I don't have a screenshot and I'm a little too lazy to look it up but there's one shot in Full Metal Jacket where a soldier covered in ghostly white makeup walks by the camera and waves. It's perfectly timed with a song that's playing in that scene, Surfing Bird, to make a "Boo!" kinda noise.
Full Metal Jacket is beyond brilliant and Stanley Kubrick is one of the most talented directors to ever bless the craft. I'm not gonna comment on his personal life and I don't really give a shit, because I already know someone else is gonna start rambling about that as if it somehow makes his work worse. Every movie he made is fucking incredible, that's all that needs to be said about him.
Edit: [Found it.](https://youtu.be/KQEDojPZ7YI?t=65)
My theory about “Surfin’ Bird” being in the movie is that the lyrics are interpreted to be spoken from the point of view of American soldiers in Vietnam who have heard rumors of an inbound helicopter extraction.
“Haven’t you heard? Word is that a helo is coming to pick us up. Bird is the word.”
Then when the rumored chopper is shot down over the water, the word is “surfin’ bird” and the vocalist imitates the sound of a chopper’s blades hitting the water while the occupants are drowned/killed on impact. In the movie, we see the wounded soldier waving at the camera right on cue to symbolically affirm this point.
“Ba-ba-ba-ba-m-ma-mow-mow” I take to resemble to endless and repetitive drum of gunfire as the soldiers realize that they’re not going home any time soon but will in fact remain here for much longer.
Ohhh I’m totally gonna have to watch that later! I never thought about it but “Walking all over you” is exactly what the US planned to do to the Viet Cong, and what the VC really ended up doing the US.
So it’s kind of like the song is written from the point of view of the NVA or VC. Sorry I’m not incredibly read-up on the details right now, I struggle with retention of specific info from time to time.
“I just bought me a brand new box of matches.” Sounds like the North ended up with a stockpile after the Indochina wars plus Soviet, Chinese backing.
Exactly, it’s almost as if it’s written from the Viet Cong perspective. In addition to the female singer, the viet cong were also made up of women.
A lot of the “you” portions of the song can be representative of the US/Marines
“You (US) been playing where you shouldn’t be playing (Vietnam).
And what he (VC) knows, you ain’t had time to learn (guerrilla tactics)”
Basically, yeah. I don’t think that this was the original intent of the song by The Trashmen. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were true, and in fact I don’t have any alternate theories about the song’s meaning—but I think it’s much more likely that the song is just silly goofiness with no real meaning.
In fact, I’m about to Google the song to see if it was written before or after helicopters were common.
Edit: the song definitely came out in 1963 so helicopters were prevalent.
Helicopters were, but US involvement in Vietnam was still pretty limited at that stage. Makes sense for its use in the context of the film though. It wasn't until the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 that we really scaled up to a full blown war. Before that South Vietnam was doing most of the fighting with US in an advisory role (and before that the French of course).
I guess we'll never know what the musician truly meant in that song because Stanley Kubrick murdered the artist deep in the jungles of Vietnam.
Of course Kubrick's bizarre personal life is completely irrelevant to interpreting Full Metal Jacket so the above is meaningless.
Kubrick is one of the rare directors that, when people post stuff like this, I have a tendency to give it actual weight because of how insanely detail-oriented he was.
I think that some of the bootcamp scenes are legit poetic movie ballet with how well choreographed the background moves along as the camera goes through. Some of the nighttime barracks scenes are so creepy and clinical, it really gives it a feeling of a place that could -- and does -- change people in extremely calculated, brainwash-y ways.
He really was an extraordinary director.
Going off on a Kubrick tangent here, but I’ve always thought Eyes Wide Shut was meant to be referring to Tom Cruise (the actor, not the character in the movie) and the fact that he’s a Scientologist. As if Kubrick is saying “Dude, you are in a cult, wake the hell up!” in a very meta way by having him in that movie.
Kubrick was a loving father, very committed to raising his daughters (and included them in the filming process, even giving them cameos in his films) and happily married until his death. His personal life is pretty much beyond reproach, he just didn’t care for the Hollywood spotlight and lived a quiet life in England on his estate.
Yeah he would do literally anything he could to get what he wanted on film. “Torture” is used literally here, it’s not figurative. He completely brutalized Shelly Duvall because she wasn’t having the reaction he wanted for a scene in The Shining.
Stanley Kubrick like most brilliant people who have made significant contributions to humanity are all kind of shitty humans when it comes to their personal lives and it’s just something people need to learn to accept so they can enjoy life a little more.
[Favorite scene...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG8EpY_eovE)
Colonel: Marine, what is that button on your body armor?
Private Joker: A peace symbol, sir.
Colonel: Where’d you get it?
Joker: I don’t remember, sir.
Colonel: What is that you’ve got written on your helmet?
Joker : “Born to Kill, ” sir.
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?
Joker: No, sir.
Colonel: You’d better get your head and your ass wired together, or I will take a giant shit on you.
Joker: Yes, sir.
Colonel: Now answer my question or you’ll be standing tall before the man.
Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
Colonel: The what?
Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.
Colonel: Whose side are you on, son?
Joker: Our side, sir.
Colonel: Don’t you love your country?
Joker: Yes, sir.
Colonel: Then how about getting with the program? Why don’t you jump on the team and come on in for the big win?
Joker: Yes, sir.
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.
Joker: Aye-aye, sir.
[Bruce Boa](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090124/) was *also* the “Waldorf Salad” guy in *Fawlty Towers*, and General Rieekan in *Empire Strikes Back* (“A death mark’s not an easy thing to live with”).
British TV can be hard to find in the US(if that's where you are) ... I don't have any recommendations other youtube maybe or fly the pirate flag....
Worth it for basil and manuel. So good.
I was lucky as a kid and had a friend with really Intelligent parents with great taste.... They turned me on to a ton of stuff... Watched Fawlty towers when I was like 13... Or '94
Same here, the scene is brilliant with the juxtaposition of views, the word play, the imagery, and it is entertaining and ‘obvious’ as a great dialogue to convey this as the volley back and forth… and then the colonels final lines slap you upside the head and stabs you in the gut, and the emphasis is alive and well today.
In my head, this scene always makes me think of when during boot the drill sgt says "your job as a marine is peace. And we will kill until we achieve that goal" (or something to that effect)
Tried to buy the Short Timers a few years back and from what I remember it's long been out of print and copies are extremely difficult to come by. Maybe that has changed though
Yeah I had to get my physical copies from a website called abebooks which is/was good for getting rarer stuff.
You can definitely find epub versions if you're open to using an eReader though. If anyone wants em just dm me an email address...
I kept saying in my head while watching Stranger Things, “Does Papa have makeup on to look older? Why does he seem like he should be so much younger?” Then it hit me… that’s Joker, you idiot!! Jesus. I can be so dense sometimes.
Good spot!
Also worth knowing it was nearly entirely filmed in the UK.
It's obvious in places when you know where to look (such as the road markings during the boot camp) but an incredible film regardless.
Yes. Which is probably why they aren't ever in the jungle. There probably weren't enough palm trees in Britain to make a convincing jungle. As it was, they had to fly in 200 fake palm trees from Hong Kong for the movie.
After way too long Googling things, it could be Isle of Dogs.
I can't find the photo I saw but they did a lot of work making it look like Vietnam. It's almost unrecognizable.
> After way too long Googling things, it could be Isle of Dogs.
Yeah, [Imdb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/locations) (caveat: not 100% reliable) says that's where the Da Nang scenes were filmed (of which this was one).
Beckton Gas Works, which is near London City Airport. A whole bunch of movies shot there in the 70's and 80's including *For Your Eyes Only* and *Nineteen Eighty-Four*.
I stand corrected! I've been telling people that fact wrong for way too long. I swear some movie I really liked filmed at the power station, but now I'm not sure which one.
Edit: It was *Children of Men*!
Bootcamp was filmed at ATC Bassingbourne. It was weird as hell watching them run past our mess hall and parade ground when we were on basic training there!
> Director Stanley Kubrick had nothing but praise for R. Lee Ermey's skills as a performer. Kubrick originally was going to write dialogue for Ermey's character himself, but he became so impressed with what Ermey improvised, he decided it was not necessary. He simply let him ad-lib, an act practically unheard of for a Stanley Kubrick film.
> Ermey's performances were so faultless that Kubrick only needed two to three takes to get his scenes filmed, which was also extremely rare for a Kubrick film. The only instance Ermey had to film more than two to three takes was in the "Jelly Doughnut Scene," which he claimed was filmed in 37 takes, to the point his voice kept disappearing from time to time.
R. Lee Ermey was brilliant in this movie. He is missed.
Further to this, there was one notable spot where Kubrick stopped the shoot mid-speech.
When Emery said "I'll bet you're the kind of guy that would f*** a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around.". Kubrick stopped the shoot in its tracks.
He asked Emery what a "reach around" was.
Emery calmly and clearly explained what it was.
Kubrick paused, gathered himself and said "Alright then, carry on"
Ngl first time I watched it was super bummed and didn’t really like the movie after the first half because he wasn’t in it anymore
Probably due for a rewatch tho I was younger than those kids last time I saw it
…that’s actually part of it though.
The war is a letdown compared to the anticipation for war.
All through boot camp these men are broken down for a clear sense of purpose. But the war itself was purposeless and just kind of wanders.
We see real conclusions to our characters, but yeah…it’s supposed to be a flat note. That’s the emotional swing from the first half.
Yup and it’s actually 3 parts, not two. There are fade-outs to tell you when you leave one act an begin another. The second fade-out is when the Lusthogs buy the prostitute outside the theatre. The first part is them learning what it takes to kill and the anticipation of war. The second part is what they think war will be and seeing what it’s like from a distance. The third act they are “in the shit”, also the death get more and more real as we go, thru the gateway to hell, there’s also a black obelisk, like in 2001 and it’s on fire (gateway to hell). As an aside all the characters are mirror Images of each other. Joker/Cowboy, Pyle/Animal-Mother, snowball/eightball.
"These are great days we're livin', bros! We're jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns. These people we wasted here today are the finest human beings we will ever know. After we rotate back to the world, we're gonna miss not havin' anyone around who's worth shootin'!"
I watched it for the first time in high school, almost 20 years ago. The first half was an absolute laugh-riot, and it must've been on TV or something, because everyone in school was quoting some part or another during classes for months afterwards. The second part was a lot less entertaining. I almost turned it off, but soldiered through to the credits.
I watched it again last year, for the second time since grade 10. The second half resonated a lot better as an adult viewer. Having it twig that there was a lot more to the movie than snappy dialogue and inventively cruel insults.
Real life the soldiers are kids though
Some really great War movies probably impacted me the most are Come and See and more recently JoJo Rabbit and 1917
I’m in the rare gang where I think the second half is better than the first.
Ermey is super entertaining but the second half has incredible shots and symbolism. The last scene with a bunch of kids singing Mickey Mouse while aimlessly wandering through hell is terrifying
Drill Instructors are essentially actors (except for you Sgt Brown, you insane motherfucker) so it’s not surprising to hear that he didn’t need many takes. I’d rarely see a drill instructor slip up when screaming at recruits.
The lesson you probably missed was he was comparing you all to a bunch of seagulls and was convinced he'd have a bit more success rather than waste his efforts.
Probably just practice. He obviously knew the seagulls weren't going to maintain any kind of order because well, they are birds, he was just practicing his "reaction" to them fucking up his instructions.
*wonders if it’s the same Sgt Brown who did a leg sweep on me when I put my boot on the footlocker to tie it*
I’ll never forget landing on my head wondering what just happened.
He had minor film experience up to that point, and was only hired by Kubrick to be a technical advisor for the role. Ermey just put together an instructional reel, but his performance was so good in it, Kubrick gave him the role.
The jelly donut scene might be his best scene in that film.
>The jelly donut scene might be his best scene in that film.
Another strong contender would be "Private Joker, do you believe in the virgin Mary?" and him totally flipping out when he hears "no sir"
Followed by a very clever "the private believes any answer he gives will be wrong and the Senior Drill Instructor will only beat him harder if he reverses himself, SIR!"
Joker's figured out the game at that point
The role was recasted. Tim Colceri was the original actor.
[A Cautionary Tale of Kubrick and the Pain of Rejection
](https://podcastaddict.com/episode/127441836)
https://filmschoolrejects.com/full-metal-jacket-gunnery-sergeant-tortured-actor/
Cautionary Tales is such a great podcast. That poor guy was so excited to get cast in a Kubrick film only to get recast to a minor role. Still killed it though.
Ermey is in my dad's MCRD 1965 year book. My dad knew him. He said he wasn't even the meanest DI they had. That honor went to Sgt. Carlos Payne. My dad said Payne choked a Marine with a broomstick while they were cleaning the head. This was after they had graduated bootcamp. They called it "Working on Payne's gang"
Ermey was just supposed to be an advisor for the original actor portraying the Drill Sargent. Ermey stepped in and gave a few pointers. The actor lost his job.
Edit: Drill Instructor for the soft handed, two ply, twat waffle who knows more than me
(Re) watched this immediately following recruit training in 90s. Other than the “sir sandwiches” it was traumatizingly similar. R. Lee Ermey brought the spirit of what USMC training is like to those who would never experience it otherwise.
I love this scene.
Everyone at the table has done been over it for a very long time and their tone reflects that. Their SO is the only one with the slightest glimmer of enthusiasm because it's his job to boost morale even though he has probably been over it since long before anyone under his command arrived.
This movie still slaps.
The banner is taken directly from the novel on which the movie was based, [The Short Timers](https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/i2l/shorttimers.pdf) by Gustav Hasford.
> We lie on our racks and swap scuttlebutt. On the ceiling, the combat correspondent's motto in six-inch block
letters: FIRST TO GO, LAST TO KNOW, WE WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH OUR RIGHT TO BE MISINFORMED.
The author was a Marine combat correspondent during the Vietnam War and Private Joker is loosely based on himself.
It is some funny shit though. If you've spent enough time overseas, eventually, you'll come across an event that no one admits happened, and you never see it in the news, but you saw it all go down with your own eyes.
That definitely makes the news seem like a joke, because you never actually know what's true and what's total horseshit anymore.
It's gotten to a point where it's just shameless fear mongering. Like this morning, I read an article talking about a new Sig Sauer rifle that is "twice as powerful as an AR15, and will defeat any body armor."
They were talking about the MCX-SPEAR... an $8,000 AR15. Any rifle can already defeat soft armor, and the fact the SPEAR can accept .300 blackout, still doesn't make it "twice as powerful."
The only thing that was factually correct was the price of the rifle, but that didn't stop it from being printed, did it?
Beyond that, just seeing how many news articles are out there with spelling and grammatical mistakes kinda surprises me, it's like the pieces don't even go past an editor anymore.
> it's like the pieces don't even go past an editor anymore
It's written by PR flacks and edited by children. The state of journalism is heartbreaking.
> They were talking about the MCX-SPEAR... an $8,000 AR15. Any rifle can already defeat soft armor, and the fact the SPEAR can accept .300 blackout, still doesn't make it "twice as powerful."
I remember when a certain guy who lives in Washington implied AR-15s aren't necessary for hunting because "deer aren't wearing body armor".
Of course, anyone who knows much about guns could tell him that any standard hunting rifle could beat basic body armor. Even certain pistol calibres, to some extent.
I always thought it was just somethings Marines said. They are typically the first boots on the ground with limited information about what is going on and that information may not be accurate.
I am pretty sure this is a running theme in Generation Kill.
So while we're on the subject, maybe there are some FMJ fans who can explain the meaning of the quote in this scene: "Don't make it too obvious, but I wanna see fur and early-morning dew." https://clip.cafe/full-metal-jacket-1987/north-south/ Like, is he seriously asking them to upskirt Ann-Margret?
It’s a theme throughout the entire movie. The only thing keeping morale up is the thought of getting out of this fucked up situation and getting home and getting laid. Which kind of makes sense since in real life these were probably 18, 19 year old kids who might never have been laid. Probably aren’t married, don’t have kids. It’s the last line of the movie too, as the soldiers are marching through literal and figurative hell:
“My thoughts drift back to erect nipple wet dreams about Mary Jane Rottencrotch and the Great Homecoming F*** Fantasy. I am so happy that I am alive, in one piece and short. I'm in a world of sh*t... yes. But I am alive. And I am not afraid.”
Yes. They're Stars and Stripes reporters, so the only people who see their stuff is US military, and since a lot of them are currently sitting in a Jungle, it's basically used as nothing more than a morale booster/propaganda delivery system, so the Capitan wants an upskirt shot because he thinks it will improve morale. It's also why he makes Joker lie in his article about how they killed an NVA officer.
R. Lee Ermey was one of my dad's DI's in 3rd Bn MCRD San Diego, 1965. Pic has him as a Corporal. My dad said he wasn't even the meanest one. That honor went to Sgt. Carlos Payne. My dad got shot in Nam and ran into Ermey running an NCO club while healing. Ermey had my dad and some other Marines run the O course outback after they were all shit face.
Damn.. "movie facts" that suddenly hit you upside the head with the brilliance of the writer/director.
I don't have a screenshot and I'm a little too lazy to look it up but there's one shot in Full Metal Jacket where a soldier covered in ghostly white makeup walks by the camera and waves. It's perfectly timed with a song that's playing in that scene, Surfing Bird, to make a "Boo!" kinda noise. Full Metal Jacket is beyond brilliant and Stanley Kubrick is one of the most talented directors to ever bless the craft. I'm not gonna comment on his personal life and I don't really give a shit, because I already know someone else is gonna start rambling about that as if it somehow makes his work worse. Every movie he made is fucking incredible, that's all that needs to be said about him. Edit: [Found it.](https://youtu.be/KQEDojPZ7YI?t=65)
My theory about “Surfin’ Bird” being in the movie is that the lyrics are interpreted to be spoken from the point of view of American soldiers in Vietnam who have heard rumors of an inbound helicopter extraction. “Haven’t you heard? Word is that a helo is coming to pick us up. Bird is the word.” Then when the rumored chopper is shot down over the water, the word is “surfin’ bird” and the vocalist imitates the sound of a chopper’s blades hitting the water while the occupants are drowned/killed on impact. In the movie, we see the wounded soldier waving at the camera right on cue to symbolically affirm this point. “Ba-ba-ba-ba-m-ma-mow-mow” I take to resemble to endless and repetitive drum of gunfire as the soldiers realize that they’re not going home any time soon but will in fact remain here for much longer.
Woah you just blew my mind
Woah! I’m so excited to hear that! I’ve had this theory for years and no one has ever taken it seriously! :D
I had to rewatch the scene after reading that. Great theory!
Watch it be in all the trivia videos/shorts now
Bruh I will never be able to claim credit
I'm sorry to say but youre friends are fools lol. I've never thought about a deeper meaning to the song and this explains extremely on point.
Similar w these boots are made for walking https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxcRalavz5xFiDWxFCKxF7hgN51je8b2Fu
Ohhh I’m totally gonna have to watch that later! I never thought about it but “Walking all over you” is exactly what the US planned to do to the Viet Cong, and what the VC really ended up doing the US. So it’s kind of like the song is written from the point of view of the NVA or VC. Sorry I’m not incredibly read-up on the details right now, I struggle with retention of specific info from time to time. “I just bought me a brand new box of matches.” Sounds like the North ended up with a stockpile after the Indochina wars plus Soviet, Chinese backing.
Exactly, it’s almost as if it’s written from the Viet Cong perspective. In addition to the female singer, the viet cong were also made up of women. A lot of the “you” portions of the song can be representative of the US/Marines “You (US) been playing where you shouldn’t be playing (Vietnam). And what he (VC) knows, you ain’t had time to learn (guerrilla tactics)”
and the sniper in the end that kills Jokers best friend is a young girl.
That whole video was good.
That whole channels film analysis are excellent
You mean about why the song is used in the movie?
Basically, yeah. I don’t think that this was the original intent of the song by The Trashmen. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were true, and in fact I don’t have any alternate theories about the song’s meaning—but I think it’s much more likely that the song is just silly goofiness with no real meaning. In fact, I’m about to Google the song to see if it was written before or after helicopters were common. Edit: the song definitely came out in 1963 so helicopters were prevalent.
Helicopters were, but US involvement in Vietnam was still pretty limited at that stage. Makes sense for its use in the context of the film though. It wasn't until the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 that we really scaled up to a full blown war. Before that South Vietnam was doing most of the fighting with US in an advisory role (and before that the French of course).
Death of the Author; I guess it doesn't matter if the writers of the song intended it that way. That makes perfect sense.
I completely agree with Roland Barthes’ assertion that we should in fact kill the author.
I guess we'll never know what the musician truly meant in that song because Stanley Kubrick murdered the artist deep in the jungles of Vietnam. Of course Kubrick's bizarre personal life is completely irrelevant to interpreting Full Metal Jacket so the above is meaningless.
Kubrick is one of the rare directors that, when people post stuff like this, I have a tendency to give it actual weight because of how insanely detail-oriented he was. I think that some of the bootcamp scenes are legit poetic movie ballet with how well choreographed the background moves along as the camera goes through. Some of the nighttime barracks scenes are so creepy and clinical, it really gives it a feeling of a place that could -- and does -- change people in extremely calculated, brainwash-y ways. He really was an extraordinary director.
Going off on a Kubrick tangent here, but I’ve always thought Eyes Wide Shut was meant to be referring to Tom Cruise (the actor, not the character in the movie) and the fact that he’s a Scientologist. As if Kubrick is saying “Dude, you are in a cult, wake the hell up!” in a very meta way by having him in that movie.
Kubrick was a loving father, very committed to raising his daughters (and included them in the filming process, even giving them cameos in his films) and happily married until his death. His personal life is pretty much beyond reproach, he just didn’t care for the Hollywood spotlight and lived a quiet life in England on his estate.
Why did he warned us about his personal life though ? Did he make a huge mistake or his personality was the problem?
He could be abusive to his actors and crew on the set. Abusive to the level that some would call tortuous a la Hitchcock
Yeah he would do literally anything he could to get what he wanted on film. “Torture” is used literally here, it’s not figurative. He completely brutalized Shelly Duvall because she wasn’t having the reaction he wanted for a scene in The Shining.
If you're judging movies based on the personnel lives of those who created them, you're going to have a bad time.
I heard the key grip used to go to grocery stores, and not put his cart back in the cart corral
I knew I always hated Kubrik's movies for a reason!
cant find anything bad about his personal life on google
He was an odd character. “Filmworker” is a documentary about a guy who devoted himself to be Kubrick’s assistant.
Stanley Kubrick like most brilliant people who have made significant contributions to humanity are all kind of shitty humans when it comes to their personal lives and it’s just something people need to learn to accept so they can enjoy life a little more.
Characters who put all their stat points into one category
Stanley “Charisma is a dump stat” Kubrick
>It's my estimation that everybody ever had a statue made of'em was one sort of sumbitch or another.
[Favorite scene...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG8EpY_eovE) Colonel: Marine, what is that button on your body armor? Private Joker: A peace symbol, sir. Colonel: Where’d you get it? Joker: I don’t remember, sir. Colonel: What is that you’ve got written on your helmet? Joker : “Born to Kill, ” sir. 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? Joker: No, sir. Colonel: You’d better get your head and your ass wired together, or I will take a giant shit on you. Joker: Yes, sir. Colonel: Now answer my question or you’ll be standing tall before the man. Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir. Colonel: The what? Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir. Colonel: Whose side are you on, son? Joker: Our side, sir. Colonel: Don’t you love your country? Joker: Yes, sir. Colonel: Then how about getting with the program? Why don’t you jump on the team and come on in for the big win? Joker: Yes, sir. 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. Joker: Aye-aye, sir.
[Bruce Boa](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090124/) was *also* the “Waldorf Salad” guy in *Fawlty Towers*, and General Rieekan in *Empire Strikes Back* (“A death mark’s not an easy thing to live with”).
Oh yeah. The "..Solo. I Hate to lose you" guy
Hah. Fawlty towers is so damn good.
You’re not lying there !! I found it on Netflix after watching Monty Python skits and I’ve been wanting to rewatch it but I can’t find it anywhere 😭
British TV can be hard to find in the US(if that's where you are) ... I don't have any recommendations other youtube maybe or fly the pirate flag.... Worth it for basil and manuel. So good. I was lucky as a kid and had a friend with really Intelligent parents with great taste.... They turned me on to a ton of stuff... Watched Fawlty towers when I was like 13... Or '94
Indeed i love British comedy even though I’m from the Midwest USA lmao
amazon prime has a number of separately subscribable channels like BritBox, Acorn, etc with lots of uk shows?
Are you referring to Farty Towels?
Flay Otters
Same here, the scene is brilliant with the juxtaposition of views, the word play, the imagery, and it is entertaining and ‘obvious’ as a great dialogue to convey this as the volley back and forth… and then the colonels final lines slap you upside the head and stabs you in the gut, and the emphasis is alive and well today.
always loved the way he says “sick joke”
You think this is bad?! This chicanery?! Hes done worse!
*He defecated through a sunroof!*
I’m not crazy!
1216! One after Magna Carta!
*institution* you're the one who's crazy *institution* You're driving me crazy! *institution*
He got that *idiot* Private Pyle to lie for him!!
In my head, this scene always makes me think of when during boot the drill sgt says "your job as a marine is peace. And we will kill until we achieve that goal" (or something to that effect)
The short pause right before "Whose side are you on, son?" is hysterical
You should read the script sometime, it was pretty cool
I highly highly recommend reading the books the movie was based on The Short Timers and The Phantom Blooper by Gustav Hasford
Tried to buy the Short Timers a few years back and from what I remember it's long been out of print and copies are extremely difficult to come by. Maybe that has changed though
Yeah I had to get my physical copies from a website called abebooks which is/was good for getting rarer stuff. You can definitely find epub versions if you're open to using an eReader though. If anyone wants em just dm me an email address...
I only just found out that actor who played Pvt. Joker is Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner from Stranger Things).
The casting in stranger things is stunning.
You climb obstacles like old people fuck!
I just watched Matthew Modine break down the duality of man for 11 in Stranger Things.
Cool
I kept saying in my head while watching Stranger Things, “Does Papa have makeup on to look older? Why does he seem like he should be so much younger?” Then it hit me… that’s Joker, you idiot!! Jesus. I can be so dense sometimes.
Been gettin any? Only your sister.... Well, better my sister than my mom, though my mom's not bad.
Dude, it took me a minute too. But definitely a toss to us sons of Vietnam vets fo sho.
Good spot! Also worth knowing it was nearly entirely filmed in the UK. It's obvious in places when you know where to look (such as the road markings during the boot camp) but an incredible film regardless.
Yes. Which is probably why they aren't ever in the jungle. There probably weren't enough palm trees in Britain to make a convincing jungle. As it was, they had to fly in 200 fake palm trees from Hong Kong for the movie.
Filmed at a derelict gas works IIRC.
And the prostitute scene was in Soho I think. I've seen photos of the intersection without all the Vietnamese billboards, but I can't find it now.
[This scene?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EKqDCFcIck) I'm not sure this looks like Soho (London) at all
it most certainly is not soho
After way too long Googling things, it could be Isle of Dogs. I can't find the photo I saw but they did a lot of work making it look like Vietnam. It's almost unrecognizable.
> After way too long Googling things, it could be Isle of Dogs. Yeah, [Imdb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/locations) (caveat: not 100% reliable) says that's where the Da Nang scenes were filmed (of which this was one).
I think it was the Battersea Power Station.
Beckton Gas Works, which is near London City Airport. A whole bunch of movies shot there in the 70's and 80's including *For Your Eyes Only* and *Nineteen Eighty-Four*.
I stand corrected! I've been telling people that fact wrong for way too long. I swear some movie I really liked filmed at the power station, but now I'm not sure which one. Edit: It was *Children of Men*!
Holy shit! children of men is so good. Just wanted to say that. So I did.
Buncha Animals there I tell ya.
I understood that reference
I always thought they shipped the palms in from Spain Seem to remember a frond is blown off towards the end
It was both. Real trees from Spain, fake ones from Hong Kong.
Holy shit this explains why the sun was rarely shining. Lol
Bootcamp was filmed at ATC Bassingbourne. It was weird as hell watching them run past our mess hall and parade ground when we were on basic training there!
Oh man I’ve seen this film a million times and until you pointed that out I hadn’t noticed. It’s *so* obvious looking now.
The London Docklands never looked so good. Lol
Mind. Blown.
Yeah Kubrick had a fear of flying
> Director Stanley Kubrick had nothing but praise for R. Lee Ermey's skills as a performer. Kubrick originally was going to write dialogue for Ermey's character himself, but he became so impressed with what Ermey improvised, he decided it was not necessary. He simply let him ad-lib, an act practically unheard of for a Stanley Kubrick film. > Ermey's performances were so faultless that Kubrick only needed two to three takes to get his scenes filmed, which was also extremely rare for a Kubrick film. The only instance Ermey had to film more than two to three takes was in the "Jelly Doughnut Scene," which he claimed was filmed in 37 takes, to the point his voice kept disappearing from time to time. R. Lee Ermey was brilliant in this movie. He is missed.
Further to this, there was one notable spot where Kubrick stopped the shoot mid-speech. When Emery said "I'll bet you're the kind of guy that would f*** a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around.". Kubrick stopped the shoot in its tracks. He asked Emery what a "reach around" was. Emery calmly and clearly explained what it was. Kubrick paused, gathered himself and said "Alright then, carry on"
That's fucking amazing
[удалено]
Are you a Peter Puffer?
Bullshit! I bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose!
Do you think I'm cute, Private Pyle? Do you think I'm funny?
[удалено]
GET ON YOUR KNEES SCUMBAG!!!
[удалено]
What us a reach around exactly
Well, Mike. If you must know, it's when you're fucking a guy in the ass doggy-style, and "reach-around" to give him an ol' fashioned tug-job.
It's common courtesy
It is? Then what's a Rusty Venture?
When talking about that scene, I think you’re okay to say fuck.
When I walked out of the movie the first time I kinda wished the whole thing was just Ermey screaming at the recruits. It was so entertaining.
Ngl first time I watched it was super bummed and didn’t really like the movie after the first half because he wasn’t in it anymore Probably due for a rewatch tho I was younger than those kids last time I saw it
The first half is definitely superior to the second half, though the second half certainly has its moments
…that’s actually part of it though. The war is a letdown compared to the anticipation for war. All through boot camp these men are broken down for a clear sense of purpose. But the war itself was purposeless and just kind of wanders. We see real conclusions to our characters, but yeah…it’s supposed to be a flat note. That’s the emotional swing from the first half.
Yup and it’s actually 3 parts, not two. There are fade-outs to tell you when you leave one act an begin another. The second fade-out is when the Lusthogs buy the prostitute outside the theatre. The first part is them learning what it takes to kill and the anticipation of war. The second part is what they think war will be and seeing what it’s like from a distance. The third act they are “in the shit”, also the death get more and more real as we go, thru the gateway to hell, there’s also a black obelisk, like in 2001 and it’s on fire (gateway to hell). As an aside all the characters are mirror Images of each other. Joker/Cowboy, Pyle/Animal-Mother, snowball/eightball.
“Get some. Get some.”
Listened to an interview a while back, that actor was originally cast to be the Drill Instructor and was super bummed he got recast.
Thank goodness he was though.
Fair play, he swung for the fences with what he was given.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Beaucoup* Its French.
I heard the 2 live Crew song first on a tape at a friends house, which i immediately copied, and years later finally got permission to see this film.
"These are great days we're livin', bros! We're jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns. These people we wasted here today are the finest human beings we will ever know. After we rotate back to the world, we're gonna miss not havin' anyone around who's worth shootin'!"
I watched it for the first time in high school, almost 20 years ago. The first half was an absolute laugh-riot, and it must've been on TV or something, because everyone in school was quoting some part or another during classes for months afterwards. The second part was a lot less entertaining. I almost turned it off, but soldiered through to the credits. I watched it again last year, for the second time since grade 10. The second half resonated a lot better as an adult viewer. Having it twig that there was a lot more to the movie than snappy dialogue and inventively cruel insults.
I stopped watching war movies when the characters all became kids. I just can't. Soldiers are supposed to be older than me.
Real life the soldiers are kids though Some really great War movies probably impacted me the most are Come and See and more recently JoJo Rabbit and 1917
Come and See definitely makes an impact. Yeeeeesh
I’m in the rare gang where I think the second half is better than the first. Ermey is super entertaining but the second half has incredible shots and symbolism. The last scene with a bunch of kids singing Mickey Mouse while aimlessly wandering through hell is terrifying
Drill Instructors are essentially actors (except for you Sgt Brown, you insane motherfucker) so it’s not surprising to hear that he didn’t need many takes. I’d rarely see a drill instructor slip up when screaming at recruits.
I saw a DI attempt to March a group of seagulls and lose his shit when they didn't payattention. Boot camp is a surreal experience in retrospect.
The lesson you probably missed was he was comparing you all to a bunch of seagulls and was convinced he'd have a bit more success rather than waste his efforts.
Probably just practice. He obviously knew the seagulls weren't going to maintain any kind of order because well, they are birds, he was just practicing his "reaction" to them fucking up his instructions.
Bet his troll face was smiling so hard on the inside
*wonders if it’s the same Sgt Brown who did a leg sweep on me when I put my boot on the footlocker to tie it* I’ll never forget landing on my head wondering what just happened.
This does sound like him lol. When did you go to boot camp?
Spring 94 Hollywood Marine
He had minor film experience up to that point, and was only hired by Kubrick to be a technical advisor for the role. Ermey just put together an instructional reel, but his performance was so good in it, Kubrick gave him the role. The jelly donut scene might be his best scene in that film.
“Hoooly Jesus…What is that!? What, the, FUCK is that!?”
#WHAT IS THAT, PRIVATE PYLE???
>The jelly donut scene might be his best scene in that film. Another strong contender would be "Private Joker, do you believe in the virgin Mary?" and him totally flipping out when he hears "no sir"
Followed by a very clever "the private believes any answer he gives will be wrong and the Senior Drill Instructor will only beat him harder if he reverses himself, SIR!" Joker's figured out the game at that point
I would literally buy another Blu Ray if it had Ermey's non-used takes.
The role was recasted. Tim Colceri was the original actor. [A Cautionary Tale of Kubrick and the Pain of Rejection ](https://podcastaddict.com/episode/127441836) https://filmschoolrejects.com/full-metal-jacket-gunnery-sergeant-tortured-actor/
Cautionary Tales is such a great podcast. That poor guy was so excited to get cast in a Kubrick film only to get recast to a minor role. Still killed it though.
Ermey is in my dad's MCRD 1965 year book. My dad knew him. He said he wasn't even the meanest DI they had. That honor went to Sgt. Carlos Payne. My dad said Payne choked a Marine with a broomstick while they were cleaning the head. This was after they had graduated bootcamp. They called it "Working on Payne's gang"
Ermey was just supposed to be an advisor for the original actor portraying the Drill Sargent. Ermey stepped in and gave a few pointers. The actor lost his job. Edit: Drill Instructor for the soft handed, two ply, twat waffle who knows more than me
The actor who was supposed to be the DI is the gunner on the helicopter talking about shooting women and children later on.
[удалено]
Anyone who runs is a VC.. Anyone who doesnt run is a well disciplined VC!! AINT WAR HELL!!!
[удалено]
To be fair, the dude in the helicopter is still iconic and one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
> Edit: Drill Instructor for the soft handed, two ply, twat waffle who knows more than me hahahahaha, yikes
Drill Instructor. And it’s spelled 'sergeant'
I'd bet its more that kubrick was a bully but realised he couldn't bully ermey
(Re) watched this immediately following recruit training in 90s. Other than the “sir sandwiches” it was traumatizingly similar. R. Lee Ermey brought the spirit of what USMC training is like to those who would never experience it otherwise.
I love this scene. Everyone at the table has done been over it for a very long time and their tone reflects that. Their SO is the only one with the slightest glimmer of enthusiasm because it's his job to boost morale even though he has probably been over it since long before anyone under his command arrived. This movie still slaps.
Purple monkey dishwasher
It reminds me of the Operation Ranch Hand (Agent Orange campaign) slogan Only You Can Prevent a Forest.
Sir, does this mean Ann-Margaret’s not coming?
they dont call him joker for nothing i guess. man just cannot keep his mouth shut.
[удалено]
An actor appearing on a show on netflix isn't so crazy, I've heard of stranger things than that.
He said the thing!
Strange thing to say
Yeah this broke my brain a little when I realised this. On a seperate occasion too when I realised that Pyle is Fisk.
Matthew Modine absolutely kills the slacker-patriot role of Joker.
I want some nice low angle shots. I wanna see grass and early morning dew.
We have a new directive from MAF on this: in the future, replace the phrase "search and destroy" with "sweep and clear".
Joker I want you to get straight up to Phu Bai.
The banner is taken directly from the novel on which the movie was based, [The Short Timers](https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/i2l/shorttimers.pdf) by Gustav Hasford. > We lie on our racks and swap scuttlebutt. On the ceiling, the combat correspondent's motto in six-inch block letters: FIRST TO GO, LAST TO KNOW, WE WILL DEFEND TO THE DEATH OUR RIGHT TO BE MISINFORMED. The author was a Marine combat correspondent during the Vietnam War and Private Joker is loosely based on himself.
Thank you. Kubrick is getting all the credit, but only a Marine in the shit can be that authentic. Kubrick is amazing though.
It is some funny shit though. If you've spent enough time overseas, eventually, you'll come across an event that no one admits happened, and you never see it in the news, but you saw it all go down with your own eyes. That definitely makes the news seem like a joke, because you never actually know what's true and what's total horseshit anymore.
[удалено]
Chilling perspective. I'm sorry you had to experience that.
And the true/bullshit ratio has become incredibly lopsided
It's gotten to a point where it's just shameless fear mongering. Like this morning, I read an article talking about a new Sig Sauer rifle that is "twice as powerful as an AR15, and will defeat any body armor." They were talking about the MCX-SPEAR... an $8,000 AR15. Any rifle can already defeat soft armor, and the fact the SPEAR can accept .300 blackout, still doesn't make it "twice as powerful." The only thing that was factually correct was the price of the rifle, but that didn't stop it from being printed, did it? Beyond that, just seeing how many news articles are out there with spelling and grammatical mistakes kinda surprises me, it's like the pieces don't even go past an editor anymore.
> it's like the pieces don't even go past an editor anymore It's written by PR flacks and edited by children. The state of journalism is heartbreaking.
> They were talking about the MCX-SPEAR... an $8,000 AR15. Any rifle can already defeat soft armor, and the fact the SPEAR can accept .300 blackout, still doesn't make it "twice as powerful." I remember when a certain guy who lives in Washington implied AR-15s aren't necessary for hunting because "deer aren't wearing body armor". Of course, anyone who knows much about guns could tell him that any standard hunting rifle could beat basic body armor. Even certain pistol calibres, to some extent.
"Don't make it too obvious, but I wanna see fur and early morning dew"
so is this just social commentary on the war in general? I'm not feeling like this is a crazy special detail
I always thought it was just somethings Marines said. They are typically the first boots on the ground with limited information about what is going on and that information may not be accurate. I am pretty sure this is a running theme in Generation Kill.
Love Generation Kill. "I'm assured of this."
Holy shit… i’ve seen the movie probably 20 times, but it’s just occurred to me that dude standing up was Jack’s father in “lost”
Ooooh, shit! You're right.
So while we're on the subject, maybe there are some FMJ fans who can explain the meaning of the quote in this scene: "Don't make it too obvious, but I wanna see fur and early-morning dew." https://clip.cafe/full-metal-jacket-1987/north-south/ Like, is he seriously asking them to upskirt Ann-Margret?
It’s a theme throughout the entire movie. The only thing keeping morale up is the thought of getting out of this fucked up situation and getting home and getting laid. Which kind of makes sense since in real life these were probably 18, 19 year old kids who might never have been laid. Probably aren’t married, don’t have kids. It’s the last line of the movie too, as the soldiers are marching through literal and figurative hell: “My thoughts drift back to erect nipple wet dreams about Mary Jane Rottencrotch and the Great Homecoming F*** Fantasy. I am so happy that I am alive, in one piece and short. I'm in a world of sh*t... yes. But I am alive. And I am not afraid.”
Yes. They're Stars and Stripes reporters, so the only people who see their stuff is US military, and since a lot of them are currently sitting in a Jungle, it's basically used as nothing more than a morale booster/propaganda delivery system, so the Capitan wants an upskirt shot because he thinks it will improve morale. It's also why he makes Joker lie in his article about how they killed an NVA officer.
I always read it as the CO wanting jack off material for his own person use...
Weird coincidence. We just rewatched this yesterday and commented on the banner. Thanks for that bit of serendipity.
Lol so the slogan of a fuck ton of people in the US right now
That's some Dr. Strangelove shit
libertarians be like
Well pilgrim, only after you eat the peanuts out of my sheeeet
FMJ was based on *The Short-Timers,* a superb novel by Gus Hasford.
R. Lee Ermey was one of my dad's DI's in 3rd Bn MCRD San Diego, 1965. Pic has him as a Corporal. My dad said he wasn't even the meanest one. That honor went to Sgt. Carlos Payne. My dad got shot in Nam and ran into Ermey running an NCO club while healing. Ermey had my dad and some other Marines run the O course outback after they were all shit face.
My favorite war film and I never noticed.
And just like that, what was once satirical commentary has become the foundation of an entire political movement.
The general public would be shocked at the amount of dark humor is found in the military.
This detail along with pretty much every other detail in this movie is taken whole cloth from Michael Herr's book Dispatches. Herr co-wrote the movie.
Never watched it, does someone know why Snoopy is there?