esanthosh
Herald
Two anti-war movies each with a different style...
The Deer Hunter (1978) - 10/10
There are certain "problems" with this movie. First off, it's not an anti-war movie which shows you tragedies and atrocities of war, but rather focuses on lives of a few friends. Secondly, it takes it's own sweet time to get going. The first hour is devoted to a marriage, then a hunting trip, then suddenly cuts to Vietnam and back again. Thirdly, the war scenes and the Russian Roulette that follows may not be historically correct. Fourthly, it runs for 3 hours.
Despite all this, fantastic performances all around. I found Meryl Streep's lines to be a little more natural and later read that she in fact, improvised many of her lines. Several times in the movie, I found it to be realistic as far as the situation allows. All those slaps that actors get are real, some of the stunts are real and all Micheal Cimino does is to capture everything in a completely detached manner. Good performance is not only from De Niro, but also from Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep and not to forget, George Dzundza.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - 9/10
This one on the other hand takes the usual approach. Based on a book, it is an American film about German soldiers during World War I - that itself is something different. Several young students are given a long patriotic speech by their professor to enlist in the army. There they undergo gradual disillusionment starting with training (their postman is their training sergeant and shows his new found authority by making them crawl through mud often), years of war (first the fear of bomb shells, then seeing their friends getting wounded or dead around them). The necessity of war is questioned often and in one scene, the protagonist cries after killing an enemy soldier. The movie does not paint a glorious or heroic picture of war, just it's lack of sense, nastiness and the effect on ordinary young people.
Other films -
Brokeback Mountain - 6/10
Great visuals in the first half, good acting. Call me prejudiced, but I had difficulty adjusting to a gay cowboy love story. 'Brokeback Motel' with two hot female leads? That was fantastic, but should not be rated - did not have theatrical release :ashamed:
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 7/10
#8 in the IMDB Top 250. So, it must be great, right? Well! It is a very good movie that shows the fight between a free spirited McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and an authoritative, repressive nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) inside a mental asylum. McMurphy comes from prison faking mental illness to avoid work and continues his charming ways with the patients. It's supposed to be a powerful film, but did not influence me greatly to place it in my personal Top 100.
The Deer Hunter (1978) - 10/10
There are certain "problems" with this movie. First off, it's not an anti-war movie which shows you tragedies and atrocities of war, but rather focuses on lives of a few friends. Secondly, it takes it's own sweet time to get going. The first hour is devoted to a marriage, then a hunting trip, then suddenly cuts to Vietnam and back again. Thirdly, the war scenes and the Russian Roulette that follows may not be historically correct. Fourthly, it runs for 3 hours.
Despite all this, fantastic performances all around. I found Meryl Streep's lines to be a little more natural and later read that she in fact, improvised many of her lines. Several times in the movie, I found it to be realistic as far as the situation allows. All those slaps that actors get are real, some of the stunts are real and all Micheal Cimino does is to capture everything in a completely detached manner. Good performance is not only from De Niro, but also from Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep and not to forget, George Dzundza.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - 9/10
This one on the other hand takes the usual approach. Based on a book, it is an American film about German soldiers during World War I - that itself is something different. Several young students are given a long patriotic speech by their professor to enlist in the army. There they undergo gradual disillusionment starting with training (their postman is their training sergeant and shows his new found authority by making them crawl through mud often), years of war (first the fear of bomb shells, then seeing their friends getting wounded or dead around them). The necessity of war is questioned often and in one scene, the protagonist cries after killing an enemy soldier. The movie does not paint a glorious or heroic picture of war, just it's lack of sense, nastiness and the effect on ordinary young people.
Other films -
Brokeback Mountain - 6/10
Great visuals in the first half, good acting. Call me prejudiced, but I had difficulty adjusting to a gay cowboy love story. 'Brokeback Motel' with two hot female leads? That was fantastic, but should not be rated - did not have theatrical release :ashamed:
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - 7/10
#8 in the IMDB Top 250. So, it must be great, right? Well! It is a very good movie that shows the fight between a free spirited McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and an authoritative, repressive nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) inside a mental asylum. McMurphy comes from prison faking mental illness to avoid work and continues his charming ways with the patients. It's supposed to be a powerful film, but did not influence me greatly to place it in my personal Top 100.
) thing could have been made better.
