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DVD Shopping Bag: Full Metal Jacket Blu-ray
Commentary from the cast and this critic By
Robert T. Trate
August 07, 2012
Source: Mania.com
Kubrick shines in 1080p
© Warner Home Entertainment
The first time I ever came across Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, I only saw the second half. I figured it was some Platoon rip off or one of those Nam Movies like Hamburger Hill or Casualties of Wars. I’m not knocking those movies, they’re just not Platoon. The second, longer half of Full Metal Jacket has no political motives or even message about the war. It is simply the life of these men. We witness their social structure and the terrible situation they are living in. It’s an incredible piece of cinema that really could take place during any war.
One night, much later and unbeknownst to me, I sat watching a film about life in the Marine Corp. You can see where this is going. I was blown away (pun intended) by the performances. It was a terrific tour de force of acting and I immediately became a fan of that drill instructor. This was long before the internet, digital cable, and IMDB so I had no way of knowing what the movie was (outside of picking up a TV Guide, which we never had). After the climatic ending, the power cut out and I never saw what happened next.
Flash forward a couple of years and I am working my first (of six) video store jobs. I had just tackled A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Looking for some more Kubrick, I picked up Full Metal Jacket. My head nearly exploded as I watched this film for the first time chronologically. It really is two different stories only told with two of the same characters. Does it help to know Joker (Matthew Modine) and Cowboy (Arliss Howard) ahead of time? My answer is no. I got their story and their dilemmas fast enough in only watching the second half first. Kudos to Kubrick, again, for telling a story in which every moment and frame mattered.
Now, years later, I was working a celebrity charity event for the United States Marine Corp. I was brought in as an outside party to help the Marines coordinate a golf tournament. Guess who was the spokesmen and poster boy? Yep, the Gny. Sgt. himself, R. Lee Ermey. I was fortunate enough to have lunch with him and took the opportunity to ask about working on Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. What I learned about Full Metal Jacket coincided with my experience of the film. I asked him about the disciplining of the actors as Marines. Was it tough for them to go from these killing machines at basic training to the more lax seasoned veterans? R. Lee informed me that they filmed the second half of the movie first. The reason being they had to shave their heads for the opening shots. We then chatted some more about Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola, and his new action figure that was coming out. It still brings a smile to my face about how he really feels about his dress blues, “so damn uncomfortable”.
Today, Warner Brothers has released Full Metal Jacket in their special Blu-ray hard cover book packaging. I personally love these editions as they are truly for the serious film collector. Included is commentary by the cast, tons of production photos, and a new behind the scenes featurette. I dove right into the commentary and was dumbfounded by what I learned. The impression that I had of Stanley Kubrick is that he was an Auteur who demanded perfection. He had a set vision for his project and that is the way it was going to be done. Each and every cast member on the commentary said the same thing, “Stanley wanted to know what we think about the scene”. Apparently, the Auteur was incredibly open to suggestion and trying things out. There were always multiple takes and it was here that Kubrick truly shaped his movie. Ermey said Kubrick loved editing his pictures and it was his true passion for the project.
Oddly enough it is Vincent D’Onofrio who does most of the talking on the commentary track. One would think his part would be over after the first part of the film. Apparently D’Onofrio was around for the filming of the Nam scenes as he was fattening up for his role as Pyle. He credits his final scene as the one that launched his career. Without it, it probably never would have happened. That scene also gave him ability to take chances in other roles where many directors would have told him not to go so dark. D’Onofrio is also quick to point out the scale in which Kubrick worked and how today everything would have been done with computers.
The Blu-ray’s picture quality and sound does not disappoint. Every, real life, detail is accented here to the point where one can count stones on the obstacle course and the hairs on Adam Baldwin’s face. Here 1080p has never looked better. This edition is a no brainer and a must-have for any fan of Stanley Kubrick and film in general.
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Robert Trate writes three weekly columns for Mania: the DVD Shopping Bag, the Toy Maniac, and The Geek Life. Follow Robert on Twitter for his for Geek ramblings, Cosplay photos and film criticisms.
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"What is your major malfunction, Private Pile!!!!!! Did'nt mommy and daddy show you enough love as a child!!!!!!"
Awesome movie!!!!