{"id":724,"date":"2018-07-30T11:12:19","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T16:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/?p=724"},"modified":"2018-07-30T11:12:19","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T16:12:19","slug":"full-metal-jacket-and-eyes-wide-shut-kubricks-final-reflection-of-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/full-metal-jacket-and-eyes-wide-shut-kubricks-final-reflection-of-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut: Kubrick’s Final Reflection of Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Full Metal Jacket<\/em> (1987)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the mid-1980s, Kubrick and screenwriter Michael Herr had become fascinated with Gustav Hasford’s novel\u00a0The Short-Timers<\/em>, a depiction of the Vietnam War through the perspective of a Marine trained to kill.\u00a0 War had been an obsession of Kubrick throughout his career, his having been drawn to examine man’s allure to violence in\u00a0Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey,<\/em>\u00a0A Clockwork Orange,\u00a0Barry Lyndon,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0The Shining.\u00a0<\/em>As in his previous adaptations, Kubrick would work in a recognizable genre–here, the “war film”–but bring his own creative style and leave a lasting influence for others to follow.<\/p>\n

Full Metal Jacket<\/em> would be adapted from\u00a0The Short-Timers<\/em> and released in 1987.\u00a0 The story centers on Pvt. Joker (Matthew Modine), who gives occasional informational and sometimes ironic first person narrative.\u00a0 Continuing to create non-traditional narrative convention, Kubrick splits the narrative into two parts: Jokers time at Parris Island, SC training to become a Marine and then his deployment to Vietnam for the war.\u00a0 The first half shows the mental and physical tax it takes to become a Marine, “trained to kill” by the verbally and physically abusive Drill Instructor Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey).\u00a0 Ermey would end up being a valued asset to Kubrick in production, first cast as a “consultant,” but soon, as Kubrick noticed, simply too good not <\/em>to\u00a0have the part.\u00a0 At least half his dialogue was improvised.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kubrick uses a low-angle medium close-up of Sgt. Hartman (R.Lee Ermey) to give the audience a\u00a0 subjective view at boot camp<\/p><\/div>\n

Pvt. Joker is named as such for his rebellious and sarcastic nature, traits that would be paramount for Kubrick as he places the military journalist into warfare in part two as both war critic and ground fighter.\u00a0 Joker befriends Texan recruit Pvt. Cowboy (Arliss Howard) who he would meet up with again in Vietnam, and is tasked with helping the incompetent Pvt. Pyle (Vincent D’Onorfio).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Pvt. Pyle (Vincent D’Onofrio) wears the “Kubrick stare”, a signature for human madness seen in his films<\/p><\/div>\n

The first section of the film comes to a cold and brutal end, when Pvt. Pyles descent into madness erupts in murder suicide.\u00a0 Despite Joker’s best efforts to de-escalate, Pyle uses live ammunition to shoot Sgt. Hartman and then turn the gun on himself.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chilling blue lighting highlights the abuse of Pvt. Pyle as his training to become a “killer” goes horribly wrong<\/p><\/div>\n

This scene echoes the mise-en-scene of the early scene where the recruits mercilessly beat Pvt. Pyle with soap wrapped in towels.\u00a0 A steely blue light pierces both scenes and Kubrick’s daughter Vivian Kubrick’s seething synthesizer score<\/a> chills the bone.\u00a0 Not unlike his ellipses in\u00a02001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, Kubrick jumps ahead to Joker already in Vietnam for some time, imminently ready to leap “into the shit.”<\/p>\n