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119-567: The Deer Hunter is a 1978 American epic war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives are upended after fighting in the Vietnam War . The three soldiers are played by Robert De Niro , Christopher Walken , and John Savage , with John Cazale (in his final role), Meryl Streep , and George Dzundza in supporting roles. The story takes place in Clairton, Pennsylvania ,

238-745: A botanical garden , the Norodom Palace , Hotel Continental , Notre-Dame Cathedral , and Bến Thành Market , among many others. In April 1865, Gia Định Báo was established in Saigon, becoming the first newspaper published in Vietnam. During the French colonial era, Saigon became known as "Pearl of the Orient" ( Hòn ngọc Viễn Đông ), or "Paris of the Extreme Orient". On 27 April 1931,

357-553: A working-class town on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, and in Vietnam. The film was based in part on an unproduced screenplay called The Man Who Came to Play by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker about Las Vegas and Russian roulette . Producer Michael Deeley , who bought the script, hired Cimino who, with Deric Washburn , rewrote the script, taking the Russian roulette element and placing it in

476-536: A $ 5 million insurance policy. Other filming took place in Pittsburgh . The first deer to be shot was depicted in a "gruesome close-up", although he was hit only with a tranquilizer dart. This was not a whitetail buck, which is native to Pennsylvania, but a red deer native to Eurasia. The stag that Michael lets escape was the same one later used on TV commercials for The Hartford . The Viet Cong Russian roulette scenes were shot with real rats and mosquitoes , as

595-482: A centre of resistance against Tây Sơn. Two years later, a large Vauban citadel called Gia Định , or Thành Bát Quái ("Eight Diagrams") was built by Victor Olivier de Puymanel , one of the Nguyễn Ánh's French mercenaries . The citadel was captured by Lê Văn Khôi during his revolt of 1833–35 against Emperor Minh Mạng . Following the revolt, Minh Mạng ordered it to be dismantled, and a new citadel, called Phụng Thành ,

714-426: A common Vietnamese surname ( Hồ , 胡 ) with a given name meaning "enlightened will" (from Sino-Vietnamese , 志 明 ; Chí meaning 'will' or 'spirit', and Minh meaning 'light'), in essence, meaning "light bringer". Nowadays, "Saigon" is still used as a semi-official name for the city, in some cases being used interchangeably with Ho Chi Minh City, partly due to its long history and familiarity. "Prey Nokor City"

833-465: A deer with a single shot. In 1969 in Vietnam, Mike, now a Green Beret , happens upon Nick and Steven, who land in a village during an Air Assault mission. The three are soon imprisoned by the Viet Cong in a cage along a river and forced to participate in games of Russian roulette while the jailers bet. Steven fires his round at the ceiling and is forced into a cage with rats and previous victims of

952-795: A full-scale release on February 23, 1979, just following the Oscars. This film pioneered a new release pattern for so-called prestige pictures that screen only at the end of the year to qualify for Academy Award recognition. The film eventually grossed $ 48.9 million at the US box office. Epic film Epic historical films would usually take a historical or a mythical event and add an extravagant setting, lavish costumes, an expansive musical score , and an ensemble cast , which would make them extremely expensive to produce. The most common subjects of epic films are royalty and important figures from various periods in world history. The term "epic" originally came from

1071-420: A game of Russian roulette, pulling the trigger on himself. Mike happens to be present as a spectator, but Nick and Julien hurriedly leave. Sometime later, Mike returns home, but cannot integrate into civilian life. He avoids a welcome-home party, opting to stay alone in a hotel. He visits Linda and learns that Nick has deserted. Mike then visits Angela, who is now a mother, but has slipped into catatonia following

1190-572: A massive scale. Biographical films may be less lavish versions of this genre. They often have a Roadshow theatrical release and are often shot on 70 mm film . Many writers may refer to any film that is "long" (over two hours) as an epic, making the definition epic a matter of dispute, and raise questions as to whether it is a "genre" at all. As Roger Ebert put it, in his "Great Movies" article on Lawrence of Arabia : The word epic in recent years has become synonymous with big-budget B picture . What you realize watching Lawrence of Arabia

1309-609: A metropolitan area covering most parts of the southeast region plus Tiền Giang Province and Long An Province under planning, will have an area of 30,000 km (12,000 sq mi) with a population of 20 million inhabitants by 2020. Inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh City are usually known as "Saigonese" in English and "dân Sài Gòn" in Vietnamese. The majority of the population are ethnic Vietnamese ( Kinh ) at about 93.52%. Ho Chi Minh City's largest minority ethnic group are

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1428-475: A mission to ask his son-in-law, King Chey Chettha II, to set up tax collection stations in Prey Nokor (Sài Gòn) and Kas Krobei (Bến Nghé). Although this was a deserted jungle area, it was located on the traffic routes between Vietnam, Cambodia, and Siam. The next two important events of this period were the establishment of the barracks and residence of Vice King Ang Non and the establishment of

1547-404: A mystery I never quite fathomed." Cimino originally claimed that the wedding scene would take up 21 minutes of screen time; in the end, it took 51 minutes. Deeley believes that Cimino always planned to make this prologue last for an hour, and "the plan was to be advanced by stealth rather than straight dealing." At this point in the production, nearly halfway through principal photography, Cimino

1666-544: A new région called Saigon–Cholon consisting of Saigon and Cholon was formed; the name Cholon was dropped after South Vietnam gained independence from France in 1955. From about 256,000 in 1930, Saigon's population rose to 1.2 million in 1950. In 1949, former Emperor Bảo Đại made Saigon the capital of the State of Vietnam with himself as head of state. In 1954, the Geneva Agreement partitioned Vietnam along

1785-611: A palace at Tân Mỹ (near the present-day Cống Quỳnh–Nguyễn Trãi crossroads). It can be said that Saigon was formed from these three government agencies. In 1679, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần allowed a group of Chinese refugees from the Qing dynasty to settle in Mỹ Tho , Biên Hòa and Saigon to seek refuge. In 1698, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh , a Vietnamese noble, was sent by the Nguyễn rulers of Huế by sea to establish Vietnamese administrative structures in

1904-405: A particular dislike of Americans, and so cast him. De Niro suggested that Walken be slapped by one of the guards without any warning, and Walken's reaction was genuine. Producer Deeley has said that Cimino shot the brutal Vietcong Russian roulette scenes brilliantly and more efficiently than any other part of the film. De Niro and Savage performed their own stunts in the fall into the river, filming

2023-399: A result, Cimino was acting without the day-to-day supervision of a producer. Because Deeley was busy overseeing the production of Sam Peckinpah 's Convoy (1978), he hired John Peverall to oversee Cimino's shoot. Peverall's expertise with budgeting and scheduling made him a natural successor to Relyea, and Peverall knew enough about the picture to be elevated to producer status. "John is

2142-618: A small group of Bawean from Bawean Island in Indonesia (about 400; as of 2015), they occupy District 1. Various other nationalities including Koreans, Japanese, Americans, South Africans, Filipinos and Britons reside in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly in Thủ Đức and District 7 as expatriate workers. As of April 2009, the city recognises 13 religions and 1,983,048 residents identify as religious people. Buddhism and Catholicism are

2261-417: A story with three distinct acts. Washburn did not interview any veterans to write The Deer Hunter ; nor did he do any research. "I had a month, that was it," he explains. "The clock was ticking. Write the fucking script! But all I had to do was watch TV. Those combat cameramen in Vietnam were out there in the field with the guys. I mean, they had stuff that you wouldn't dream of seeing about Iraq." When Washburn

2380-476: A straightforward Cornishman who had worked his way up to become a production supervisor," wrote Deeley, "and we employed him as EMI's watchman on certain pictures." The wedding scenes were filmed at historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland , Ohio. They took five days to film. St. Theodosius' Father Stephen Kopestonsky was cast as the priest. The reception scene

2499-525: A tight-knit Slavic American community in Western Pennsylvania —Mike Vronsky, Steven Pushkov, and Nikanor "Nick" Chevotarevich—work in a steel mill and hunt deer with their co-workers Stanley ("Stan") and Peter "Axel" Axelrod, along with friend and bartender John Welsh. Mike, Steven, and Nick are preparing to leave for military service in Vietnam . Steven is engaged to Angela Ludhjduravic, who

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2618-416: A veterans' hospital; both of Steven's legs have been amputated, and he has lost the use of an arm. Steven refuses to come home, saying he no longer fits in. He tells Mike that he has been regularly receiving large sums of money from Vietnam. Mike intuits that Nick is the source of these payments, and forces Steven to return home to Angela. Mike returns to Vietnam in search of Nick. Wandering around Saigon, which

2737-746: Is 28 °C (82 °F), with little variation throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded was 40.0 °C (104 °F) in April while the lowest temperature recorded was 13.8 °C (57 °F) in January. On average, the city experiences between 2,400 and 2,700 hours of sunshine per year. The city is a municipality at the same level as Vietnam's provinces , which is subdivided into 22 district-level sub-divisions (as of 2020): They are further subdivided into 5 commune-level towns (or townlets), 58 communes, and 249 wards (as of 2020 , see List of HCMC administrative units below). On 1 January 2021, it

2856-585: Is 47 km (29 mi). Due to its location on the Mekong Delta, the city is fringed by tidal flats that have been heavily modified for agriculture. Saigon is considered one of the most vulnerable cities to the effects of climate change , particularly flooding. During the rainy season, a combination of high tide, heavy rains, high flow volume in the Saigon River and Đồng Nai River and land subsidence results in regular flooding in several parts of

2975-420: Is expected to grow to 13.9 million by 2025. The population of the city is expanding faster than earlier predictions. In August 2017, the city's mayor, Nguyễn Thành Phong, admitted that previous estimates of 8–10 million were drastic underestimations. The actual population (including those who have not officially registered) was estimated 13 million in 2017. The Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Area ,

3094-498: Is now in a state of chaos shortly before its fall , Mike finds Julien and persuades him to take him to the gambling den. Mike finds himself facing Nick, who has become a professional in the macabre game and fails to recognize Mike. Mike attempts to bring Nick back to reason by invoking memories of their hunting trips back home, but Nick maintains his indifference. However, during a game of Russian roulette between Mike and Nick, Nick recalls Mike's "one shot" method and smiles before pulling

3213-485: Is that the word epic refers not to the cost or the elaborate production, but to the size of the ideas and vision. Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God didn't cost as much as the catering in Pearl Harbor , but it is an epic, and Pearl Harbor is not. The epic is among the oldest of film genres, with one early notable example being Giovanni Pastrone 's Cabiria , a two-and-a-half hour silent film about

3332-595: Is well known in Khmer, whereas "Ho Chi Minh City" is used to refer to the whole city. The earliest settlement in the area was a Funan temple at the location of the current Phụng Sơn Buddhist temple, founded in the 4th century AD. A settlement called Baigaur was established on the site in the 11th century by the Champa . Baigaur was renamed Prey Nokor after conquest by the Khmer Empire around 1145, Prey Nokor grew on

3451-461: The 17th parallel ( Bến Hải River ), with the communist Việt Minh , under Ho Chi Minh , gaining complete control of the northern half of the country , while the southern half gained independence from France. The State officially became the Republic of Vietnam when Bảo Đại was deposed by his Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm in the 1955 referendum , with Saigon as its capital. On 22 October 1956,

3570-564: The Punic Wars , which laid the groundwork for the subsequent silent epics of D. W. Griffith . The genre reached a peak of popularity in the early 1960s, when Hollywood frequently collaborated with foreign film studios (such as Rome's Cinecittà ) to use relatively exotic locations in Spain, Morocco and elsewhere for the production of epic films such as El Cid (1961) or Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The genre soon spread to other regions of

3689-697: The Vietnamese People's Army . In 1976, upon the establishment of the unified communist Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including the Cholon area), the province of Gia Ðịnh and two suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Ho Chi Minh City, in honour of the late Communist leader Ho Chi Minh. At the time, the city covered an area of 1,295.5 square kilometres (500.2 sq mi) with eight districts and five rurals: Thủ Đức , Hóc Môn , Củ Chi , Bình Chánh , and Nhà Bè . Since 1978, administrative divisions in

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3808-696: The best films ever made , including being named the 53rd-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute in 2007 in their 10th Anniversary Edition of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1996, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In 1968, three friends in

3927-643: The "epic" film, encompassing such examples as Ben-Hur , Gone with the Wind and more recently, 300 and the Star Wars films [...] none of these comes from literary epics per se , and there is little that links them with one another. Among those who espouse film genre studies, epic is one of the most despised and ignored genres". Finally, although the American Movie Channel formally defines epic films as historical films, they nonetheless state

4046-519: The 1960s, Saigon experienced economic downturn and high inflation, as it was completely dependent on U.S. aid and imports from other countries. As a result of widespread urbanisation, with the population reaching 3.3 million by 1970, the city was described by the USAID as being turned "into a huge slum". The city also suffered from "prostitutes, drug addicts, corrupt officials, beggars, orphans, and Americans with money", and according to Stanley Karnow , it

4165-496: The 30 feet (9.1 m) drop 15 times in two days. During the helicopter stunt, the skids caught on the rope bridge as the helicopter rose, threatening to seriously injure De Niro and Savage. The actors gestured and shouted to the crew in the helicopter to warn them. Footage of this is included in the film. According to Cimino, De Niro requested a live cartridge in the revolver for the scene in which he subjects John Cazale's character to an impromptu game of Russian roulette, to heighten

4284-529: The Chinese ( Hoa ) with 5.78%. Cholon – in District 5 and parts of Districts 6, 10, and 11 – is home to the largest Chinese community in Vietnam. The Hoa (Chinese) speak a number of varieties of Chinese , including Cantonese , Teochew (Chaozhou), Hokkien , Hainanese , and Hakka ; smaller numbers also speak Mandarin Chinese . Other ethnic minorities include Khmer with 0.34%, Cham with 0.1%, as well as

4403-682: The Communist Party is ranked second in the city politics after the Secretary of the Communist Party, while chairman of the People's Committee is ranked third and the chairman of the People's Council is ranked fourth. Sub-division units Dec. 2003 Area (km ) Dec. 2008 Population as of census 1 October 2004 Population as of census 1 April 2009 Population 2010 Population 2011 Population 2015 Population/km 2011 The population of

4522-463: The Vietnam War. The film went over-budget and over-schedule, costing $ 15 million. Its producers EMI Films released it internationally, while Universal Pictures handled its North American distribution. The Deer Hunter received acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for Cimino's direction, the performances of its cast, its screenplay, realistic themes and tones, and cinematography. It

4641-647: The Vietnamese source Phủ biên tạp lục (albeit written in literary Chinese) was the earliest extant one containing the local toponym's transcription; (2) 堤岸 has variant form 提岸 , thus suggesting that both were transcriptions of a local toponym and thus are cognates to, not originals of, Sài Gòn. Saigon is unlikely to be from 堤岸 since in "Textbook on the Geography of the Southern Country", it also lists Chợ Lớn as 𢄂𢀲 separate from 柴棍 Sài Gòn. The current official name, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ,

4760-592: The Wind is the highest-grossing film ever, with two other romantic epics ( Titanic and Doctor Zhivago ) also featuring among the global top ten. So far the most Academy Awards ever won by a single film stands at eleven. This feat has only been achieved by three films: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), all of which are above three hours long and considered epic films. The previous record holder

4879-491: The actors to use the workshops as a bonding process. Each of the six principal male characters carried a photo in his back pocket depicting them all together as children in order to enhance the sense of camaraderie among them. Cimino instructed the props department to fashion complete photo IDs for each of them, including driver licenses and medical cards, to enhance each actor's sense of his character. There has been considerable debate and controversy about how The Deer Hunter

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4998-581: The adjacent areas, while Ho Chi Minh City refers to all of its urban and rural districts. The original toponym behind Sài Gòn, was attested earliest as 柴棍 , with two phonograms whose Sino-Vietnamese readings are sài and côn respectively, in Lê Quý Đôn's "Miscellaneous Chronicles of the Pacified Frontier" ( 撫邊雜錄 , Phủ biên tạp lục c. 1776), wherein Lê relates that, in 1674, Cambodian prince Ang Nan

5117-523: The area was a Cham settlement called Baigaur. The Cambodians then took over the Cham village of Baigaur and renamed it Prey Nokor, a small fishing village. Over time, under the control of the Vietnamese, it was officially renamed Gia Định ( 嘉 定 ) in 1698, a name that was retained until the time of the French conquest in the 1860s, when it adopted the name Sài Gòn , francized as Saïgon , although

5236-453: The area, thus detaching the area from Cambodia, which was not strong enough to intervene. He is often credited with the expansion of Saigon into a significant settlement. King Chey Chettha IV of Cambodia tried to stop the Vietnamese but was defeated by Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh in 1700. In February 1700, he invaded Cambodia from An Giang . In March, the Vietnamese expedition under Cảnh and a Chinese general Trần Thượng Xuyên (Chen Shangchuan) defeated

5355-460: The area. The area was occupied by Champa from 2nd century AD to around the 19th century, due to Đại Việt 's expansionist policy of Nam tiến . After the fall of the Citadel of Saigon , the city became the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1902, and again from 1945 until its cessation in 1954. Following the partition of French Indochina , it became the capital of South Vietnam until it

5474-532: The basis of their enormous scope and the sweeping panorama of their settings such as How the West Was Won or East of Eden that do not have the typical substance of classical epics but are directed in an epic style. When described as "epic" because of content, an epic movie is often set during a time of war or other societal crisis, while usually covering a longer span of time sometimes throughout entire generations coming and passing away, in terms of both

5593-402: The beginning of principal photography, Deeley met with the film's appointed line producer , Robert Relyea , whom Deeley hired after meeting him on the set of Bullitt (1968) and being impressed with his experience. However, Relyea declined the job, refusing to disclose his reason why. Deeley suspected that Relyea sensed in director Cimino something that would have made production difficult. As

5712-539: The centers of economy, entertainment and education in Vietnam. As such, the city is also the busiest international transport hub in Vietnam, as Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport accounts for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam and the Port of Saigon is among the busiest container ports in Southeast Asia . Ho Chi Minh City is also a tourist attraction. Some of the war and historic landmarks in

5831-407: The city centre and 16 m (52 ft) for the suburb areas. It borders Tây Ninh Province and Bình Dương Province to the north, Đồng Nai Province and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province to the east, Long An Province to the west, Tiền Giang Province and South China Sea to the south with a coast 15 km (9 mi) long. The city covers an area of 2,095 km (809 sq mi) or 0.63% of

5950-546: The city have been revised numerous times, most recently in 2020, when District 2 , District 9 , and Thủ Đức District were consolidated to form a municipal city . On 29 October 2002, 60 people died and 90 injured in the International Trade Center building fire in Ho Chi Minh City. Today, Ho Chi Minh City, along with its surrounding provinces, is described as "the manufacturing hub" of Vietnam, and "an attractive business hub". In terms of cost, it

6069-599: The city include the Independence Palace , Landmark 81 (tallest building in Vietnam), the War Remnants Museum , and Bến Thành Market . The city is also known for its narrow walkable alleys and bustling night life . Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is facing increasing threats of sea level rise and flooding as well as heavy strains on public infrastructures. The first known human habitation in

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6188-524: The city is the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council and consists of 105 members. The current chairwoman is Nguyễn Thị Lệ . The judiciary branch of the city is the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court. The current chief judge is Lê Thanh Phong . The executive committee of Communist Party of Ho Chi Minh City is the leading organ of the Communist Party in Ho Chi Minh City. The current secretary is Nguyễn Văn Nên . The permanent deputy secretary of

6307-409: The city was given the official name, Đô Thành Sài Gòn ("Capital City Saigon"). After the decree of 27 March 1959 came into effect, Saigon was divided into eight districts and 41 wards. In December 1966, two wards from old An Khánh Commune of Gia Định, were formed into District 1, then seceded shortly later to become District 9. In July 1969, District 10 and District 11 were founded, and by 1975,

6426-484: The city was still indicated as 嘉 定 on Vietnamese maps written in chữ Hán until at least 1891. The current name, Ho Chi Minh City, was given after reunification in 1976 to honour Ho Chi Minh . Even today, however, the informal name of Sài Gòn remains in daily speech. However, there is a technical difference between the two terms: Sài Gòn is commonly used to refer to the city centre in District 1 and

6545-568: The city's area consisted of eleven districts, Gia Định , Củ Chi District ( Hậu Nghĩa ), and Phú Hòa District ( Bình Dương ). Saigon served as the financial, industrial and transport centre of the Republic of Vietnam. In the late 1950s, with the U.S. providing nearly $ 2 billion in aid to the Diệm regime, the country's economy grew rapidly under capitalism ; by 1960, over half of South Vietnam's factories were located in Saigon. However, beginning in

6664-435: The city, as of the 1 October 2004 census, was 6,117,251 (of which 19 inner districts had 5,140,412 residents and 5 suburban districts had 976,839 inhabitants). In mid-2007, the city's population was 6,650,942 – with the 19 inner districts home to 5,564,975 residents and the five suburban districts containing 1,085,967 inhabitants. The result of the 2009 Census shows that the city's population was 7,162,864 people, about 8.34% of

6783-410: The city, in protest of the Diệm regime. On 1 November of the same year, Diệm was assassinated in Saigon, in a successful coup by Dương Văn Minh . During the 1968 Tet Offensive , communist forces launched a failed attempt to capture the city . Seven years later, on 30 April 1975, Saigon was captured , ending the Vietnam War with a victory for North Vietnam, and the city came under the control of

6902-479: The city. A once-in-100 year flood would cause 23% of the city to suffer flooding. The city has a tropical climate , specifically tropical savanna ( Aw ), with a high average humidity of 78–82%. The year is divided into two distinct seasons. The rainy season, with an average rainfall of about 1,800 mm (71 in) annually (about 150 rainy days per year), usually lasts from May to November. The dry season lasts from December to April. The average temperature

7021-535: The end, but he kissed me when we both got Academy Awards." Cimino later commented in The New York Observer , "[Zinner] was a moron ... I cut Deer Hunter myself." The Deer Hunter was Cimino's first film to use the Dolby noise-reduction system. "What Dolby does," replied Cimino, "is to give you the ability to create a density of detail of sound—a richness so you can demolish the wall separating

7140-449: The epic film may be combined with the genre of science-fiction and cite Star Wars as an example. Stylistically, films classed as epic usually employ spectacular settings and specially designed costumes, often accompanied by a sweeping musical score, and an ensemble cast of bankable stars . Epics are usually among the most expensive of films to produce. They often use on-location filming, authentic period costumes , and action scenes on

7259-426: The epic is often credited to their ability to appeal to a wide audience. Several of the highest-grossing films of all-time have been epics. James Cameron 's 1997 film Titanic , which is cited as helping to revive the genre, grossed $ 1.8 billion at cinemas worldwide to become the highest-grossing film—a record it held for twelve years. If inflation is taken into account, then the historical romantic epic Gone with

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7378-402: The events depicted and the running time of the film. Such films usually have a historical setting, although speculative fiction (i.e. fantasy or science fiction ) settings have become common in recent decades. The central conflict of the film is usually seen as having far-reaching effects, often changing the course of history. The main characters' actions are often central to the resolution of

7497-501: The extras portraying Russian immigrants to bring to the location a gift-wrapped box to double for wedding presents. The manager figured that if the extras did this, not only would the production save time and money, but the gifts would look more authentic. Once the unit unwrapped and the extras disappeared, the crew discovered to their amusement that the boxes weren't empty but filled with real presents, from china to silverware. "Who got to keep all these wonderful offerings," wrote Deeley, "is

7616-400: The final scene in the gambling den between Mike and Nick, Cimino had Walken and De Niro improvise in one take. His direction to his actors: "You put the gun to your head, Chris, you shoot, you fall over and Bobby cradles your head." Thailand US By this point, The Deer Hunter had cost $ 13 million and the film still had to go through an arduous post-production. Film editor Peter Zinner

7735-469: The intensity of the situation. Cazale agreed without protest, but obsessively rechecked the gun before each take to be sure that the live round was not in the next chamber. While appearing later in the film, the first scenes shot on arrival in Thailand were the hospital sequences between Walken and the military doctor. Deeley believed that this scene was "the spur that would earn him an Academy Award". In

7854-421: The jailers. Mike convinces his captors to put three bullets into the revolver's cylinder. Mike kills two captors as he and Nick overpower their captors, however, Nick is wounded in the leg. They quickly escape, rescuing Steven in the process. The trio floats down the river on a felled tree trunk, but Nick and Steven are weak from their wounds. They are rescued by an American helicopter, but Steven falls back into

7973-427: The largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities, contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP . Ho Chi Minh City's metropolitan area is ASEAN's 6th largest economy , also the biggest outside an ASEAN country capital. Since ancient times, water transport has been heavily used by inhabitants in

8092-474: The main Cambodian army at Bích Đôi citadel, king Chey Chettha IV took flight while his nephew Ang Em surrendered to the invaders, as the Vietnamese marched onto and captured Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh . As a result, Saigon and Long An were officially and securely obtained by the Nguyễn, more Vietnamese settlers moved into the new conquered lands. In 1788, Nguyễn Ánh captured the city, and used it as

8211-414: The music for that scene in the same key as the horn sounds, so the music and the sound effects would blend with the images to create one jarring, desolate experience. Both the long and short versions were previewed to Midwestern audiences, although there are differing accounts among Cimino, Deeley, and Spikings as to how the previews panned out. Director Cimino claims he bribed the projectionist to interrupt

8330-424: The need for the Russian roulette element of the script, but Redeker fervently fought to preserve it. Cimino and Deeley discussed the work needed in the first part of the script, and Cimino believed that he could develop the stories of the main characters in the film's first 20 minutes. Cimino worked for six weeks with Deric Washburn on the script. Cimino and Washburn had previously collaborated with Steven Bochco on

8449-447: The original script, the roles of Merle (later renamed Mike) and Nick were reversed in the last half of the film. Nick returns home to Linda, while Mike remains in Vietnam, sends money home to help Steven, and meets his tragic fate at the Russian roulette table. A Writers' Guild arbitration process awarded Washburn sole "Screenplay by" credit. Garfinkle and Redeker were given a shared "Story by" credit with Cimino and Washburn. Deeley felt

8568-481: The people of the two countries could freely move back and forth. In exchange, Chey Chettha II gifted Prei Nokor to the Nguyễn lords . Vietnamese settlers began to migrate to the area of Saigon, Đồng Nai. Before that, the Funanese, Khmer, and Cham had lived there, scattered from time immemorial. The period from 1623 to 1698 is considered the period of the formation of later Saigon. In 1623, Lord Nguyen sent

8687-676: The poetic genre exemplified by such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the works of the Trojan War Cycle . In classical literature, epics are considered works focused on deeds or journeys of heroes upon which the fate of many people depends. Similarly, films described as "epic" typically take a historical character, or a mythic heroic figure. Common subjects of epics are royalty , gladiators , great military leaders, or leading personalities from various periods in world history. However, there are some films described as "epic" almost solely on

8806-596: The pressure and had to go home. Cimino then fired Washburn. Cimino later claimed to have written the entire screenplay himself. Washburn's response to Cimino's comments was, "It's all nonsense. It's lies. I didn't have a single drink the entire time I was working on the script." According to Washburn, he and Cimino spent three days together in Los Angeles at the Sunset Marquis, hammering out the plot. The script eventually went through several drafts, evolving into

8925-560: The rest are the Saigonese who don't believe in God which is Atheism . The city is the economic center of Vietnam and accounts for a large proportion of the economy of Vietnam . Although the city takes up just 0.6% of the country's land area, it contains 8.34% of the population of Vietnam, 20.2% of its GDP, 27.9% of industrial output and 34.9% of the FDI projects in the country in 2005. In 2005,

9044-458: The return of Steven, who has lost both of his legs in the war. Stan, Axel, and John understand nothing of war or what Mike has experienced. Linda and Mike find comfort in each other's company. During a hunting trip, Mike stops himself from shooting a deer and returns to the cabin where he finds Stan cavalierly threatening Axel with his pistol. Mike takes it, chambering a single round, and triggers an empty chamber at Stan's head. Mike visits Steven at

9163-456: The river while trying to grab onto the helicopter skids. Nick boards, however, Mike drops down to help Steven, whose legs are broken in the fall. Mike carries him until they meet refugees and a South Vietnamese Army convoy fleeing to Saigon . Nick is treated at a U.S. military hospital . Once released, Nick, now suffering from PTSD , wanders into a gambling den. French businessman Julien Grinda persuades him to come inside. Upset, Nick interrupts

9282-442: The screenplay for Silent Running (1972). According to producer Barry Spikings , Cimino said that he wanted to work again with Washburn. According to Deeley, he only heard from an office rumor that Washburn was contracted by Cimino to work on the script. "Whether Cimino hired Washburn as his sub-contractor or as a co-writer was constantly being obfuscated," wrote Deeley, "and there were some harsh words between them later on, or so I

9401-432: The shorter version, in order to obtain better reviews of the longer one. According to producer Spikings, Wasserman let EMI's CEO Bernard Delfont decide between the two and chose Cimino's longer cut. Deeley claims that the two-and-a-half-hour version tested had a better response. The soundtrack to The Deer Hunter was released on audio CD on October 25, 1990. The producer Allan Carr took over its marketing and convinced

9520-475: The site of a small fishing village and area of forest. The first Vietnamese people crossed the sea to explore this land completely without the organisation of the Nguyễn Lords . Thanks to the marriage between Princess Nguyễn Phúc Ngọc Vạn - daughter of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên - and the King of Cambodia  Chey Chettha II in 1620, the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia became smooth, and

9639-399: The societal conflict. In its classification of films by genre, the American Film Institute limits the genre to historical films such as Ben-Hur . However, film scholars such as Constantine Santas are willing to extend the label to science-fiction films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars . Lynn Ramey suggests that "Surely one of the hardest film genres to define is that of

9758-451: The standard response was that "no American would want to see a picture about Vietnam." After consulting various Hollywood agents, Deeley found Cimino and was impressed by Cimino's television commercial work and crime film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974). Cimino was confident that he could further develop the principal characters of The Man Who Came to Play without losing the essence of the original. According to Deeley, Cimino questioned

9877-446: The story credits for Garfinkle and Redeker "did them less than justice." Cimino contested the results of the arbitration. "In their Nazi wisdom," added Cimino, "[they] didn't give me the credit because I would be producer, director and writer." All four writers—Cimino, Washburn, Garfinkle, and Redeker—received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for the film. The Deer Hunter began principal photography on June 20, 1977. It

9996-523: The studio to allow the film to be played on the Z Channel before theatrical release. The Deer Hunter debuted at one theater each in New York and Los Angeles for a week on December 8, 1978. The release strategy was to qualify the film for Oscar consideration and close after a week to build interest. After the Oscar nominations, Universal widened the distribution to include major cities, building up to

10115-515: The surface of Vietnam), extending up to Củ Chi District (12 mi or 19 km from the Cambodian border) and down to Cần Giờ on the Eastern Sea. The distance from the northernmost point (Phú Mỹ Hưng Commune, Củ Chi District ) to the southernmost one (Long Hòa Commune, Cần Giờ District) is 102 km (63 mi), and from the easternmost point ( Long Bình ward , District Nine) to the westernmost one (Bình Chánh Commune, Bình Chánh District)

10234-483: The thing, and he'll go away. I was so tired, I didn't care. I'd been working 20 hours a day for a month. I got on the plane the next day, and I went back to Manhattan and my carpenter job." Deeley felt the revised script, now called The Deer Hunter , broke fresh ground for the project. The protagonist in the Redeker/Garfinkle script, Merle, was an individual who sustained a bad injury in active service and

10353-484: The three principals (De Niro, Walken, and Savage) were tied up in bamboo cages erected along the River Kwai . The woman who was given the task of casting extras in Thailand had much difficulty finding a local to play the vicious-looking individual who runs the game. The first actor hired turned out to be incapable of slapping De Niro in the face. The casting agent then found a local Thai man, Somsak Sengvilai, who held

10472-529: The toponyms: provincia Rai-gon, Rai-gon thong (for *Sài Gòn thượng "Upper Saigon"), & Rai-gon-ha (for *Sài Gòn hạ "Lower Saigon"). It is probably a transcription of Khmer ព្រៃនគរ (Prey Nokôr) , or Khmer ព្រៃគរ (Prey Kôr). The proposal that Sài Gòn is from non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 堤岸 (“embankment”, tai4 ngon6 , SV: đê ngạn) , the Cantonese name of Chợ Lớn , (e.g. by Vương Hồng Sển) has been critiqued as folk-etymological, as: (1)

10591-492: The total population of Vietnam, making it the highest population-concentrated city in the country. As of the end of 2012, the total population of the city was 7,750,900 people, an increase of 3.1% from 2011. As an administrative unit, its population is also the largest at the provincial level. According to the 2019 census, Ho Chi Minh City has a population of over 8.9 million within the city proper and over 21 million within its metropolitan area . The city's population

10710-453: The trigger and killing himself. Mike and his friends attend Nick's funeral, and the atmosphere at their local bar is dim and silent. Moved by emotion, John begins to sing " God Bless America " in honor of Nick, as everyone joins in. While Deeley was pleased with the revised script, he was still concerned about being able to sell the film. He later wrote: "We still had to get millions out of a major studio, as well as convince our markets around

10829-565: The two predominant religions in Ho Chi Minh City. The largest is Buddhism as it has 1,164,930 followers followed by Catholicism with 745,283 followers, Caodaism with 31,633 followers, Protestantism with 27,016 followers, Islam with 6,580 followers, Hòa Hảo with 4,894 followers, Tịnh độ cư sĩ Phật hội Việt Nam with 1,387 followers, Hinduism with 395 followers, Đạo Tứ ấn hiếu nghĩa with 298 followers, Minh Sư Đạo with 283 followers, Baháʼí Faith with 192 followers, Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương with 89 followers, Minh Lý Đạo with 67 followers, and

10948-468: The viewer from the film. You can come close to demolishing the screen." It took five months to mix the soundtrack. One short battle sequence—200 feet of film in the final cut—took five days to dub. Another sequence recreated the 1975 American evacuation of Saigon; Cimino brought the film's composer, Stanley Myers, out to the location to listen to the auto, tank, and jeep horns as the sequence was being photographed. The result, according to Cimino: Myers composed

11067-471: The world that they should buy it before it was finished. I needed someone with the caliber of Robert De Niro." Deeley felt that De Niro was "the right age, apparently tough as hell, and immensely talented." De Niro, who knew many actors in New York, brought Streep and Cazale to the attention of Cimino and Deeley. De Niro also accompanied Cimino to scout locations for the steel mill sequence and rehearsed with

11186-627: The world, such as India where it's flourishing Bollywood industry produced the landmark Mughal-E Azam (1960), which is widely considered as one of the greatest films of all time and a milestone in Asian epics. This boom period of international co-productions is generally considered to have ended with Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Nevertheless, films in this genre continued to appear, with one notable example being War and Peace , which

11305-445: The wrong picture to each studio." Deeley did agree with Universal that the film needed to be shorter, not just because of pacing but also to ensure commercial success. "A picture under two and a half hours can scrape three shows a day," wrote Deeley, "but at three hours you've lost one third of your screenings and one third of your income for the cinemas, distributors, and profit participants." Universal president Thom Mount said: "This

11424-529: Was Gone with the Wind (1939), also an epic, with ten awards. Saigon Ho Chi Minh City ( HCMC ; Vietnamese : Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh ), better known as Saigon ( Vietnamese : Sài Gòn ), is the most populous city in Vietnam , with a population of around 10 million in 2023. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River . As a municipality , Ho Chi Minh City consists of 16 urban districts , five rural districts , and one municipal city (sub-city). As

11543-603: Was "a black-market city in the largest sense of the word". On 28 April 1955, the Vietnamese National Army launched an attack against Bình Xuyên military force in the city. The battle lasted until May, killing an estimated 500 people and leaving about 20,000 homeless. Ngô Đình Diệm then later turned on other paramilitary groups in Saigon, including the Hòa Hảo Buddhist reform movement. On 11 June 1963, Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức burned himself in

11662-422: Was $ 8.5 million. Meryl Streep accepted the role of the "vague, stock girlfriend" to remain for the duration of filming with John Cazale , who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. De Niro had spotted Streep in her stage production of The Cherry Orchard and suggested she play his girlfriend Linda. Meryl Streep wrote all of her lines. Streep is said to have accepted the role, primarily, to be with Cazale. Before

11781-495: Was 'God Bless America'. Sheinberg thought it was anti-American. He was vehement. He said something like 'You're poking a stick in the eye of America.' They really didn't like the movie. And they certainly didn't like it at three hours and two minutes." Deeley was not surprised by the Universal response: " The Deer Hunter was a United Artists sort of picture, whereas Convoy was more in the style of Universal. I'd muddled and sold

11900-411: Was about people who go to Las Vegas to play Russian roulette. Deeley later wrote: "The screenplay had struck me as brilliant, but it wasn't complete. The trick would be to find a way to turn a very clever piece of writing into a practical, realizable film." When the film was being planned during the mid-1970s, the Vietnam War was still a taboo subject with all major Hollywood studios . According to Deeley,

12019-487: Was already over-budget, and producer Spikings could tell from the script that shooting the extended scene could sink the project. The bar was specially constructed in an empty storefront in Mingo Junction , Ohio for $ 25,000; it later became an actual saloon for local steel mill workers. U.S. Steel allowed filming inside its Cleveland mill, including placing the actors around the furnace floor, only after securing

12138-403: Was also successful at the box office, grossing $ 49 million. At the 51st Academy Awards , it was nominated for nine Academy Awards , and won five: Best Picture , Best Director for Cimino, Best Supporting Actor for Walken, Best Sound , and Best Film Editing . It was Meryl Streep's first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress ). The Deer Hunter has been included on lists of

12257-499: Was announced that District 2 , District 9 and Thủ Đức District would be consolidated and was approved by Standing Committee of the National Assembly . The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is a 13-member executive branch of the city. The current chairman is Phan Văn Mãi . There are several vice chairmen and chairwomen on the committee with responsibility over various city departments. The legislative branch of

12376-484: Was built in 1836. In 1859, the citadel was destroyed by the French following the Battle of Kỳ Hòa . Initially called Gia Định, the Vietnamese city became Saigon in the 18th century. Ceded to France by the 1862 Treaty of Saigon , the city was planned by the French to transform into a large town for colonization. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, construction of various French-style buildings began, including

12495-408: Was captured by North Vietnam , who renamed the city after their former leader Hồ Chí Minh , though the former name is still widely used in informal usages. Beginning in the 1990s, the city underwent rapid expansion and modernization, which contributed to Vietnam's post-war economic recovery and helped revive its international trade hub status. Ho Chi Minh City has a long tradition of being one of

12614-432: Was damaged psychologically by his violent experiences, but was nevertheless a tough character with strong nerves and guts. Cimino and Washburn's revised script distilled the three aspects of Merle's personality and separated them out into three distinct characters. They became three old friends who grew up in the same small industrial town and worked in the same steel mill, and in due course were drafted together to Vietnam. In

12733-479: Was filmed at nearby Lemko Association Hall. The amateur extras cast for the crowded wedding-dance sequences drank real liquor and beer. The scenes were filmed in the summer, in 95 °F (35 °C) weather, but were set in the fall. To accomplish a fall look, individual leaves were removed from deciduous trees . Zsigmond also had to desaturate the colors of the exterior shots, partly in camera and partly in laboratory processing. The production manager asked each of

12852-523: Was finished, he says, Cimino and Joann Carelli, an associate producer on The Deer Hunter who went on to produce two more of Cimino's later films, took him to dinner at a cheap restaurant off the Sunset Strip . He recalls, "We finished, and Joann looks at me across the table, and she says, 'Well, Deric, it's fuck-off time.' I was fired. It was a classic case: you get a dummy, get him to write the goddamn thing, tell him to go fuck himself, put your name on

12971-430: Was first proclaimed in 1945, and later adopted in 1976. It is abbreviated as TP.HCM, and translated in English as Ho Chi Minh City , abbreviated as HCMC, and in French as Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville (the circumflex is sometimes omitted), abbreviated as HCMV. The name commemorates Ho Chi Minh , the first leader of North Vietnam . This name, though not his given name, was one he favored throughout his later years. It combines

13090-521: Was given 600,000 feet (110 mi; 180 km) of printed film to edit, a monumental task at the time. Producers Spikings and Deeley were pleased with the first cut, which ran for three and a half hours. "We were thrilled by what we saw," wrote Deeley, "and knew that within the three and a half hours we watched there was a riveting film." Executives from Universal , including Lew Wasserman and Sid Sheinberg , were not very enthusiastic. "I think they were shocked," recalled Spikings. "What really upset them

13209-478: Was initially developed and written. Director and cowriter Michael Cimino , writer Deric Washburn and producers Barry Spikings and Michael Deeley all have different versions of how the film came to be. In 1968, record company EMI formed a new company, EMI Films, headed by producers Barry Spikings and Deeley. Deeley purchased the first draft of a spec script called The Man Who Came to Play , written by Louis A. Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker , for $ 19,000. It

13328-589: Was installed as uparaja in 柴棍 (Sài Gòn) by Vietnamese forces. 柴棍 also appears later in Trịnh Hoài Đức's "Comprehensive Records about the Gia Định Citadel" ( 嘉定城通志 , Gia Định thành thông chí , c. 1820), "Textbook on the Geography of the Southern Country" ( 南國地輿教科書 , Nam quốc địa dư giáo khoa thư , 1908), etc. Adrien Launay's Histoire de la Mission de Cochinchine (1688−1823), "Documents Historiques II: 1728 - 1771" (1924: 190 ) cites 1747 documents containing

13447-482: Was just a... continuing nightmare from the day Michael finished the picture to the day we released it. That was simply because he was wedded to everything he shot. The movie was endless. It was The Deer Hunter and the Hunter and the Hunter . The wedding sequence was a cinematic event all unto its own." Mount says he turned to Verna Fields , Universal's head of post-production. "I sicced Verna on Cimino," Mount says. "Verna

13566-495: Was no slouch. She started to turn the heat up on Michael, and he started screeching and yelling." Zinner eventually cut the film to 18,000 feet (3.4 mi; 5.5 km). Cimino later fired Zinner when he discovered that Zinner was editing the wedding scenes. Zinner eventually won the Best Editing Oscar for The Deer Hunter . Regarding his clashes with Cimino, Zinner stated: "Michael Cimino and I had our differences at

13685-494: Was ranked the 111th-most expensive major city in the world according to a 2020 survey of 209 cities. In terms of international connectedness, as of 2020, the city was classified as a "Beta" city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network . The city is located in the south-eastern region of Vietnam, 1,760 km (1,090 mi) south of Hanoi . The average elevation is 5 m (16 ft) above sea level for

13804-448: Was released in the former Soviet Union during 1967–1968. Epic films continue to be produced, although since the development of CGI they typically use computer effects instead of an actual cast of thousands. Since the 1950s, such films have regularly been shot with a wide aspect ratio for a more immersive and panoramic theatrical experience. Epic films were recognized in a montage at the 2006 Academy Awards . The enduring popularity of

13923-404: Was secretly impregnated by another man. Mike and Nick are close friends who live together and both love Linda, who will be moving into their home to escape from her alcoholic father. While dancing at Steven and Angela's wedding, Linda accepts Nick's spontaneous marriage proposal. Nick implores Mike to ensure he returns from Vietnam. Mike, Nick, and their friends go on a final hunting trip. Mike kills

14042-608: Was the first feature film depicting the Vietnam War to be filmed in Thailand . All scenes were shot on location (no sound stages ). "There was discussion about shooting the film on a back lot, but the material demanded more realism," says Spikings. The cast and crew watched large amounts of news footage from the war to ensure authenticity. The film was shot over six months. The scenes of the Clairton, Pennsylvania comprise footage shot in eight different towns in three states: West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The film's initial budget

14161-502: Was told." According to Cimino, he would call Washburn while on the road scouting for locations and feed him notes on dialogue and story. Upon reviewing Washburn's draft, Cimino said, "I came back and read it and I just could not believe what I read. It was like it was written by somebody who was ... mentally deranged." Cimino confronted Washburn at the Sunset Marquis in LA about the draft, and Washburn supposedly replied that he couldn't take

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