Full Metal Jacket opens with the recruits having their heads shaved
before they go off to boot camp. Seeing the faces of the young men
while having their heads shaved, I felt like I was watching their identity
being slowly taken away with each chunk of hair that fell to the ground. Although all new recruits reporting to boot camp in any branch of the military go through this ritualistic shaving of their heads, it is the first step to breaking down an individual. This opening scene suggests a theme of “anti-war" and loss of self-identity.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman’s opening
speech further proves this point of loss of identity, when he says to the recruits, “Here you are
all equally worthless…”
Another theme worth mentioning, that
gives an in depth look at Joker’s character, is the idea of the “duality of
man.” The
scene where Joker is asked by a colonel why he wears a peace sign button on his
vest and a helmet that says, “Born to kill,” Joker says, “I think I was trying
to suggest something about the duality of man…”
Pogue
Colonel: Marine, what is that button on your body armor?
Private
Joker: A peace symbol, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Where'd you get it?
Private
Joker: I don't remember, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: What is that you've got written on your helmet?
Private
Joker: "Born to Kill,” sir.
Pogue
Colonel: You write "Born to Kill" on your helmet and you wear a peace
button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?
Private
Joker: No, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: You'd better get your head and your ass wired together, or I will take
a giant shit on you.
Private
Joker: Yes, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Now answer my question or you'll be standing tall before the man.
Private
Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: The what?
Private
Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Whose side are you on, son?
Private
Joker: Our side, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Don't you love your country?
Private
Joker: Yes, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Then how about getting with the program? Why don't you jump on the
team and come on in for the big win?
Private
Joker: Yes, sir.
Pogue
Colonel: Son, all I've ever asked of my marines is that they obey my orders as
they would the word of God. We are here to help the Vietnamese, because inside
every gook there is an American trying to get out. It's a hardball world, son.
We've gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over.
Private
Joker: Aye-aye, sir.
Looking at Joker’s character throughout the film, he
is very much struggling with the duality within himself; his want for peace vs. his want to serve his country.
The idea of duality is portrayed in the way the
film was made. Vincent Canby, in his article about Full Metal Jacket, in the New York Times Review, he says, “Full
Metal Jacket is divided
into two parts, which at first seem so different in tone, look and method that
they could have been made by two different directors working with two different
cameramen from two different screenplays. Only the actors are the same. Part of
the way in which the movie works, and involves the audience, is in its demand
that the audience make the sudden leap to the seemingly (but far from)
conventional battle scenes in Vietnam, which conclude the film, from its
flashily brilliant first half, set in the Marine Corps boot camp at Parris
Island, S.C.”
The first
half of the film follows the recruits through boot camp under the commanding
thumb of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The lighting and cinematography throughout
this half of the film is bright, crisp, orderly, and everything is in complete
focus. This half ends when Pvt. Pyle shoots Sergeant Hartman and then himself
in the bathroom of the barracks. The last image we see is freshly-spilled,
crimson blood splatters and pools on the white tile as Pvt. Joker looks in
horror. (Please start video below at 2:08).
Then we are immersed in the Vietnam War. The shots
are not as crisp as before, and everything is confusing and chaotic. Fire,
death, and rubble make up the landscape and surround the characters. The visuals of the second half of the film are quite jarring in comparison to first.
![]() |
City of Hue |
Even
though these two parts of the film felt vastly different, it isn't until the end
that everything is tied together. In the city of Hue, having just shot down the
sniper, the platoon finds that the sniper was a young Vietnamese girl.
She is mortally wounded, Animal Mother suggests that they just leave her and go
on their way, while Joker refuses to leave her there (he is again battling with
his “duality”). The girl whispers over and over again begging them to shoot
her. Joker is forced to choose between his own ideals and the ideals that were
instilled in him at boot camp. Joker pulls out his pistol and administers the
kill shot.
![]() |
"Shoot me" |
After this, the film ends with Joker saying, “My thoughts drift back to erect
nipple wet dreams about Mary Jane Rottencrotch and the Great Homecoming Fuck
Fantasy. I am so happy that I am alive, in one piece and short. I’m in a world
of shit… yes. But I am alive. And I am not afraid.” Ultimately, he made the choice (I believe) that he could live with.
Overall, the movie was beautifully written,
well-acted, and shot in such a way that I couldn't look away from all the horribly
grotesque images. By showing the viewers how Joker deals with his internal struggle, it gave a poignant look into what life may have been like for those young men who were enlisted to fight in the Vietnam War.
Works Referenced:
Canby, Vincent. "Full Metal Jacket (1987) Film: Kubrick's
'Full Metal Jacket,' on Vietnam." Rev. of Full Metal Jacket. The
New York Times June-July 1987: n. pag. The New York Times.
Web. 6 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE6DB133BF935A15755C0A961948260>.
"Full Metal Jacket - Opening Scene." YouTube.
YouTube, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwMPZR3sS2o>.
"Full Metal Jacket Monologue." YouTube.
YouTube, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2M4ilVaAmI>.
"Full Metal Jacket Private Pyle Part 3 of 3." YouTube.
YouTube, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hkNuykz2RE>.
"Hell Yeah, Kubrick Films! - Private Joker and the Sniper in
 Full Metal Jacket..." Hell Yeah, Kubrick Films! - Private
Joker and the Sniper in  Full Metal Jacket... N.p., n.d. Web. 07
Oct. 2014.
<http://hell-yeah-kubrick.tumblr.com/post/7080162096/private-joker-and-the-sniper-in-full-metal-jacket>.
"Hollywood Elsewhere." Hollywood Elsewhere.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/08/get-some/>.
"Quotes from Full Metal Jacket." IMDb.
IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu>.
I thought your review was exceptional. Right of the bat, you established that “anti-war” was one of the themes of the film, and you supported your work with video clips of the opening scene and of the monologue. The theme of “duality” is what takes up most of the blog; however, it is one of the main themes in the film. You explained how not only was the duality part of Joker’s character with both his admirations of peace and the love of his country, but with the structure of the film itself.
ReplyDeleteI admired the fact that you used different formats of supporting detail to prove your reasoning. Video clips, pictures, and even dialogue were featured which I thought made your entry even better. Honestly, the points that you made in your blog were points I did not realize. This made it a lot more interesting; ultimately, it made the film even more awesome than I originally thought.
If there were any constructive feedback I could give you, it would be to:
1. Make sure to proofread your work. I did see some missed commas, and some mixed tenses while I was reading.
2. The conclusion was a bit short. Perhaps, tying all the excellent points you made in your blog would made it the finest work in the whole class.
Otherwise, great job!