Cazale had already emerged as one of the dominant actors of his generation by the time he landed on the cast of the deer hunter. The deer hunter is both deeply troubling and troublesome for the manner in which mr. The deer hunter is a 1978 american epic war drama film cowritten and directed by michael cimino about a trio of steelworkers whose lives were changed forever after fighting in the vietnam war. The deer hunter begins with an hour long act in which there is a young couple getting married in an elaborate russian orthodox ceremony and reception rolled into a bit of a sendoff party for michael robert deniro, nicky christopher walken, and steven john savage, also the groom before they are sent over to vietnam. The office of film promotion, pennsylvania department of commerce john d. The deer hunter 1978 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
Behind the scenes of the deer hunter american society of. The towns bowling alley is the bowladrome lanes, 56 state street, struthers, ohio the deer hunt itself, though set in the allegheny mountains, was shot 10,000 feet above sea level in the heather meadows area of mount baker, washington state, close to the british columbian border the vietnam scenes filmed in thailand, with bangkok standing in for saigon, and in the. The deer hunter, wall street journal wsj, december 15, 1978, 19. On location in the ohio valley news, sports, jobs the. Cast as longtime friends, the actors kept childhood pictures of one another. The film s oscarwinning editor, peter zinner, recalls reading deric washburns screenplay. The film received critical acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for ciminos direction, the performances of its cast, particularly from. The movie was released in 1978, and stars some of hollywoods best actors. I struggle to see what the point of deer hunter is. The deer hunter, american dramatic film, released in 1978, that focused on the devastating effects of the vietnam war on the young american men sent to fight in it. He appeared in five films over six years, all of which were nominated for the academy award for best picture.
John was the actor who became who he was playing, pacino would say, his voice brimming with awe decades on. Sadly, the legacy of lies he brought to the deer hunter 1978 lives on. You can view additional information about each the deer hunter actor on this list, such as when and where they were born. It is one of the most emotionally shattering films ever made. Jun 14, 2019 the deer hunter cast list, listed alphabetically with photos when available. The response to the deer hunter amounted to a serious public debate over the vietnam war that extended beyond film critics to engage a wide range of viewers. Forty years on, its star has opened his personal archive for a new book, one shot. This list of the deer hunter actors includes any the deer hunter actresses and all other actors from the film. Cimino helped develop the story ideas behind the deer hunter, which was based partly on another script, the man who came to play its authors received costory credits. It wasnt a debate that simply mirrored prior pro and antiwar positions. Stevie leaving a newwife to run with the bigdogs, nick running from lostlove, mike running from.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the deer hunter near you. The acting is firstrate throughout, boasting some of the most talented young actors there were in the late 1970s. If you want to answer the questions, who starred in the movie the deer hunter. The godfather 1972, the conversation 1974, the godfather part ii 1974, dog day afternoon 1975, and the deer hunter 1978. Much of its success the deer hunter owes to its stellar cast. The deer hunter, american film 1978 that focuses on the effects of the vietnam war on the american men who fought in it. Now, 40 years after the film exposed the savagery and horror of the vietnam war, two of the actors, john savage and george dzundza, reveal the real battles which went on behind the cameras. A group of workingclass friends decides to enlist in the ar. I feel born on the 4th july did the whole affected by war thing so much more indepth and with more honesty. The films oscarwinning editor, peter zinner, recalls reading deric washburns screenplay. The deer hunter, actors then and now time machine 1978.
Factory has announced it is bringing the five oscarwinning the deer hunter to 4k uhd for the first time in a new collectors edition, which is set to hit. A lessthancheery narrative shouldnt deter you, however, from discovering or revisiting the film, and specifically walkens performance. Why the deer hunters russian roulette scenes can still. The lives of three great friends are ruined when the pennsylvania steelworkers join the army, see hideous combat in vietnam, and suffer posttraumatic stress. The deer hunter is the vietnam war film that i liked much better than apocalypse now by virtue of its peek into smalltown american life during the same period, without all the propaganda. I think of it as a movie concerned with peopletheir inner workings and what motivates them, what makes them tick. The deer hunter, as a film, engages a number of narrative tropes that are by now familiar to reading as well as viewing audiences. The deer hunt itself, though set in the allegheny mountains, was shot 10,000 feet above sea level in the heather meadows area of mount baker, washington state. Dec 22, 2010 after finally viewing the critically acclaimed the deer hunter for the first time yes, i apparently have had some sort of prejudice against films from the 60s and 70s. Appreciated, deer hunter isnt really about vietnam, but its a long and unfulfilling watch. One of the first films to employ the subject of vietnam war into its premise, the deer hunter tells the story of three young factory workers in pennsylvania who enlist into the army to fight the ongoing war in vietnam, only to discover that war isnt a noble venture they imagined but a hellish chaos which in the end, completely changes their overall personalities. Bobby, chris, and john all give fine performances with an outstanding supporting cast comprised of george dzunda crimson tide, the limbic region meryl streep kramer vs. The deer hunter starting one of my favorite actors robert deniro touches on disturbing and violent topics that need to be touched on.
Parents need to know that the deer hunter, director michael ciminos 183minute, 1978 epic, uses extreme violence to underscore the brutality of war and mens best and worst tendencies. The deer hunter moves from the steel mills outside of pittsburgh to the. By doing so, the deer hunter remains one of the best antiwar films that have been made, a story anchored in the heart of america and, as a film, having its place among the best films of the 1970s. Vietnam war impacts and disrupts the lives of people in a small industrial town in pennsylvania. Jun 10, 2017 this weeks film dissection is an analysis of the extraordinary russian roulette scene from michael ciminos the deer hunter.
His performance garnered an academy award, for best supporting actor. Baker, the jampacked streets of bangkok and a raging river with water up to the matte box. The deer hunter 1978 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Its hard to believe that you could of put an allstar cast together today, like the collection of talent in this film. One of several 1978 films dealing with the vietnam war including hal ashbys oscarwinning, michael ciminos epic second feature the deer hunter was both renowned for its tough portrayal of the wars effect on american working class steel workers and notorious for its ahistorical use of russian roulette in the vietnam sequences. It is the record of how the war in vietnam entered several lives and altered them terribly forever. He never again made a film that earned the attention of the deer hunter 1978 and was a virtual pariah until his death in 2016. But here, the actor and others involved in the legendary film. One of the first scholarly articles about the film argued that it was a critique of richard slotkins concept of regeneration through violence that michael has.
It was a debate that the makers and marketers of the deer hunter made every effort to avoid by describing the film as apolitical, as. Unlike the vietnam catered movies that follow up the deer hunter, this movie anchors its roots in its characters and not the actual war itself. Cavatina had been written for the 1970 film, the walking stick, by british composer stanley myers, but was popularised by the deer hunter. The deer hunter cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. One of afis top 100 films of all time, the deer hunter follows a group of pennsylvania steelworkers from their bluecollar lives, hunting in the woods of the alleghenies, to the hell of southeast asia during the vietnam war. It looks at some of the techniques used in the scene, and also the. Cimino manipulates the narrative, but its feelings for time, place and bluecollar people are genuine, and its vision is that of an original, major new film maker. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of the deer hunter with exclusive news, pictures, videos and more at. See the full list of the deer hunter cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. The deer hunter is said to be about a lot of things. The deer hunter cast and crew cast photos and info. And some of the dialoguemeryl streeps in particularwouldnt work on the page, and only firstrate acting by an inspired ensemblehas there ever been a better.
Nov 11, 2012 no film has ever created such praise and negative criticism than michael ciminos the deer hunter. Jul 07, 2016 maryl jo fox, lessons of deer hunter, lat, may, 1979, n39, n44. Michael ciminos the deer hunter is one of the most. After 36 years, the deer hunter remains one of the most. Even jacobs ladder explores the effects more honestly, despite being a fiction. The deer hunter 1978 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors. The oscarwinning actor, who appeared in the 1978 war drama alongside christopher walken and meryl streep, recalled the moment in behindthescenes compendium one shot. The film is structured around the metaphor of deer hunting both from the viewpoint of the hunter and from the perspective of the game target. Michael ciminos the deer hunter is a threehour movie in three major movements. Southern comfort, with powers booth, his quote about spending my weekends with guntottin red necks adds a amplified detail to the dhdilemmas. For the actor, the deer hunter came just before raging bull, for which he won his first and thus far only lead actor oscar. The deer hunter is available on hbo through november 30. The deer hunter earned three welldeserved acting nominations. Kramer, out of africa and of course the late john cazale the conversation, dog day afternoon.
Aug, 2018 no question, cimino is a craftsman, but he has little or no talent with actors, no means to be subtle, and no real storytelling technique. The film won four other oscars, including best director for. Factory has announced it is bringing the five oscarwinning the deer hunter to 4k uhd for the first time in a. It set a provocative standard for actors depicting veterans and allowed walken to prove hes far more than a character actor. Bowladrome lanes, state street, struthers, ohio the towns bowling alley is the bowladrome lanes, 56 state street, struthers, ohio. Why the deer hunters russian roulette scenes can still blow. The controversy of the russian roulette scenes has faded as time has passed and the deer hunter has taken its place in the annals of american film history, as has cimino himself. The deer hunter, hollywoods first epic venture into the vexed territory of the vietnam war, is a film of lacerating and astonishing brilliance. Winner of five academy awards, including best picture and best director, and one of afis top 100 films of all time, the deer hunter follows a group of pennsylvania steelworkers from their bluecollar lives, hunting in the woods of the alleghenies, to the hells of southeast asia during the vietnam war. Factory bringing the deer hunter to 4k uhd for first time.
The film opens with the three main characters and some friends leaving a steel mill, they go to a bar and drink, we get a quick scene of meryl streep getting beaten up by her dad, then back to the main characters. Jun 23, 2017 behind the scenes of the deer hunter june 23, 2017 asc staff the challenge included shooting inside a cramped trailer, an immense cathedral, a steel mill, the icy slopes of mt. When the movie was released, the russian roulette scenes sparked major. The deer hunter is a movie of three acts with the main characters being robert deniro, christopher walken and some other guy.