Brit Tret

Rating: Null/10 (14 May 2008)

Here are some important concepts for 'The Deer Hunter' for my Film Studies students to contemplate. Choose one to write a response to in here and be sure to tell me what your user-name is so I can see your review.
#1. The symbolism for the Russian Roulette sequences. What was the director trying to get at? Do you agree or disagree with his concept? Include with this our discussion as related to patriotism. -- The Russian Roulette symbolizes the fact that in both the war and in the game, you can not win, you either come back from it with battle scars, either physical, or mental, or you could face death. The director was trying to show the pain and suffering that the soldiers in the Vietnam war had to face. I agree with the way he portrayed this kind of symbolism because although they did not really have to do things like this during the war, it shows you some form of the harsh realities that soldiers had to face.
#2. The different personalities of the three men (Steve, Mike and Nick) before they go to Vietnam and how it serves them as soldiers. Did their different approaches towards life serve as an accurate prelude to what was to happen? Could it have happened differently? --Steve was a very scared character, and in the end, he ended up losing his legs because he was such a weak person, this shaped his future because if he had tried to be more brave during the war, he could have possibly survived. Mike was unsure about things, he believed in the whole "one shot" deal until after the war where he decided not to kill the deer, and he realized that killing was actually a bad thing, he was although a smart and determined character which helped him to survive in the end. Nicky was a very naive character, before he left, he hastily asks his girlfriend to marry him, even though he was unsure about that, and especially in the end when he plays Russian Roulette, he becomes too risky with his judgements, which kills him in the end.
#3. What's the deal with the French character who introduces Nicky to the Russian Roulette den in Saigon? What is this character suppose to symbolize? --The french man was to symbolize the allies that the French and the US had during the Vietnam war. The man was very shady and appeared to be somebody who should not be trusted, and Nicky trusted him, as did the US.
#4. Why does Mike go back to Vietnam to find Nicky? Be specific with this one and use examples. --Mike goes back to Vietnam to find Nicky because everybody from back home misses him, and also Steve was receiving large amounts of money from an unknown person. Mike knows that it was Nicky, and he also knows how he's making all that money, from playing Russian Roulette, and he knows that if he does not stop or help, Nicky is going to die, and Mike was too late to save him.
Britanie Tretler-block 4