US (1978): Drama/War
This film is simultaneously an audacious directorial conceit and one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war. Like Apocalypse Now (1979), it's hardly a conventional battle film -- the soldier's experience was handled with greater authenticity in Platoon (1986) -- but its depiction of war on an intimate scale packs a devastatingly dramatic punch. Director Michael Cimino may be manipulating our emotions with masterful skill, but he does it in a way that stirs the soul and pinches our collective nerves with graphic, high-intensity scenes of men under life-threatening duress. Although Russian-roulette gambling games were not a common occurrence during the Vietnam war, they're used here as a metaphor for the futility of the war itself. To the viewer, they become unforgettably intense rites of passage for the best friends -- Pennsylvania steelworkers played by Robert De Niro, John Savage, and Oscar® winner Christopher Walken -- who may survive or perish during their tour through a tropical landscape of hell. Back home, their loved ones (Meryl Streep, George Dzundza and John Cazale in his final film role) must cope with the war's domestic impact, and in doing so they allow The Deer Hunter to achieve a rare combination of epic storytelling and intimate, heart-rending drama. (Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com)
9 nominations, 5 Awards
· Best Picture 1978: Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino & John Peverall - Producers (EMI Films/Cimino, Universal)
· Supporting Actor 1978: Christopher Walken
· Directing 1978: Michael Cimino
· Film Editing 1978: Peter Zinner
· Sound 1978: Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin & Darin Knight
· Actor 1978: Robert De Niro
· Supporting Actress 1978: Meryl Streep
· Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1978: Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle & Quinn K. Redeker
· Cinematography 1978: Vilmos Zsigmond