Actors - The Deer Hunter

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	Actors - The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter is a 1978 film which tells the story of how the Vietnam War affects the people in the industrial town of Clairton, Pennsylvania just south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River (although it was also filmed in Cleveland and Mingo Junction, Ohio). It stars Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep and George Dzundza.

Plot

De Niro, Savage and Walken portray American factory workers and avid deer hunters of Russian ancestry. The first third of the film covers the wedding of Steven (Savage) and Angela, during which it is implied that Angela is pregnant by Nick (Walken). Following a final deer hunting trip, the trio leaves for a combat tour in Vietnam. The three end up as prisoners where they are forced to play Russian Roulette. Michael (DeNiro) engineers an escape, only to become separated from the other two, and eventually to return home alone. After reuniting with Steven, who is wheelchair-bound in a veteran's hospital, he discovers that Nick (Walken) has remained behind in Vietnam. Mike travels to Saigon (about to fall at any time). There, he learns that Nick has become champion at the deadly game of Russian Roulette. He is reunited with Nick, but his best friend now appears to be addicted to hard drugs, as evidenced by severs tract marks on his arms and has no recollection of him. They face each other in the contest, with screaming gamblers looking on. During the final match, Mike tries to persuade Nick to come home but, with a compelling acknowledgement that he does remember Mike and their lives back home("One Shot"), Nick takes the gun and fires the fatal shot into his head. Mike brings his body back to America, but the fulfilled promise not to leave Nick in Vietnam is an empty one. The film ends on the morning of Nick's funeral with the remaining main characters, somewhat ironically, singing God Bless America.

Inspired by German First World War soldier and author Erich Maria Remarque's 1937 novel Drei Kameraden
(Three Comrades) depicting the lives of a trio of disillusioned World War I veterans in 1920s Weimar Germany, this film attempts to explore the meaning of violence, predation and survival, the often ghastly misuses of patriotism as well as illustrating the concepts of ethnicity, family, friendship and community ties and how they complement as well as clash with one another.

Credits

The movie was written by Michael Cimino, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker and Deric Washburn, and directed by Cimino.

Producers

Joann Carelli - associate producer
Michael Cimino - producer
Michael Deeley
- producer
John Peverall - producer
Marion Rosenberg - associate producer
Barry Spikings - producer

Cast and roles include

Robert De Niro
- Michael Vronsky, "Mike"
Christopher Walken
- Nikonar "Nick" Chevotarevich
John Cazale
- Stanley Stosh
John Savage
- Steven Pushkov
Meryl Streep
- Linda Venkarvaatar
George Dzundza
- John Siminoff
Chuck Aspegren - Peter "Axel" Axelrod
Shirley Stoler
- Steven's mother
Rutanya Alda - Angela Ludhjduravic-Pushkov
Pierre Segui - Julien Hasangjekaj
Mady Kaplan - Axel's girl
Amy Wright
- Bridesmaid

Filming locations

Filming locations include:

Saint Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland
Patpong, in Bangkok, Thailand - the area was rented during 2 days for the film. In the film, it is portrayed as a part of Saigon.
Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand
Olympic National Park, Washington state.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Deer Hunter ]

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