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The Deer Hunter is directed by Michael Cimino. The
film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale,
Meryl Streep, John Savage, George Dzundza, and Rutanya Alda.
The musical score is by Stanley Myers and features classical
guitar played by John Williams (the classical guitarist,
not the film score composer.) The film was originally released
in 1978. ***
The Deer Hunter is the story of working-class men of
Russian ancestry, living in an Eastern United States factory
town. Following the marriage of one of the men, and a deer
hunt in the woods with their friend Stan (Cazale), they
set off on a tour of duty in Vietnam - one that will forever
change their lives. Nick (Walken) is traumatized by war,
and disappears deeper into the country, joining in a shady
Russian Roulette club. Steven (Savage) returns home from
the war a cripple, but remains in a military hospital, unable
to return home and face his wife. Only Michael (De Niro)
returns home with no injuries or mental trauma, but even
he finds himself unable to readjust to life. Upon hearing
Nick is still alive in Vietnam, Michael sets out to find
and bring his friend back safely. ***
In The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino beautifully captures
the negative effects the Vietnam War had on human beings.
Cimino's film is set apart from other movies covering Vietnam
because, rather than focusing on the political elements
of the war or the gore and violence on the battlefield (even
though there is still some of that to go around), he focuses
on the people involved directly. We see these characters,
get to know them well, and get to see them thrown into hell
- and the aftermath. ***
The cast picked for the film is top-notch as well. Savage,
De Niro, and Walken are superb as the three soldiers the
film revolves around - who we gradually see descend into
their own personal forms of hell. A comparison of the scenes
early in the film before our heroes set off to war and the
scenes that follow the horrific battles show just how much
their lives are forever changed by the hell that was Vietnam.
Also noteworthy is the supporting cast, which includes Meryl
Streep and the severely-underrated John Cazale in his final
role - sadly, he died of bone cancer before the film was
completed. ***
The musical score, composed by Stanley Myers, and played
on classical guitar by John Williams, beautifully captures
the mood Cimino so accurately depicts. The is a sad, somber
musical score that paints a picture of what our main characters
are feeling following their life-changing experience overseas.
It is also one of the greatest scores ever composed and
used in a feature film. ***
In the end, The Deer Hunter shows the effect that war
has on soldiers, and the difficulties they have in subsequently
returning to a regular life. The subject is nothing new
to the world of film (and it wasn't even a new subject for
movies in 1978, when first released), but no movie depicts
it as well as this one. The movie has more in common with
dramas than conventional war films, which serves as its
greatest strength. ---
Image And Sound:
The Deer Hunter is yet another one of those long-awaited
movies on Blu-Ray I wanted in HD so badly, I had to bite
the bullet and import the disc. The transfer on this disc
should not disappoint fans. While certainly not perfect,
it is in all ways a step up from the DVD versions. Detail
and contrast get a much-needed boost, and there is hardly
any annoying print damage or the like to speak of. The scenes
of stock footage look a little rough, though this is to
be expected. Most issues with the transfer are few and far
between, though - and most viewers won't even notice… or
care. ***
The audio is available in both English 5.1 and 2.0 tracks
(as well as several other foreign language tracks though
I didn't bother listening to these.) Both English tracks
are solid and get the job done. I have heard some complaints
about the pitch of the audio on the 5.1 track, although
I couldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Both tracks
tend to be front-heavy, but that is to be expected of a
film this vintage. Ultimately, the movie sounds as good
as it looks.
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