Throughout the first “half” of the movie (Parris Island boot camp) there are many themes of symmetry. All thr

The under performing Pyle (next to his marksmanship), after effectively pissing everyone off and being on the receiving end of a blanket party, buckles, and breaks. After graduation, the last night on the island, Pyle sits in the Head fondling his gun, and his sanity. After a brief encounter with the Joker, Pyle unloads a “Seven-Two-Six, full metal jacket” into the unrelenting Hartman, and then one into himself. The lighting throughout this scene is dramatic and side lit, all facial features can be seen clearly except for Pyle’s, obviously intentional to portray Pyle’s loss of self/sanity, to be unseen, in the dark etc.

Kubrick spares none in his portrayal of the harsh realities of war (“157 confirmed gook kills…some women and children…Those you just shoot less), more specifically, the senseless violence related to Vietnam. Special effects come into more serious play in the second half, as there are many explosions etc. needed to recreate the authentic feeling of chaos/war. Fire seems to be a common element in many scenes in the second half, even in previously unconsidered locations and from unidentifiable sources. But the small-scattered fi

Some topics in this essay:
Joker Pyle, Vietnam Special, Parris Island, John Alcott, Southeast Asia, Cowboy Kubrick, Kill Kill”, Vincent D’Onofrio, Matthew Modine, Cinemas Kubrick, kill kill”, “kill kill, boot camp, parris island, “kill kill kill”, metal jacket, camera angles,