At the beginning of this project, I actually thought that I would not procrastinate and get my work done diligently. Clearly, that has not worked out too well. I started out by following the deadlines I had laid out in the first blog, but I gradually got worse and worse. Now I’m a little more than a week away and I still have to paint two more posters and write up another analysis for a movie. Wish me luck ‘cause I’m sure as hell going to need it.
This is now my third movie analysis/minimization and I feel like I’m getting better and more efficient and condensing a movie into an image that can encompass the thematic messages. Because I can get this process done faster, it leaves me more time to spend painting.
This week’s movie is…
Title: The Deer Hunter
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Robert De Niro | Christopher Walken | Meryl Streep
Release Date: February 23rd, 1979
This three-hour movie does not only contain one of the best acting performances ever, but Michael Cimino mastery is seen through the suspense built in each scene and the beautiful cinematography throughout the film. The director uses ideas of friendship, love, and trauma to show the effects of the Vietnam War and the bloodshed it has brought. The two main characters played by Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro had amazing and shocking character arcs throughout this war epic which makes it one of my favorite films of all time.
Step #1: Minimizing the Movie
Just like before, I chose three scenes that were my favorite but also represented the movie in the best way. Below are the video clips for each scene
(**WARNING: There is VIOLENCE AND BLOOD and the scenes may be DISTURBING**)
(**There are also SPOILERS**)
- Three-Bullet Russian Roulette (This will work in Microsoft Edge, not Google Chrome)
- Chopin's Nocturne No. 6 Op. 15-3
- One Last Shot (This will work in Microsoft Edge, not Google Chrome)
Step #1: Analyzing the Scenes
Take a gander below for the analysis of these three scenes, but beware because there are spoilers:
- A friendship requires trust, and true friends will stay loyal to each other despite dire situations
- Throughout this 3 hour epic, the relationship between Michael (De Niro) and Nicki (Walken) is very prevelent and Cimino uses the Vietnam War to show the trials that these friends face. In this first scene, the two life-long friends become POW's in Vietnam, and their captors entertain themselves by forcing the prisoners to play Russian Roulette. Determined to get out, Michael decides to play with three bullets (thats a 50% chance of dying) in hopes to get a least two misses leaving 3/4 bullets left to use to shoot the Vietnamese. First off, the acting in this scene by both actors is absolutely phenominal, and they help to show the detrimental effects of the war through Nicki's resistence to play. Yet despite the odds, Michael and Nicki still have faith in each other. Even though they were on the brink of death, Nicki was able to trust Michael's plan. Their actions contrast with the other POW's in the previous scenes that bailed out and were punished. Their friendship is able to stand these tests to highlight the characteristics of a true friendship. This is one of the most suspenseful scenes and Cimino utilizes the lack of background noise to help build up that suspense which emphasizes the emotions and actions of the two main characters.
- The love and peace that your friends and your home can give you doesn't compare to anything else
- Right before Act II (The War Act) begins, Michael, Nicki, and their friends run into a bar and start spraying beer at each other to have some fun before they leave to Vietnam. The loud shouts are soon quieted by John's piano playing. Soon, the entire room is silent except for the beautiful and tranquil Chopin piece. The camera pans across the room to show everyone's faces in awe as they share this moment of calm before the storm. The atmosphere and mood of this scene is very uplifting because the director highlights the companionship of these men and this scene greatly contrasts with the war scenes that follow and their violent nature. The audience gets a very warm feeling from the music that matches the emotions of the characters in the scene. The multiple uses of tranquil scenes and violent scenes are used back and forth throughout the movie, and I think that Cimino's intention was to have the two types of scenes emphasize each other in order to highlight the companionship between the characters.
- Michael Cimino shows the effect of war trauma on a friendship and the darkness that can come from it
- The conclusion to this movie begins with Michael's trip back to Vietnam to find Nicki (who has been gone for some time). He finds him with trauma and a lack of memory due to his continual playing of Russian Roulette for gamblers to bet money. Michael's failed attempts to make Nicki remember forces him to play a game against his friend. This act shows a great amount of loyalty and love for his friend and this repeated situation of the two friends playing against each other seemed to hold much more weight in this scene that the other. As they take turns, the love and hope that Nicki will remember is clear in Michael's tone and his willingness to die for his friend. Nicki's cold, emotionless stare contrasts with Michael's sad and loving eyes to show the effect of trauma on soldiers and how it has affected these two friends. I think that Nicki's death is what makes this an anti-war film because Cimino tries to show how the Vietnam War has affected friends and families.
Ok, so this was definitely the hardest decision I had to make out of the three movies I have done so far. All the scenes above were so meaningful and memorable and I think I spent an entire day trying to figure out what to do for this poster. Because it was such a tough choice, I decided to cheat a little bit and combine the two Russian Roulette Scenes. Although that might make it less minimal, the two scenes are very similar and mirror each other in many ways. I think that the change in mood/tone between the scenes and the different endings help to embody the ideas of companionship and the detrimental trauma caused by the Vietnam War. Exactly how I'll incorporate both scenes will be saved for the next blog post, but I definitely want to use images/objects that remind viewers of the suspense built and the triumph/sadness felt in both scenes.
God, this was a great effin' movie. But anyway, look out for a blog this weekend for the painting because I'm behind schedule. Thanks for "keeping up with my project".
Movie Recommendation #6:
Title: Raging Bull
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro | Joe Pesci
Date Released: December 19th, 1980Starring: Robert De Niro | Joe Pesci
Sources:
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