Blog 2: Full Metal Jacket

Blog 2: Full Metal Jacket

The opening sequence to Full Metal Jacket begins in a barbers shop with multiple close up shots showing someone different having their hair shaved off. The scene is pretty simple on a film form level as the same close up shot is used in every shot, the editing is done after a few seconds to show someone else getting their hair shaved. There is no presence or technique used to introduce a main character. The non diegetic song playing during this short scene however is used to great effect. The song is by Johnny Wright called Hello Vietnam released in 1965. The song was popular at the time it was released and the use of it in this scene adds the dimension of time and place to the film; it tells the viewer the film is set at some time during the Vietnam War. The song also touches on the story and direction of the film, 'Goodbye my darling, hello Vietnam' suggests a mother saying goodbye to her son as he is sent off to Vietnam. Which is essentially the direction that the plot and story take. The next scene takes us to the start of the recruits seen in the first scene beginning their basic training before they can go to Vietnam.

The next scene skips straight to the what is essentially the start and first day at the recruits basic training. It starts with a medium shot depicting to the right of the shot, Sergeant Hartman and to the left of the shot his recruits. The shot then begins to track and move back motivated by the Sergeant moving towards the camera around his subjects as they are all lined up by their bedposts. This shot introduces us to the films only form of antagonist and the scene as a whole introduces key characters for the plot and the film itself. Costume in the first shot shows the Sergeant wearing a blazer jacket done up with a Sergeant's badges pinned to his left breast pocket, a tie and shirt underneath. Drill hat and a red emblem depicting his rank on the left arm of his jacket. This use of costume is contrasted with the recruits he is instructing. They wear a plain green shirt, plain green pants and a basic belt. Arguably the most important form in this scene is the sound of dialogue. The strong tone and choice of words the Sergeant uses automatically characterises him as strict and a plain mean antagonist kind of character. The dialogue begins with the Sergeant introducing his name to his recruits and also to us the viewer. He then rants 'from now on you will speak only when spoken to and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be sir. Do you maggots understand that?'. The imagery of sewers as mouths and maggots as people suggests how Hartman thinks of his subjects and portrays him as a hard man. Whats interesting about Full Metal Jacket is in the case of Platoon it treats landing in Vietnam as hell whereas here it begins by portraying the hardships of getting through basic training before arriving in an even worse kind of place.

First hair shaving scene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwMPZR3sS2o

A link to the second at basic training:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Lft6EQh-Y

Works Cited:

Full Metal Jacket. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Warner Bros, 1987. Film

Corrigan, Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Third Edition. New York: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2012. Print.