Chapter forty: The Deer Hunter

Hello, happy belated Thanksgiving! There's no doubt your Thanksgiving was probably different this year, but there's still plenty to be thankful for. Christmas is now upon us, especially in my household. I've been drinking lots of hot cocoa and getting some cozy sweaters out from my closet. These, of course, are basic activities that girls do around Christmas, so by telling you this I'm only strengthening the stereotype, but so be it. This week is The Deer Hunter. It's a multi-award-winning, highly emotional film directed by Michael Cimino. It raked in Oscars, Golden Globes, and more. It's also a favorite of mine and my parents, so I've got some shoes to fill with this entry.

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The story is about a group of steel-working friends in 1968: Stanley, Steven, Nick, Michael, and Axel (John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro, and Chuck Aspegren) as Stephen, Nick, and Michael prepare to be sent off to fight in the Vietnam War shortly Steven's wedding. One thing that I find particularly interesting about the three-hour-long movie is that there are three major parts to it: a wedding, a war, and the aftermath of the war. This being said, one hour represents one major plot point. It probably doesn't need to be that way, but because it is, it really immerses you into the scene and adds depth. It makes you feel like a part of the big Polish wedding or a prisoner of war. At least, for me, it feels that way.

The wedding -ugh- what I would give to dance like that. I just love weddings. This portion of the movie truly sets the stage in terms of the fact that everyone at the wedding is happy-go-lucky, then you start to see how war and service affect the three men. For example, at the bar, Michael, Steven, and Nick all meet with a Vietnam soldier asking for advice, but he stays mute. Later, Michael becomes that soldier for a different crowd of men.

Aside from that, three other significant things happen in the premise. Nick has asked his girlfriend Linda (Meryl) to marry him when he gets back, Nick asks Michael to keep him sane at war, and Steven's new wife Angela (Rutanya Alda) takes a sip of wine that ends up on her dress which according to the custom, signifies bad luck for the rest of their marriage. The men go on their annual hunting trip the next day to celebrate, and Michael shoots a deer.

In midst of the Vietnam bombings, Nick, Steven, and Michael cross paths for what appears to be the first time in battle since the hunting trip. All three are taken as prisoners of war... Russian Roulette is the most horrifying, god-awful thing in the entire world, and that's all I'm going to say about that. They're held captive in this sort of sea-barrier, if you will, awaiting their turn to play the game that will inevitably cause death. Steven, rightfully, breaks down while Michael appears to figure out some sort of strategy to cheat the system. Though, I honestly couldn't tell you what it was. I was too busy crying.

Then, to the credit of Michael's quick thinking, the three men escape, all alive, but with Steven badly wounded. The wave down a helicopter for rescue, but it can only fit Nick. Heartbreakingly, this scene makes their journeys now different from each other. Nick is taken to the hospital and is labeled as going AWOL and later finds himself playing Russian Roulette for a living. Steven is carried to a hospital the day after the men separate, and Michael is the only one of the three to return home. Though, he waits for a while before making his appearance. At this point, it's only clear that Michael is alive; the whereabouts of Nick and Steven are unknown to their friends. This makes Linda anxious, and Michael does his best to comfort her. They become intimate.

Angela, meanwhile, has become indolent and mute...poor thing. She's rightfully distraught and refuses to give her husband's location to anybody but Michael upon his insistence. Since Steven's departure, the couple now has a toddler, which has been subtly placed into the movie but adds another layer of impact and punch of sadness.

At their annual hunting trip which Stanley and Michael partake in, Michael comes face to face with a deer, but unlike at the beginning of the movie, he can no longer bring himself to shoot the animal. This is another detail that has been subtly placed into the film, but I believe it shows Michael's growth as a person and understanding of life's delicacy since he has come face to face with death.

Michael later visits Steven at a hospital that he doesn't want to leave. It's Micheal's better judgment that sends him home as Steven shows him all of the cash he's got stowed away from a mysterious source. It's from Nick.

Michael then ventures to retrieve Nick from Vietnam, but he's too late. So many years of absentmindedly, coldly playing games of Russian Roulette for the entertainment and money of others has brainwashed him and his ability to remember much of his past. When he starts to come around to recognizing Michael's features, the game has caught up with him...devastating.

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This movie started with a wedding and ended with a funeral. If that isn't the definition of a lively tragedy, then I don't know what is.

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Interesting Facts:

• Again, this movie is highly, deservingly critically acclaimed.

• This movie was Meryl's second film.

• John Cazale, who played Stanley, was Meryl's significant other from 1976 until his death of lung cancer in March of 1978 - almost a year before the movie was even released. He hid the severity of his disease from the production and was still requested for the role by the director and cast members. When you watch the film, he's still here in that way. May he Rest In Peace. Six months later, Meryl married a friend of her brother's who helped her mourn, Don Gummer, and they're still married today.

As always, thank you for the entertainment, Meryl.