The Deer Hunter cover

The Deer Hunter

Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter was met with both critical and commercial success upon its release in 1978. However, it was also highly controversial and came to be seen as a powerful statement on the human cost of America's longest war and as a colonialist glorification of anti-Asian violence. Brad Prager's study of the film considers its significance as a war movie and contextualizes its critical reception. Drawing on an archive of contemporaneous materials, as well as an in-depth analysis of the film's lighting, mise-en-scène, multiple cameras and shifting depths of field, Prager examines how the film simultaneously presents itself as a work of cinematic realism, while problematically blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2023

Author Information

Catherine Paine Middlebush Chair of Humanities, Professor of German, Professor of Film Studies, and Faculty Fellow for Faculty Success in the Office of the Provost (2024-2026)
221E Arts & Science Building
573-882-4328