DVD Review HTF REVIEW: The Deer Hunter (1 Viewer)

[Brian W.]

NAH... You're right, though. I know someone here in Hollywood who is a rather well-known animation voiceover artist, and he told me that his entry on IMDB is SO screwed up. He said, "They omitted some major movies I've done, and list me as being in some things I never even auditioned for."

Anyway, good review, Steve.

 

[Joel Vardy]

The Deer Hunter may not be the classical 'war picture' nor the classical development of a close-knit ethnic community around a steel town but what it is for me is intrusion of war on a community that otherwise has no national identity nor knows much of the geopolitical situation and how it affects their lives. The arc of using deer hunting (and ironically hunting filmed thousands of miles away) as a vehicle to wake up the community to factors outside of Clairton and in a way create a community-based 'coming of age' film, makes this a compelling story, IMHO. The first half of the film (as seen by some as slow and tedious) is wonderful and sets the stage for these colorful characters to become more than a cliche as we start to care about them. Comparing this film to AN is way off base, neither is about Vietnam but uses war as a vehicle to shape the story. AN is a very different type of story and is focused on individuals rather than a community.

Considering the place this title represents in our history and what once was a unanimous critical aclaim, I am a bit dismayed to find less than 20 minutes of extras on the second disk. This has got to be the biggest waste of the 2 disk format I've seen. Someone mentioned that there probably was a last minute withdrawal of content and that may be the case. I'm surprised a featurette wasn't included that at least interviewed some of the film legends here (3 come to mind right away). Having said that, the first disk is well done and deserving of a special edition on its own. Maybe the 2nd disk was left intact as a marketing ploy.

Joel