The Deer Hunter (1978)

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Michael Cimino (story) &
Deric Washburn (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 February 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Best Picture 1978

Plot:

An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Escape | Russian Roulette | Bar | Party

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Michael
John Cazale	...	Stan
John Savage	...	Steven
Christopher Walken	...	Nick
Meryl Streep	...	Linda
George Dzundza	...	John
Chuck Aspegren	...	Axel
Shirley Stoler	...	Steven's Mother
Rutanya Alda	...	Angela
Pierre Segui	...	Julien
Mady Kaplan	...	Axel's Girl
Amy Wright	...	Bridesmaid
Mary Ann Haenel	...	Stan's Girl
Richard Kuss	...	Linda's Father
Joe Grifasi	...	Bandleader
Christopher Colombi Jr.	...	Wedding Man
Victoria Karnafel	...	Sad Looking Girl
Jack Scardino	...	Cold Old Man
Joe Strnad	...	Bingo Caller
Helen Tomko	...	Helen
Paul D'Amato	...	Sergeant
Dennis Watlington	...	Cab Driver
Charlene Darrow	...	Red Head
Jane-Colette Disko	...	Girl Checker
Michael Wollet	...	Stock Boy
Robert Beard	...	World War Veteran
Joe Dzizmba	...	World War Veteran
Father Stephen Kopestonsky	...	Priest
John F. Buchmelter III	...	Bar Patron
Frank Devore	...	Barman
Tom Becker	...	Doctor
Lynn Kongkham	...	Nurse
Nongnuj Timruang	...	Bar Girl
Po Pao Pee	...	Chinese Referee
Dale Burroughs	...	Embassy Guard
Parris Hicks	...	Sergeant
Samui Muang-Intata	...	Chinese Bodyguard
Sapox Colisium	...	Chinese Man
Vitoon Winwitoon	...	NVA Officer
Somsak Sengvilai	...	V.C. Referee
Charan Nusvanon	...	Chinese Boss
Jiam Gongtongsmoot	...	Chinese Man At Door
Chai Peyawan	...	South Vietnamese Prisoner
Mana Hansa	...	South Vietnamese Prisoner
Sombot Jumpanoi	...	South Vietnamese Prisoner
Phip Manee	...	Woman In Village
Ding Santos	...	V.C. Guard
Krieng Chaiyapuk	...	V.C. Guard
Ot Palapoo	...	V.C. Guard
Chok Chai Mahasoke	...	V.C. Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Cummings	...	US Embassy Guard (uncredited)
James Kall	...	Altar Boy (uncredited)
Tom Madden	...	Steelworker (uncredited)
Kurtwood Smith	...	POW in river cage (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Directed by
Michael Cimino

Writing credits
Michael Cimino		(story) &
Deric Washburn		(story) and
Louis Garfinkle		(story) &
Quinn K. Redeker		(story)
Deric Washburn		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joann Carelli	....	associate producer
Michael Cimino	....	producer
Michael Deeley	....	producer
John Peverall	....	producer
Marion Rosenberg	....	associate producer
Barry Spikings	....	producer

Original Music by
Stanley Myers

Cinematography by
Vilmos Zsigmond

Film Editing by
Peter Zinner

Casting by
Cis Corman

Art Direction by
Ron Hobbs
Kim Swados

Makeup Department
Del Acevedo	....	makeup artist
Edwin Butterworth	....	makeup artist (as Ed Butterworth)
Mary Keats	....	hair stylist
Dick Smith	....	special makeup artist: Thailand
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	special makeup artist: Thailand (as Daniel Striepeke)

Production Management
David Anderson	....	production supervisor: Thailand
Claude Binyon Jr.	....	production manager: USA
Ira Loonstein	....	unit production manager: Thailand
Bill Lukather	....	unit production manager: USA
Michael Orlando	....	production supervisor: Thailand
Elliot Schick	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Grillo	....	second assistant director (as Mike Grillo)
Charles Okun	....	assistant director
Chase Newhart	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gus Basso	....	greensman
John Blezard	....	assistant art director: Thailand
Ron Galloway	....	property master: Thailand
Richard C. Goddard	....	set decorator: USA (as Dick Goddard)
Alan Hicks	....	set decorator: Thailand
Art Lipschultz	....	property master: USA
Harold McConnell	....	leadman: Thailand
Bud Peifer Jr.	....	property master: USA (as Bud Peifer)
George Stokes	....	construction coordinator: USA
James T. Woods	....	painter: Thailand (as Jimmy Woods)
Mickey Woods	....	construction coordinator: Thailand
Robert M. Anderson	....	property master: Thailand (uncredited)
Donald B. Nunley	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Donald L. Bolger	....	boom operator (as Don Bolger)
Teri E. Dorman	....	sound editor
James Fritch	....	sound editor
Stephen Katz	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Steve Katz)
James J. Klinger	....	supervising sound effects editor
C. Darin Knight	....	sound mixer (as Darrin Knight)
Bobbe Kurtz	....	looping editor
William L. McCaughey	....	sound re-recording mixer (as William McCaughey)
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Frank M. Reale	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Frank Reale)
Aaron Rochin	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Fred Cramer	....	special effects
Gary Elmendorf	....	assistant special effects
Jay King	....	assistant special effects: Thailand
Bob Myers	....	special effects crew
Ian Wingrove	....	pyro supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Max Balchowsky	....	stunts
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (as Jerry Bruthsche)
Howard Curtis	....	stunts
Ted Duncan	....	stunts
Bob Harris	....	stunts
Carey Loftin	....	stunt coordinator: USA
Troy Melton	....	stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator: Thailand
Jack Verbois	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jay King	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrique Bravo	....	camera operator (as Ricky Bravo)
Greer Cavagnaro	....	still photographer: USA
Katrina Franken	....	still photographer: Thailand
Michael Gershman	....	assistant camera (as Mike Gershman)
Philip Jones Griffiths	....	special still photographer
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer: USA
Daniel R. Jordan	....	grip (as Danny Jordan)
Keith Kelsay	....	assistant camera
Jack Kirk	....	electrician
Dieter Ludwig	....	still photographer: Thailand
Rick Martens	....	gaffer
Danny Marzolo	....	electrician
Nick McLean	....	camera operator
Robert Moore	....	key grip (as Bob Moore)
Fred Muncey	....	best boy electric
Lou Noto	....	assistant camera
Fred Schuler	....	camera operator
Don Whipple	....	best boy grip
Larry Whitehead	....	electrician
Tim Ryan	....	dolly grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Michael Denison	....	casting assistant: Thailand
Beth Donohue	....	casting assistant: Thailand

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandy Berke Jordan	....	costumer: women (as Sandy Berke)
Laurie Riley	....	costumer: men
Eric Seelig	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Thomas K. Avildsen	....	assistant editor
Penelope Shaw	....	assistant editor
Florence Williamson	....	assistant editor (as Flo Williamson)

Music Department
William Saracino	....	supervising music editor
John Williams	....	musician: title theme

Transportation Department
Frank 'Cat' Ballou	....	transportation coordinator: USA
Arthur Dunne	....	transportation coordinator: Thailand (as Arthur Dunn)

Other crew
Barry Butler	....	production assistant: Thailand
Joann Carelli	....	production consultant
Eleanor Dawson	....	advisor: Vietnam
Richard Dioguardi	....	technical advisor: military
Exa Durham	....	production secretary
Frank Ernst	....	location manager: Thailand
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Michael Flynn	....	production assistant: Thailand (as Mike Flynn)
Patrick Gauvain	....	production assistant: Thailand
Ralph Naradini	....	marine engineer
Patty Nelson	....	secretary: Mr. Cimino
June Samson	....	script supervisor
Nanette Siegert	....	production coordinator
M.R. Boonyalak Sukawasdi	....	location manager: Thailand
Mr. Thompson	....	production liaison
Mr. Thompson	....	technical advisor: Thailand
Robert Werden	....	unit publicist (as Bob Werden)
David Hakim	....	publicity writer (uncredited)
Charles Hubbard	....	location manager: Thailand (uncredited)
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer (uncredited)

Thanks
Hilary Brown	....	grateful acknowledgment: The ABC Evening News (as Hillary Brown)
Sherman Grinberg	....	grateful acknowledgment: The ABC Evening News
Father Stephen Kopestonsky	....	grateful acknowledgment: St. Theodosius Cathedral (as Reverend T. Stephen Kopestonsky)
Ken Kovach	....	grateful acknowledgment: Choir Director, St. Theodosius Cathedral
Michelle Kuhar	....	grateful acknowledgment: The Ohio Film Bureau
Tim Potts	....	grateful acknowledgment: The Office of Film Promotion, PDC
Jay Rockefeller	....	grateful acknowledgment (as Governor John D. Rockefeller III)
Mr. Thompson	....	grateful acknowledgment

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia-EMI-Warner (1979) (UK) (theatrical)
• Kinosto (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Les Artistes Associés S.A.B. (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (198?) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Ekaterinburg Art Home Video (EAHV) (Russia) (VHS)
• Future Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2009) (Thailand) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lumiere Home Video (Australia) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1984) (Finland) (TV) (MTV1)
• Nelonen (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1989) (Finland) (VHS)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia
• Universal Films Española (Spain)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (2 disc edition)
• Warner Home Video
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2008) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Choir and Congregation of St. Theodosius Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio, The  grateful acknowledgment
• Citizens of Bangkok, The  grateful acknowledgment
• Government of Thailand, The  grateful acknowledgment
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios  post-production sound (as MGM Studios)
• Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, The Office of Film Promotion  grateful acknowledgment
• People of Mingo Junction, Ohio, The  grateful acknowledgment
• People of the State of West Virginia, The  grateful acknowledgment
• Royal Thai Police, The - Aviation Division  grateful acknowledgment
• The United States Department of Interior, National Park Service  grateful acknowledgment (as North Cascades National Park, United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service)
• United States Steel  grateful acknowledgment (as United States Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio)
• Veterans Administration Hospital, Cleveland, OH, The  grateful acknowledgment

Also Known As:

The Man Who Came to Play (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

182 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Russian | Vietnamese | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Finland:K-15 (2001) | Finland:K-16 (1989) | Finland:K-18 (1979) | Brazil:18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 (video rating) | New Zealand:R18 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

993 N. 7th Street, Steubenville, Ohio, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

George Dzundza completely blows the toast line when the group arrives in the mountains the first time. His reaction is legitimate, and a few of the other actors can be seen laughing in response.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: While hunting in Pennsylvania, glaciated mountain peaks which do not exist in Pennsylvania are visible.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael: Hey, watch out, Axel. We'll be calling him old fireballs after tonight.
Axel: Fuckin' A.
Michael: Not bad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Standing Still (2005/II)

Soundtrack:

GOD BLESS AMERICA

to call it masterpiece is to state the obvious

Of the first two American films about the Vietnam war with a priceless artistic weight, "the Deer Hunter" wins hands down over "Apocalypse Now" (1979) although Francis Ford Coppola's work is very potent too.

But would it be judicious to pigeonhole Michael Cimino's work in the category of the war movie? Unlike Coppola's visual nightmare, only the central part takes place in Vietnam and the filmmaker barely shoots one fight sequence before Mike (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Stevie (John Savage) are prisoners of the enemy and are forced to play Russian roulette in the notorious unbearable scene. Actually "the Deer Hunter" is a film straddling two movie genres: the war movie and the social drama. Rather than shooting a political film, Cimino chose to represent us the deadly impact this nightmarish war had on an American community whose hopes and values disappeared.

Dividing his work in three parts: before, during, after and thanks to symbolical images, scenes or even eloquent details, Cimino used and honed his own cinematographic language to set out his stalls and the result can only command respect and admiration. Each sequence could be separately taken and carefully studied like the representation of the humdrum but reassuring living standards of the blue-collars with their everyday rituals (Cimino's obsession with rites and customs) revolving around factory, bar, friends and hunting (you have to admire the startling contrast between the dirty little town and the gorgeous, wild landscapes). Archetypal sequences that epitomize life and it reaches its height in the famous, unusually long wedding sequence. Perhaps Cimino wanted to stretch this sequence to make his characters take advantage of this rapture moment. But even during this state of bliss that lives inside them, the imminent tragedy ominously lurks: Mike and Nick gently laugh at an officer who remains dumb and when Stevie and his wife have to drink in a dish, some drops fall on her wedding dress. This sequence also epitomizes the polar opposite to the sequence of the Russian roulette in which death is just around the corner. After the war when Mike comes back to the small town, he's completely altered. Before, a devotee of deer hunting; after his traumatizing experience, he can't kill one. He's unable to talk about about what he went through and for his sidekicks, the experience of a war like this one is incomprehensible. Cimino eschews classical, predictable storytelling and hasn't recourse to psychological study. Nearly everything occurs in gestures and looks while the suggested has a meaty part in the dialogs. Besides, during the whole movie the topic of the war is barely mentioned by the characters. A lyrical whiff blows on the film, dovetailed by Cimino's astounding directing.

Cimino was consumed with ambition and went at it hammer and tongs to get his crew completely involved in his project. He was hard on his actors (Robert De Niro has often said that "the Deer Hunter" was his most grueling role to date) and was obsessed with absolute control. But the efforts weren't vain at all and gave a heartfelt, invaluable yardstick in war movie, even American cinema which reached the streets when America rose from its ruins. It was also the beginning of the end for Cimino, a filmmaker ahead of his time and on the fringe of cinematographic trends.