Another week and another episode of Highbrow! Lowbrow? is ready for you to hear! With myself, Shaun, and my co-host, Jesse, we review the top box office earner and Best Picture Academy Award Winner of the same year. We've got a pretty interesting mix of films this week: from 1978, the much beloved smash hit Grease and the revolutionary and widely acclaimed The Deer Hunter.
The Deer Hunter, directed by Mike Cimino, is about a small town group of friends soon to head off to the Vietnam War, and the indelible mark that conflict has on their lives . Robert De Niro stars as Mike, the quiet, strong leader of the group, who guides his friends through the war albeit to tragic results. Christopher Walken is the charismatic Nico, a suave fellow with a sensitive side, a little too sensitive for the harsh realities of war. Meryl Streep plays Linda the lady love caught between them, trying to bring them home, trying to love them both. This film may have been revolutionary for its time, but both Jesse and I felt that other subsequent Vietnam films are stronger. The elements of Russian roulette and the cruelty of the Viet Cong were much too heavy-handed, lacking a certain finesse that gives those moments meaning. The sentiments and emotions feel too forced at times, as seen in the ending song where everyone gathers and sings together around a table. We did enjoy a number of the performances: Deniro and Streep bringing their A game as usual, and Walken's slick moves and suave attitude felt refreshing in his younger years. Overall though, The Deer Hunter left us wanting for better Vietnam films.
Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser, is a manic, crazy and fun musical featuring the feel good music of the 50's. Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John) fall in love over the summer, sure to never see each other again. Until Sandy finds herself in Danny's school and Danny is acting like a jerk to save face with his macho friends. Is good girl Sandy too clean for the rough and tumble T-birds? Will Danny clean up his act to be worthy of Sandy? Eh, everyone reading this already knows how this plays out. Grease is such a widely enjoyed and popular movie that most people's opinions have already been made up on it. Jesse and I both found the songs and dances entertaining enough, but there were a couple of clunkers that people seem to have forgotten. It's also occasionally fun to watch and see what kind of interesting things happen in the background as the screen is filled with a ton of action. At this point, Grease is a cultural land mark that you'll probably end up seeing whether you like it or not.
These two films are pretty different stylistically so which one did we end up choosing? The Deer Hunter, the forerunner of Vietnam War films, or Grease, the song and dance musical loved by many? Listen and find out on the latest episode of Highbrow! Lowbrow?
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