[7] Deeley purchased the first draft of a spec script called The Man Who Came to Play, written by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker, for $19,000. "[53], Thom Mount, president of Universal at the time, said, "This was just a... continuing nightmare from the day Michael finished the picture to the day we released it. Other films released later that illustrated the 'hellish', futile conditions of bloody Viet Nam War combat included:[64], David Thomson wrote in an article titled "The Deer Hunter: Story of a scene" that the film changed the way war-time battles were portrayed on film: "The terror and the blast of firepower changed the war film, even if it only used a revolver. [31][54] Zinner eventually won Best Editing Oscar for The Deer Hunter. [20], After consulting various Hollywood agents, Deeley found writer-director Michael Cimino, represented by Stan Kamen at the William Morris Agency. [30][36], De Niro and Savage performed their own stunts in the fall into the river, filming the thirty-foot drop fifteen times in two days. Steven is engaged to Angela, who is secretly impregnated by another man. [55], Both the long and short versions were previewed to Midwestern audiences, although there are differing accounts among Cimino, Deeley, and Spikings as to how the previews panned out. I remember after seeing it, walking down the street — I actually went with a girl on a date and saw The Deer Hunter, and we left the theater and walked for like an hour and nobody said anything; we were just kind of stunned about that. [7] Garfinkle and Redeker were given a shared "Story by" credit with Cimino and Washburn. Steven's legs are broken in the fall, and Mike carries him until they meet a caravan of soldiers fleeing to Saigon. "[52] Deeley did agree with Universal that the film needed to be shorter, not just because of pacing but also to ensure commercial success. [7], Upon its release, The Deer Hunter received acclaim from critics, who considered it as the best American epic since Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. "[34], At this point in the production, nearly halfway through principal photography, Cimino was already over budget, and producer Spikings could tell from the script that shooting the extended scene could sink the project. [22], Cimino worked for six weeks with Deric Washburn on the script. "[25], The Deer Hunter was Cimino's first film to use Dolby noise-reduction system.

As the newly-weds drive away, Nick asks Mike to not abandon him in Vietnam. [105] A second version, part of the "Legacy Series", was released as a two-disc set on September 6, 2005, with an anamorphic transfer of the film. I cut Deer Hunter myself. Footage of this is included in the film. "[96], The deaths of approximately 25 people who died playing Russian roulette were reported as having been influenced by scenes in the movie. [19] To accomplish a look of fall, individual leaves were removed from deciduous trees. According to Wood, "Nick both is and knows himself to be in love with Mike and Mike reciprocates that love but can't admit it, even to himself". The network later cancelled the acquisition on the contractually permitted grounds of the film containing too much violence for US network transmission. [7] This was the first feature film depicting the Vietnam War to be filmed on location in Thailand. [61], On the Sneak Previews special "Oscar Preview for 1978", Roger Ebert correctly predicted that The Deer Hunter would win for Best Picture while Gene Siskel predicted that Coming Home would win. Mike convinces Nick to attempt an escape by inserting three rounds into the revolver's cylinder; after convincing their tormentors with the increased risk, they kill the captors and escape. They protested against the screening of the film and insisted that it violated the statutes of the festival because it in no way contributed to the "improvement of mutual understanding between the peoples of the world".
"[7] Director Cimino was criticized for a one-sided portrayal of all the North Vietnamese as sadistic racists and killers.

"[29], The wedding scenes were filmed at the historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. According to Deeley, Cimino questioned the need for the Russian roulette element of the script, and Redeker made such a passionate case for it that he ended up literally on his knees. "Verna was no slouch. He asked the Academy to sit out the show backstage, but when the Academy refused, De Niro stayed home in New York.

[8] According to producer Spikings, Wasserman let EMI's CEO Bernard Delfont decide between the two and chose Cimino's longer cut. Peverall's expertise with budgeting and scheduling made him a natural successor to Relyea, and Peverall knew enough about the picture to be elevated to producer status. It has been featured on lists of the best films ever made, such as being named the 53rd-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007 in their 10th Anniversary Edition of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. Nick is admitted to a military hospital for physical and psychological trauma, and he ventures to Saigon after he is discharged. They can blame their leaders.. or they can blame themselves. I was so tired, I didn't care. Self-blame has been a great burden for many war veterans. The audience's sympathy with prisoners who (quite understandably) cracked thus completes the chain. [7][52] "I think they were shocked," recalled Spikings. After Steven is freed, the three float along the river's current on a tree trunk. During the wedding ceremonies and party, the, Russian Orthodox funeral music is also employed during Nick's funeral scene, mainly ", Mitchell, Robert (writer); Magill, Frank N. (editor) (1980). In addition to attracting buyers, Deeley felt De Niro was "the right age, apparently tough as hell, and immensely talented. Once the unit unwrapped and the extras disappeared, the crew discovered to their amusement that the boxes weren't empty but filled with real presents, from china to silverware.
In his wandering, he hears gunshots emanating from a gambling den and attempts to leave, reminded of his previous torture experience.

Cimino confronted Washburn at the Sunset Marquis in LA about the draft, and Washburn supposedly replied that he couldn't take the pressure and had to go home. They became three old friends who grew up in the same small industrial town and worked in the same steel mill, and in due course were drafted together to Vietnam. Published by BMI Records. The trick would be to find a way to turn a very clever piece of writing into a practical, realizable film.