Class Discussion Question

Full Metal Jacket

 


PART I: Instructions

  • Choose someone to the group leader who will be responsible for generating ideas about how the music is used in the film. The leader is also respsonsible for making certain that everyone in the group contributes some ideas to the discussion.
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    PART II: The Assignment

    1. Are there musical themes in Full Metal Jacket's score? If so, what are they and where do they occur?
    2. What fundamental rule of "Songs with Lyrics" does Kubrick ignore? Why do you suppose he did so?
    3. 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.
    4. 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:
    5. 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?
    6. Compare and contrast Kubrick's use of music in this film with his practice in 2001: A Space Odyssey.


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