Just from analyzing the title, Deer Hunter,one would never assume that this film is about the Vietnam War. What is the title’s significance? The film broadens one’s horizon on a hunter’s point-of-view on nature and even life itself. Michael, the protagonist in Deer Hunter, thinks of himself as a very masculine character, and Michael shows it by conquering the elements of nature. This film delivers many different symbolic meanings on the subject of war, but the movie presents an underlining theme: war is not a hunt or a game. Michael Cimino, the director of Deer Hunter, uses violent scenes in the film to convey the reality of war and to make the theme more apparent. To analyze the theme of Deer Hunter, one must look at the basis of the film, which is the novel The Deerslayer, the significance of Russian roulette, and how the plot is used to convey theme.
Comparison to The Deerslayer
Deer Hunter‘sprotagonist Michael and The Deerslayer‘sprotagonist Natty,are very similar: both men are experienced hunters who want the thrill of killing a man through war, both men are made prisoners of war by the enemy, both men preferred male companions rather than female company, and both men have the “one shot” philosophy to measure their masculinity. Michael states to Nick in Deer Hunter while hunting, “You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it’s all about. A deer’s gotta be taken with one shot.” Nick questions Michael’s “one shot” philosophy and Michael says, “Two (shots) is pussy.” In other words, Deer Hunter and The Deerslayer portray protagonists who think killing is a game, and how well they kill presents how masculine they are. The titles of Deer Hunter and The Deerslayer show a hunter’s need for becoming one with his prey and to become an equal opponent for it. In the kill, the hunter takes the name of the prey for dominance as shown in the titles of the movie and book. In both cases, the prey they hunted is deer, and their dominance of deer led them to a new prey: human beings through war (Chong 94).
Significance of Russian Roulette
In the film, Michael, Nick, and Steven are forced to play Russian roulette when they are captured by the Vietnamese during war. Russian roulette proved to be more than the “one shot” philosophy that Michael used to measure his masculinity by hunting deer. By playing Russian roulette, Michael and his friend’s masculinity were measured by receiving the “one shot” to themselves without fear or hesitation. Russian roulette also symbolized the random nature of fate and that Russian roulette is politically motivated and senseless, which is a metaphor for war in general. The randomness of a game of odds is then tagged on to war, meaning that anything could happen at war (Chong 95). The Russian roulette scenes in this film are particularly violent to show the viewer how real the reality of war is. When the viewer watches these grotesque scenes of Russian roulette, it gives them a sense of fear and disgust, which is important to enhance the meaning of a brutal game of odds (Chong 93).
What the Film Says on War
When Michael returns home from Vietnam without Nick, he feels out of place. Michael returns home still wearing his uniform, symbolizing that what he went through in Vietnam has not left him, and the society Michael is used to, makes him feel like an outsider. Michael’s experience in the war changed his values for human life and nature. Michael is then afraid to go back to work at the steel mill because of the dangerous work he must do. When Linda, Michael’s wife, throws a welcome home party for him, Michael’s fellow workers who attend the party, chase a wounded deer in front of their cabin. The steel mill workers laugh at the helpless deer and Michael goes out to shoot it. Then Michael realizes that nature has an important part in society, so he shoots his gun in the air instead (Francis 20). After Michael scared the deer away, he then has to go and find Nick back in Vietnam.
When Michael returns to Vietnam to find Nick, Nick has become a mindless drone that is driven by the thrill of Russian roulette. Michael finds him and tries to bring him home, but Nick keeps playing Russian roulette. Nick still had the mind of the hunter, and he felt his masculinity would be at risk. Nick picks up the gun and his odds were up. Nick kills himself right in front of Michael from the gamble of Russian roulette. Nick’s death represents that everything Michael values has died, and Michael has nothing left but to worship the dead. In the final scene, the group gathers at a bar instead of a home, but this film displays bars as being more like home to the characters from the guys never being at home with their wives. In Vietnam, Michael’s and Steve’s relationship with their wives start to fail because of lack of communication between them. This quote sums up their failed relationship:
Michael and Linda’s relationship mirrored Steve and Angela’s relationship by their failed attempts to establish visual or verbal contact while in Vietnam. All the characters in the bar are incapable of true communication, and all they could talk about was the upcoming meal and the weather (Bruke 26).The filmmakers in this movie use violence and grotesque scenes to convey a very real message: war is not a game. This film also shows that experience can change a whole outlook on life or nature. Symbolism and plot development in this film also make the theme much more apparent and clear to the viewer. Masculinity in this film is a strong value of Michael, but when the loss of Nick sets in, masculinity means nothing. Michael realizes that his loved ones mean more to him than masculinity, and experience can change anyone’s outlook on how they view society, even a hunter like Michael.
Burke, Frank. “In Defense of The Deer Hunter OR: The Knee Jerk is Quicker than the Eye.” Literature Film Quarterly 11.1 (1983): 22. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010
Francis, Don. “The Regeneration of America: Uses of Landscape in The Deer Hunter.” Literature Film Quarterly 11.1 (1983): 16. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010..
Shin Huey Chong, Sylvia. “Restaging the War: The Deer Hunter and the Primal Scene of Violence.” Cinema Journal 44.2 (2005): 89-106. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010.
