Jodie Foster on THE DEER HUNTER

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Actress Jodie Foster discusses the "Russian Roulette" scene from THE DEER HUNTER. Directed by Michael Cimino and winner of five Oscars in 1979, including Best Picture, the film ranks #53 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list.
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[@markant9534]

John Cazale was very weak when filming began, and for this reason, his scenes were filmed first. Michael Cimino knew from the start that Cazale was dying from cancer, but the studio did not. When they found out, they wanted to replace Cazale. When Meryl Streep learned of their intentions, she threatened to quit if they did. Cazale died shortly after filming was completed. He never saw the completed film.

[@despacitodaniel801]

My heart...

[@shishir1969]

John Cazale was a great great actor

[@dehoyosrudolph8885]

Also DeNiro paid the bond to the insurance company, in case Cazal passed before his filming scenes were complete.

[@Michael-vk1vr]

It was Cimino's idea too. I know Heaven's Gate will haunt his legacy but come on

[@maratonlegendelenemirei3352]

The hearts of all cocktail waitresses broke two at a time when Mr Cazale passed away.@@despacitodaniel801

[@SpiritAnimalVSOP]

I can't tell you how many times I rewound and watched that scene on my VHS copy. One of the most powerful scenes in movie history.

[@centralscrutinizer66]

I watched the movie in its entirety last night and was given the impression that a movie like the Deer Hunter would never be made the way the it was if it had to appeal to a modern audience. These days the modern movie goer would be complaining about the one hour plus wedding scene, not to mention the comparative lack in large scale action. Heck they even used some military stock footage here and there, probably to keep overall costs down. This was no Apocalypse Now, this was a semi low budget project cast with some unknowns.

[@if6was929]

+centralscrutinizer66 Even without the benefit of hindsight and without comparisons to contemporary effects, The Deer Hunter sucked when it was first released and it still sucks. It was an overrated and racist, right wing propaganda piece. It won its awards because of guilt over how returning Viet vets were treated back then. Cimino is a hack who has never made even a halfway decent movie!

[@centralscrutinizer66]

Didn't Chistopher Walken win an academy award for his role? I know a good performance doesn't a good movie make, but to the standards back then the movie was a big deal. I think everyone can take away something different from the picture good or bad. To me it looked like they left a grimy hell, when to an Asian hell and back to a grimy one. Actually the movie never clearly explained why Walkens character stayed or how he got to be a pro at Russian roulette until Dinero found him and blew his streak. It was a mess.

[@davechard1143]

@@if6was929 Go and stand in the corner dunce.

[@luismaldonado4989]

@@centralscrutinizer66 um…. DeNiro, Streep, and Cazelle were not unknowns.

[@shaileshubhrani8175]

She is absolutely right, you can't get the movie out of your head once you have seen it.

[@paleo704]

Most powerful movie ever made

[@jddnnn]

very true, watched the movie the first time a couple days ago and I can’t help but to keep thinking about it.

[@james87367]

Never.

[@ralphcrisp2896]

The Monarch of the Forest....The King of the Woods.....This is who Dinero, "The Deer Hunter," comes face to face with before leaving for Vietnam. He tells the buck, "No. You have to live." This supernatural whitetail buck....a "Timber Ghost," bonds with Dinero and lends him all of his cunning, his wisdom, and his superb survival skills to bring his friend home from Vietnam, ".. to live." And this is the essence of "The Deer Hunter." Even when you find yourself "the hunted," and life is a desperate struggle to survive, still, "You have to live." This is why "The Deer Hunter" is so deeply disturbing and unforgettable.

[@michaeldineenSG2018]

That POW camp scene was the most profound ever captured in a movie ever. It was so powerful it is almost to tough to watch.

[@jimduffy3285]

I was at the theater and at the end of the Russian roulette scene the place went wild

[@halvaman3]

De Niro: "We're going to will us out of here. Put an empty chamber in that gun! Put an empty chamber in that gun!" Still find these words extraordinary. Dont know if they were part of the original script or De Niro made them up at the time.

[@spankyharland9845]

the scene that impact me the most in the The Deer Hunter movie was the sudden transition from a wedding party in a steel mill town to a helicopter flying over a badly battled village in Vietnam....quite shocking....and the russian roulette scene where they shoot their way out of captivity....very intense.

[@ronfield8258]

Does Jodie Foster age ??? I mean she's a genius, she's gorgeous as hell, she's one of the best in her profession and has every film award in the world. God

[@susanb2015]

This is a very old interview. She isn't young and pretty anymore.

[@SG91218]

@@susanb2015 she still is

[@susanb2015]

@@SG91218 No she isn't. We all get old.

[@siddharthnaagar7028]

@@susanb2015 she still is

[@jeanettesmith765]

@@susanb2015 I think she is still pretty. I don't look like I did when I was 20 either.

[@edkeaton1085]

She's so beautiful by the way! With regards to the film, "The Deer Hunter", it's hard to believe that this film still holds up after 40 years. The standouts here are of course, Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken, with the latter winning his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that year in 1978. Walken's performance as "Nick" was nothing short of incredible! 😊😎

[@HILAL19564]

Totally agreed man. About the movie and foster being beautiful. Pity she's not into men. She's lesbian if I'm correct.

[@kabukisyneri296]

When I first saw it in my 20s, I thought it was the most disturbing thing I've seen from Hollywood.

[@raymondrose6596]

Yes me also

[@fabianpatrizio2865]

I saw it when I was about 10 :-) so you can imagine

[@marytereseconroy165]

Me too

[@enigma-wv7oc]

Maybe Jodie knew the greatness of de Niro when she worked with him in taxidriver But i can amagine her realising of what an acting God he was during that Russian roulette scene.

[@juliemarkey254]

Chris Walken was amazing in this movie. The whole cast was good but CW stunned me.

[@JesusCristo2002]

I wouldn't say "The Deer Hunter" is underrated. The film won numerous accolades and awards including Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's widely regarded as one of the best films ever made, and is indeed one of the best war films of all time. The famous/infamous "Russian Roulette": scene is a definite allegory for the sacrificial price of war. We toy killing ourselves out of force from our enemy.

[@HoldenNY22]

I believe I read that there were never any evidence or documentation that the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese made their Prisoners do Russian Roulette with each other. I am not sure if that is true, but it seems like that statement may be correct. AFter The Deer Hunter beat Jane Fpnda's Vietnam Movie- Coming Home at the Oscars in 1980- I definitely do remember Jane Fonda saying that The Deer Hunter is the Pentagon's View of the Vietnam War. I have not seen "The Deer Hunter" in many years. I am not sure if Jane Fonda'ss statement is a fair statement. However from what I remember of the Movie- the Movie showed the American Enemies- the Viet-Cong and the NOrth Vietnamese as very violent and Savage while the American Soldiers were generaly shown in a good light.

[@paleo704]

@@HoldenNY22 of course it happened. Quit believing commie propaganda

[@dora1980]

The russian roulette is not an allegory , it's a very realistic scene.

[@maratonlegendelenemirei3352]

No but US soldiers made the Viet-Cong take part in Russian Roulette.@@HoldenNY22

[@timdyer5326]

I love Jodie Foster. So thoughtful.

[@markant9534]

The scene where Steven is yelling, "Michael, there's rats in here, Michael", as he is stuck in the river, is John Savage yelling at Michael Cimino because of his fear of rats, which were infesting the river area. He was yelling for the director to pull him out of the water because of the rats. It looked real, and they kept it in.

[@dora1980]

I'm not the same either since I watched the Deer hunter , it's been almost 27 years since then. I cried so much that night that I 'm afraid to watch it again except from some small parts. of course not the ending.

[@Feoktistovs]

Seen this movie , and this is one of the most intense and incredible scenes ever in movie history! I give this movie overall 8.5/10 rating , this movie was really long , 3 hours long but every second I felt involved with the movie... it was amazing and didn't bore me at all , no wonder it won 5 oscars and got 8.2 rating on IMDB, I already knew this is going to be great after sawing Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken in the movie , also Meryl Streep .... I am glad I saw this , this is definitely for some people once in a life time movie but I feel like I will comeback to see this again ... just a true classic masterpiece! enough said.

[@Jonathan-mj3mu]

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[@eddiehuang5080]

Тakeeе aсtiоoоon guуs: use this link ...bеfоrе thеу runs оut !! Links Herе!! --- twitter.com/3ad46f75c8478b8e1/status/754918905043259393 === !! Guidеs plаced right heеre соoооmmоnlу working. Jodie Fostеr оn THЕ DEЕR HUNТЕR

[@ekomaulana47]

I watched The Deer Hunter full moviee here twitter.com/3b89c173c4d66838c/status/822783525686427649 Jodie Fоooster on THE DEEEER HUNTER

[@garrybaldy327]

That must have been a bit weird for Jodie, watching a movie in the cinema as, presumably, a young 16yo, being amazed and moved and inspired by it, yet all the while knowing she'd already done a film with the guy who plays Mike.

[@siddharthnaagar7028]

She did Taxi Driver when she was 12 and deer hunter came out 2 yrs later. She's always been more mature than her age

[@bobhillstrom4915]

I am 73 and I think Jodie hit this on the head. For years when people ask me about this movie I always say it is a story of male love...

[@johnnash297]

Her intelligence and maturity set her apart from her peers from age 12 on.

[@forkyyyy7842]

My fav scene was just before he shoots himself he says " one shot " he was coming around but was too late ,,, unreal film

[@MonroeSmile]

The Deer Hunter is really upsetting to watch, but beautiful and brilliant. Thanks for uploading AFI!

[@outinsider]

I was saying how it isn't easily recognized as other war films are. It is a great film and deserved every accolade.

[@outinsider]

The Deer Hunter is very underrated now, as is Coming Home. Both films cover the human cost of the Vietnam War honestly and truthfully, or any war for that matter. These films need to be seen as much today as they did in the late 70s, especially with false rumors floating around about the people involved in contributing to that war's end.

[@bignizzle6973]

outinsider Those movies aren't documentaries, and they do take liberties. For example, the Russian Roulette scene is purely fictional, though it is riveting.

[@jeanettesmith765]

Two of my favorite films. They both won Academy Awards so don't feel they are underrated.

[@whitesimurgh6363]

That scene certainly was one of the best goddamn scenes in cinematic history.. At least for me it is

[@blahblah6497]

It is one of the most powerful scenes ever written and cought on film. Just a masterclass of acting and film making.

[@SeaJayAudit]

I saw The Deer Hunter maybe 25 years ago. Then I specifically looked up the first Russian Roulette scene, maybe 5 years ago. I distinctly remember yelling at my monitor, with tears rolling down my face: "Now we've got a shot! Now we've got a shot!" to make it our of this pickle - alive.

[@dfa3366]

What is amazing about this movie is the actual war scenes were very little in the movie. The movie is about how war changes a community and its effects on people who served and their friends and relatives.

[@michaeldineenSG2018]

They cut some out.

[@nemo227]

Scary. Extremely scary . . . On a different note, the film must have captured the "flavor", the essence of the small Pennsylvania town (Clairton, PA) because I accidentally tuned into the film on TV late one night, the wedding hall/reception scene in Clairton and it struck me as familiar . . . so I watched the movie. Clairton was my home town but I left there back about 1942 when I was 4 or 5 years old and I've lived in California and Oregon ever since. How could that scene be familiar to someone who was only 4 or 5 years old?

[@igotatan1]

After watching that scene, you are not the same.

[@markant9534]

Robert De Niro, who prepared for his role by socializing with steelworkers, was introduced by his hosts and new friends as Bob, and no one recognized him.

[@the_mowron]

cause nobody in Mingo cared about hollywood

[@anthonyD2365]

Me too! Greatest Scene in cinematic history. I love you Jodie Foster.

[@AJ_Nightfall]

That seen is so raw. You can feel the cuts and bruises on them. The way they fight and hit eachother makes your body tense up as if you're getting smacked around. The click of the hammer is about as much relief as a bullet. There were no winners in that game.

[@TANTRUMGASM]

the horrors of that scene can only be forgotten and buried in the beauty of Jodie Foster in this clip

[@MicaRayan]

She played along Robert De Niro 2 years prior... She know how hard it is to act in such pivotal scene and to make it believable

[@siddharthnaagar7028]

Jodie Foster is a genius

[@arnoldstollar5375]

Great film and great acting

[@thomasjones9662]

Me too, Jodi...me too.

[@searchingformyself5319]

Dear AFI: It is past time for an update to the list. Apparently you're not doing a revision every 9 years. While "The Deer Hunter" is only #53 on your "outdated" 2007 list, I'm sure it would be closer to #30 by now, arguably the greatest "Vietnam war-era film". Other movies like "Vertigo" are still too low. For example, "Vertigo" moved from 61st place to #9 in 2007, but by now it might be #1 or #2. Tssk tssk. You let "Sight & Sound" take the lead, did you.

[@The1Mustache3]

My favorite film

[@nicolesong6199]

What is this style? of makeup? is it that? she looks so different yet so herself.

[@yourdiscoverelaxchannel9422]

For me Taxi Driver is a Prequel of the deerhunter ...

[@Luca-bv5ic]

ummmm...don't you mean sequel?

[@yourdiscoverelaxchannel9422]

@@Luca-bv5ic yes ... so, I mean Deerhunter is PART 1 and Taxidriver Part 2

[@Luca-bv5ic]

@@yourdiscoverelaxchannel9422 yeah so Taxi Driver isn't a prequel, it'd be the sequel then.

[@yourdiscoverelaxchannel9422]

@@Luca-bv5ic 👍

[@if6was929]

They weren't "asked" to play Russian roulette, WTF Jodi!

[@scifinerd17]

funneled through . a law firm either play Russian roulette or die, well they’re gonna die either way so there’s not really much of a choice there to begin with.

[@stancurrent8133]

if6was929 movie scenes can be symbolic, as in art, literature etc. . .the intent is to have a greater impact as Jody Foster describes. . .are you by chance a combat veteran? if so, thank you for your service to our country. . I think you know the bond that soldiers have is greater when they see a comrade die. . .they are trained to anticipate it. . .this country was playing Russian roulette with their lives. . . we were mislead about the communist threat, same as Iraq having WMD. It's the soldiers and their families made to suffer, which The Deer Hunter powerfully shows. Ever see Gran Torino? Same thing. We were lied to about North Korea threatening to invade South Korea. Rather than address the nuclear threat from North Korea and Iran diplomatically, Trump and Bolton have provoked them with severe sanctions and threats of war. Akira Kurosawa saw how wars are between governments. It's the people made to suffer.

[@joycegibbs5267]

that film is a masterpiece. Makes me cry every time and the acting is astonishing from ALL of them.

[@jamesheath7601]

Jodie is beautiful

[@joanofarc9438]

Ya me too.

[@rodneythenewsgeek9426]

God she is so beautiful

[@spacecatboy2962]

i dont think they were ASKED

[@barcalona55]

Who?

[@greensombrero3641]

Jodie - call me.

[@HeathcliffeMcHarris]

"asked"

[@brodemonz]

Yet there are no records of russian roulette being played during Vietnam.

[@davidevans3175]

Ya, those Russian roulette guys kept very accurate books.

[@dora1980]

I can't believe that the director Michael Cimino just imiagined this scence with the russian roulette.

[@jeanettesmith765]

The director knew this and said in an interview it was just a representation of the horror of not knowing if you were going to survive the war.

[@jeanettesmith765]

@@dora1980 He said that he did.

[@SandfordSmythe]

Hey, this is art.

[@ColKurtzknew]

"being played with"?

[@BAPTIZZED]

sexy voice

[@M_Ladd]

Jodi got new teeth! Looking good there Jodi!

[@bobyers3071]

Well I know a lot of people really like this scene and it is very cinematic and don't wanna be a turd to punch ball but if you really think about it that whole sequence of Russian roulette and then him staying on and continuing to do it and making a lot of money and sending it back to his paralyzed friend it's pretty nonsensical it's just dumb it's not anywhere near the truth this bend your disbelief is impossible if you really think about it but most people won't

[@Bynkers83]

Asked try forced!

[@peterwilliamson8721]

Still losing 22 VETERANS A DAY to suicide, so what's CHANGED?

[@ennuied]

De Niro made her turn gay.

[@jeanettesmith765]

Ridiculous comment.

[@kaveh4052]

J.Foster:toyed with by a bunch of people that dont't speak a word of english !!?? she is right to point out that, the usa goes to a foreign and distant country to massacre the population, use napalm and flamethrowers and other cheerful fireworks, destroy the natural resources and plunder the wealth of the country and leave them with a wound open forever!! and they for their part all they have to do is learn English and they are incapable of it!!?? what trauma for American soldiers !!??😢 I loved this movie 😊

[@PaintedDemon]

I'd like to see her balloon knot.

[@brianalexander7360]

Carpet Muncher...What a waste..

[@ca77721]

Its a masterpiece

[@ColKurtzknew]

"being played with"?