In the film The Deer Hunter, the first hour of the film is dedicated to depicting the home neighborhood, which is predominantly Russian, of a group of young friends. It sets the tone of their way of life. They have a closely knit group of friends and relatives with whom they spend most of their time. For fun, the male friends enjoy going hunting for deer in the mountains nearby. It is apparent that in their community, a young man if supposed to marry his girlfriend if she gets pregnant, which is most likely the main reason for why Steven marries Angela before he goes to war. It is clear that the two main characters of the film, Michael and Nick, are vying for Linda's love and attention. To both of them, Linda is "the girl back home," evidenced by the photographs they both carry of her.
In relation to the rest of the film, the first hour causes the viewer to continuously think back on how sheltered and comfortable the lives of Steven, Michael, and Nick were. Their days involved going to work and drinking for the rest of the day. Shooting deer, which was a sport they took likely, becomes a stark contrast to what they do during the war, which is shoot human beings. It is clear that they were not trained for this, although Michael does warn them that Vietnam will be dangerous and nothing like they have ever been through before. The scene in which the three friends confront a Vietnam veteran at Steven's wedding serves as foreshadowing what will become of them. As they laugh and joke around, trying to get the man to speak, they slowly realize that there is something very wrong with him.
The film, in almost every aspect, is anti-war. This is because it focuses on all of the death, destruction, torture, and gambling of the war. It also shows how an average American community is torn apart by the war, specifically with the death of Nick and the negative affects on Steven and Michael. Angela, Steven's wife, even loses touch with reality after she sees what the war has done to her husband. The last scene of the film, in which the remaining group of friends sits at a table after Nick's funeral, singing God Bless America in a half-hearted tone, depicts how the young men and women tried to rationalize or jsutify Nick's death. They try to go back to what they have been taught, which is that they should love and serve America, their "home sweet home," but it is apparent that they are beginning to question the reasons for the war and for the death of their friend.
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In the film The Deer Hunter, the first hour is dedicated to depicting the home neighborhood, which is predominantly Russian, of a group of young friends. These friends spend most of their time together. For fun, the male friends enjoy going hunting for deer in the mountains nearby. It is apparent that in their community, a young man if supposed to marry his girlfriend if she gets pregnant, which is most likely the main reason for why Steven marries Angela before he goes to war. It is clear that the two main characters of the film, Michael and Nick, are vying for Linda's love and attention. To both of them, Linda is "the girl back home," evidenced by the photographs they both carry of her.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the rest of the film, the first hour causes the viewer to continuously think back to how sheltered and comfortable the lives of Steven, Michael, and Nick were back at home. Their days involved going to work and drinking for the rest of the day. Shooting deer, which was a sport they took lightly, becomes a stark contrast to what they do during the war, which is shoot human beings. It is clear that they were not trained for this, although Michael does warn them that Vietnam will be dangerous and nothing like they have ever been through before. The scene in which the three friends confront a Vietnam veteran at Steven's wedding serves as foreshadowing of what will become of them. As they laugh and joke around, trying to get the man to speak, they slowly realize that there is something very wrong with him.
The film, in almost every aspect, is anti-war. This is because it focuses on all of the death, destruction, torture, and gambling of the war. It also shows how an average American community is torn apart by the war, specifically with the death of Nick and the negative affects on Steven and Michael. Angela, Steven's wife, even loses touch with reality after she sees what the war has done to her husband.
The last scene of the film, in which the remaining group of friends sits at a table after Nick's funeral singing God Bless America in a half-hearted tone, depicts how the young men and women tried to rationalize or justify Nick's death. They try to go back to what they have been taught, which is that they should love and serve America, their "home sweet home," but it is apparent that they are beginning to question the reasons for the war and for the death of their friend.