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When Oliver
Stone's Platoon debuted in 1986, it began a wave of Vietnam
films devoted to "remembering" that particular war, some with
honor, some with regret. But of the myriad of films that took
that epic battle as their subject, two stood out above the
rest: Stone's self-proclaimed attempt to show the war "as
it really happened," and Stanley Kubrick's surrealistic vision
of the nightmare that was Vietnam, Full Metal Jacket.
Full Metal
Jacket opens with a bang. As the credits roll, new recruits
are being shaved in preparation for basic while "Goodbye My
Love and Hello Vietnam" plays in the background. As the music
ends, a pile of hair is quickly replaced by R. Lee Ermey as
the drill instructor, delivering one of the funniest monologues
in recent memory. He spills bile and abuse on each of the
recruits, reminding them of their lowly station as "grunts,"
for almost fifteen minutes. Ermey really shines here, doing
so well that he would go on to play a drill instructor in
at least three other films. As the training continues, we
soon latch on to Private Joker, played with a cynical innocence
by Matthew Modine. He quickly becomes our guide throughout
the film, occasionally addressing the viewer through editorial
voice-overs which change to reflect the changes his character
undergoes with each new experience.
The second
part of the film, beginning roughly forty minutes into the
movie, details many of the day to day activities of soldiers
in Vietnam. Joker has become a "killing machine," and he continues
to chronicle the life of a soldier once he is sent overseas.
This middle section is the weakest part of the film, tending
to meander from one experience to the next with the viewer's
only real tie being Joker. The third section, consisting of
the last 40 minutes, focuses on Joker and his squad as they
attempt to take out a sniper holed up in a ravaged and deserted
city.
Where Stone
went looking for reality, Kubrick goes for the feel of the
war. Kubrick and cinematographer Douglas Milsome have given
each and every scene a distinct look through a variety of
angles, colors and lighting. From the cool blues of some of
the more disturbing basic training scenes to the bright reds
of the confrontation with the sniper, the movie constantly
infuses each and every situation with its own unspoken commentary
on the proceedings. The final image of marching troops silhouetted
against a burning village is, like the rest of the film, haunting
and unforgettable.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Full Metal
Jacket is one of those movies that I have followed through
all of its various home video incarnations. I owned the original
video tape and snatched up its eventual laserdisc release
as soon as it was available. Now that the film is on DVD,
I was looking forward to its most recent incarnation. First,
the positives. The color fidelity has improved considerably
over the previous laserdisc release, with richer, more vibrant
hues and more natural looking fleshtones. There is also the
slightest improvement in detail.
Now, the
negatives, and there are several. The decision to release
the film full-frame, whether that decision was Kubricks or
not, was a poor one. Many of the images in the film show a
great deal of potential for some very striking composition
(in fact, this is how I remember seeing it in the theateră1.85:1
with some powerful framing). However, the slight cropping
of the sides, coupled with the opening up of the top and bottom,
frequently distracts where it should focus. This is perhaps
a bit unfair, as I am basing my opinion on a theatrical viewing
from over a decade ago, but I feel strongly that given Kubrick's
meticulous eye, the framing would have been strengthened by
the appropriate matting. The image in general looks hazy and
dated, with frequent artifacts indicating the use of the same
lackluster D2 master as the laser. Despite the increased color
fidelity, images still appear frequently washed out and dull.
Is it an improvement over the laser? Yes, but not by much.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The sound
is undistinguished mono with no lfe. Dialogue is often overly
bright and distracting with little to no variation in level.
This is a poor soundtrack even by mono standards.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The theatrical
trailer is the only supplement, and even that is lacking in
all respects.
Parting Thoughts
Given the general response to the Kubrick collection as a whole,
it is no surprise that Full Metal Jacket is a disappointment. If
the decisions were Warner's, the studio has a lot to answer for;
if they were Kubrick's, I would have expected more from one of the
greatest auteurs of our time.
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