vietnam with Joker. Joker has been assigned as a Journalist for Stars and Stripes where he and the other journalists chose which stories they want to write about that put a positive spin on the war. Jokers boss explains to the group that they need to report only on the good stuff happening in the war, like a Vietnamese soldier dead or battle won, but not about the bad things like a dead US soldier. This is because there are a lot of reporters that are against the war and if they are the only ones reporting on the war, everyone will soon become anti-war. He is ordered to do an investigative report on a platoon and the war on the front lines. An old friend of his from boot camp named Cowboy is in the platoon and helps accommodate him to the other soldiers and to actually having to fight. This shows the bonds that soldiers develope between each other and that even after so much time has passed, they still feel like brothers.
The final section of the movie is about the actual fighting that Joker has to do with the new platoon. There he experiences things like death and having to kill someone yourself. He is involved in a firefight with the whole platoon and then has to watch cowboy die after being shot by a sniper. He has his eyes opened to the real war by being out there on the front lines. He was used to writing about the positive parts of the war from somewhere he wasn't in danger, but when he personally goes to the front lines and is involved with the fighting, he learns the hard way that the war is full of tragedy and harship. He even has to kill a woman after she is wounded by Rafterman. She is the sniper that killed three of their soldiers and is dying very slowly, begging for death so he takes out his pistol and shoots her. Joker has now become a soldier and a killing machine like they were training him to be in boot camp. In the very last scene, the soldiers are singing the Mickey Mouse song in a very eerie walk in the dark. This represents the transformation of the young boys into soldiers. They are singing a child's song about a cartoon character while they are in a war zone looking for the enemy so they can kill them.
Together, these different parts of the movie depict what the lives of the soldiers are like from the very beginning. It starts with the boot camp of the soldiers and follows them through the different stages of their tour in the war. It shows the development of the young soldiers as they move through the different stages from innocent young men into "killing machines" developed by the military. We get a brief view into the struggles and experiences that the common soldier would have to endure.
Full Metal Jacket - QC
The first part of the film Full Metal Jacket depicts marine recruits going through basic training on Paris Island. The soldiers are very young, and their Sergeant is extremely brutal to all of the soldiers. The Sergeant is especially tough on an overweight, metally slow solider Pyle. Sergeant Hartman appoints the film's protagonist, called Joker throughout the film, to help Pyle with basic, everyday training things. With the help of the Joker, Pyle seems to adapt better to training, until Hartman finds a doughnut in Pyle's possession. The whole group of soliders is ordered to pay for Pyle's mistake, and the group becomes resentful. That night, each solider puts a bar of soap in a towel and violently swings it, one by one, at Pyle. Joker is hestitant, but eventually hits him too. Because of this violence, Pyle snaps and one night loads his rifle, yelling out his commands, and shoots Hartman when Hartman confronts him. After shooting Hartman, it is unclear if he will shoot the Joker, but instead he turns the gun on himself. This part shows that the way the soliders were treated even before going to war can cause the young boys to stray from his own personality, to the brink of insanity. For most of the boys, this was the beginning of their loss of innocence.
The second part of the film follows the Joker as a war journalist for Stars and Stripes. His assignment allows him to follow the war. At this point, Joker still does not fight. He is wearing a peace sign pin and a helmet that has the words "Born to Kill" on it. When asked about this, Joker claims that it represents the duality of man, "A Jungian thing, sir," referring to the psycologist. This part shows life in Vietnam, including the most grusome parts such as the prostitutes and the graphic warfare.
The third part of the film is when Joker gets reunited with Cowboy, a solider he trained with on Paris Island. Cowboy is second in command of his squad. At the time they reunite, the North Vietnamese have just launched the Tet Offensive and they are in Hue. Cowboy's squad, along with Joker become lost near vacant buildings. The squad sends a solider out to see if there is a safe way to pass, but it is soon discovered that there is a sniper in one of the building. Because the sniper killed three of the soliders in the squad, including Cowboy, the squad wants to get "payback". At this point, because of his friend Cowboy's death, Joker is ready for combat. The squad eventually finds the sniper, who is a young woman. She is shot, but her death is drawn out and is begging for one of the soliders to kill her, so Joker performs a mercy killing. This part of the film shows how even a person who is most opposed to war, like Joker was, can become consumed with the war and end up fighting and killing.
All together, the parts of the film explain how young soliders change in war. This film was extremely graphic and unrelenting, which, as only I can imagine, how the war really was. At the end of the film, Joker has a voiceover where he states that "he is in a world of shit, but unafraid." This solidifies the idea that his innocence is lost. Also, the soliders are singing the Mickey Mouse March, which represents how young all of these soliders are that they know all of the lyrics to the song. The song is upbeat, which is ironic considering that they have lost so many of their comrades. Not only did this film show the horrors of war, it also showed how young American boys were forced into a war they knew nothing of. The film depicted Americans treated the Vietnamese poorly and showed how the war was almost impossible to win.
The second part of the film follows the Joker as a war journalist for Stars and Stripes. His assignment allows him to follow the war. At this point, Joker still does not fight. He is wearing a peace sign pin and a helmet that has the words "Born to Kill" on it. When asked about this, Joker claims that it represents the duality of man, "A Jungian thing, sir," referring to the psycologist. This part shows life in Vietnam, including the most grusome parts such as the prostitutes and the graphic warfare.
The third part of the film is when Joker gets reunited with Cowboy, a solider he trained with on Paris Island. Cowboy is second in command of his squad. At the time they reunite, the North Vietnamese have just launched the Tet Offensive and they are in Hue. Cowboy's squad, along with Joker become lost near vacant buildings. The squad sends a solider out to see if there is a safe way to pass, but it is soon discovered that there is a sniper in one of the building. Because the sniper killed three of the soliders in the squad, including Cowboy, the squad wants to get "payback". At this point, because of his friend Cowboy's death, Joker is ready for combat. The squad eventually finds the sniper, who is a young woman. She is shot, but her death is drawn out and is begging for one of the soliders to kill her, so Joker performs a mercy killing. This part of the film shows how even a person who is most opposed to war, like Joker was, can become consumed with the war and end up fighting and killing.
All together, the parts of the film explain how young soliders change in war. This film was extremely graphic and unrelenting, which, as only I can imagine, how the war really was. At the end of the film, Joker has a voiceover where he states that "he is in a world of shit, but unafraid." This solidifies the idea that his innocence is lost. Also, the soliders are singing the Mickey Mouse March, which represents how young all of these soliders are that they know all of the lyrics to the song. The song is upbeat, which is ironic considering that they have lost so many of their comrades. Not only did this film show the horrors of war, it also showed how young American boys were forced into a war they knew nothing of. The film depicted Americans treated the Vietnamese poorly and showed how the war was almost impossible to win.
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