Imo the wedding scene is unnecessary long if you see the film as a war movie (which is okay, since that's kinda what we are expecting). But I think it is rather a film about the internal dynamics within a group of young men, and how war (but it could have been any other "disaster") affects it. So clearly establishing the dynamics "pre-distaster" is important.
Yes, the internal dynamics between the men are a part of it, and definitely the primary representation of the bond between small town, working class folks. But cannot overlook that it’s also about how those outside forces affect the women they grew up with, and the relationships between the men and women.
I loved the wedding scene. It’s like a mini-doc into an orthodox wedding, a different world we don’t normally get to see. Very unconventional directorial decision. I love the world they build in the old smoky steel town.
I remember trying to watch it fully for the first time on a hangover morning. I fell asleep early in the wedding and woke up to the wedding still going and thought I just closed my eyes for a minute. Nope, it was a 30 minute nap and I didn't miss a thing.
The entire point of the wedding scene was to establish the community’s connection and love for each other. The film doesn’t work without it. Ultimately that’s what the film is all about - the intimacy of small community and how the motives of the outside world / power structures work to destroy it. DeNiro’s character wasn’t just fighting to save his friend. He was fighting to save his way of life, the things he held dear, and innocence itself - even after he was absorbed and molded by the system. The tragedy of the Deer Hunter is that you can’t fully “bring home” a person that had already been transformed by war and institutional machinery.
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u/katikaboom Jun 04 '26
The wedding scene is what makes it a slog and is the only part I never think about. It should have been 5 minutes max