Class Discussion Question
Full Metal Jacket
PART I: Instructions
- The group is responsible for keeping notes and writing down
the findings of the analysis. These notes will be turned in separately
at the end of class and will be graded! Each member should sign
the assignment pledging that s/he watched the assigned film.
- Chopose someone to play Devil's Advocate. This person is
repsonsible for suggesting problems with the analysis and/or
possible alternate interpretations.
PART II: The Assignment
- Are there musical themes in Full Metal Jacket's score?
If so, what are they and where do they occur?
- What fundamental rule of "Songs with Lyrics" does
Kubrick ignore? Why do you suppose he did so?
- What sort of metaphors dot he opening images of the film
suggest? How does Tom T. Hall's song Hello Vietnam reinforce
your interpretations? Show the clip to the class and discuss.
- How do the songs in Full Metal Jacket create ironic and metaphorical
associations between sex and violence? Pick at least three examples
to show to the class. Here are some suggestions:
- Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made for Walking
- The Dixie Cups' Chapel of Love
- Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's Wooly Bully
- The Trashmen's Surfin' Bird
- How is Paint It Black, the Rolling Stones song at
the end of the film, different from the other songs in the film?
Can you trace a line of development from the opening of the film
[Hello Vietnam] to the end? What do you think Kubrick
was trying to say?
- Compare and contrast Kubrick's use of music in this film
with his practice in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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