"Is that you, John Wayne? Is this me?"
It's a recurring line in "Full Metal Jacket," Stanley Kubrick's intense 1987 war meditation as famous for its colorful language and memorable characters as it is for its scrutiny of the Vietnam conflict. The line is first uttered by Matthew Modine's J.T. Davis, a new Marine recruit at Parris Island. Delivered within a full-throated impersonation of the Golden Age movie star, the cheeky statement lands Davis on the radar of sadistic drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey), earning the quipster the nickname "Pvt. Joker" for the bulk of the movie. See the moment here, and enjoy the subsequent cornucopia of curses that flows from the D.I.'s lips.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Pacific Heights" star unearths the story behind Private Joker's drawling John Wayne impression which, it turns out, was cultivated three years before stepping onto Kubrick's set.
It's a recurring line in "Full Metal Jacket," Stanley Kubrick's intense 1987 war meditation as famous for its colorful language and memorable characters as it is for its scrutiny of the Vietnam conflict. The line is first uttered by Matthew Modine's J.T. Davis, a new Marine recruit at Parris Island. Delivered within a full-throated impersonation of the Golden Age movie star, the cheeky statement lands Davis on the radar of sadistic drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey), earning the quipster the nickname "Pvt. Joker" for the bulk of the movie. See the moment here, and enjoy the subsequent cornucopia of curses that flows from the D.I.'s lips.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Pacific Heights" star unearths the story behind Private Joker's drawling John Wayne impression which, it turns out, was cultivated three years before stepping onto Kubrick's set.
- 11/28/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
He's been the Sheriff of a Texas town and oversaw the investigation of John Doe, but to scores of moviegoers, the late R. Lee Ermey was America's favorite dehumanizing leader.
A United States Marine Corps staff sergeant with experience in South Vietnam from 1968 through 1969, Ermey was medically discharged in 1972 but found a second life as an intimidating authority figure on the big screen. The Kansas-born actor would soon serve as technical advisor to Francis Ford Coppola on the epic 1979 war drama "Apocalypse Now," wherein he also played a 1st Air Cavalry helicopter pilot. But it was in Stanley Kubrick's confrontational war drama "Full Metal Jacket" that Ermey carved out a role so iconic, that when misfortune visited Ermey during the film's shooting, the notoriously perfectionist filmmaker paused production rather than recast the role.
For those unfamiliar with the 1987 movie, its story follows Marine Privates J.T. Davis and Leonard Lawrence...
A United States Marine Corps staff sergeant with experience in South Vietnam from 1968 through 1969, Ermey was medically discharged in 1972 but found a second life as an intimidating authority figure on the big screen. The Kansas-born actor would soon serve as technical advisor to Francis Ford Coppola on the epic 1979 war drama "Apocalypse Now," wherein he also played a 1st Air Cavalry helicopter pilot. But it was in Stanley Kubrick's confrontational war drama "Full Metal Jacket" that Ermey carved out a role so iconic, that when misfortune visited Ermey during the film's shooting, the notoriously perfectionist filmmaker paused production rather than recast the role.
For those unfamiliar with the 1987 movie, its story follows Marine Privates J.T. Davis and Leonard Lawrence...
- 11/13/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.