FILM REFERENCE
TITLE: FULL METAL JACKET
RELEASE YEAR: 1987
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 26, 1987
DIRECTOR: STANLEY KUBRICK
WRITERS: STANLEY KUBRICK · MICHAEL HERR · GUSTAV HASFORD
BASED ON: THE SHORT-TIMERS BY GUSTAV HASFORD
PRODUCER: STANLEY KUBRICK
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: JAN HARLAN
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: MICHAEL HERR
CO-PRODUCER: PHILIP HOBBS
CINEMATOGRAPHY: DOUGLAS MILSOME
EDITING: MARTIN HUNTER
PRODUCTION DESIGN: ANTON FURST
MUSIC: ABIGAIL MEAD
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: WARNER BROS. PICTURES · NATANT FILMS, N.V. · HARRIER FILMS · HAWK FILMS
DISTRIBUTION: WARNER BROS. PICTURES
GENRE: DRAMA · WAR
CAST
MATTHEW MODINE — Pvt. James “Joker” Davis
ADAM BALDWIN — Animal Mother
VINCENT D’ONOFRIO — Pvt. Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence
R. LEE ERMEY — Gunnery Sergeant Hartman
DORIAN HAREWOOD — Eightball
ARLISS HOWARD — Pvt. Cowboy
KEVYN MAJOR HOWARD — Rafterman
ED O’ROSS — Lt. Walter J. Touchdown
JOHN TERRY — Lt. Lockhart
KIERON JECCHINIS — Crazy Earl
THE STORY
Full Metal Jacket begins with a new class of U.S. Marine recruits arriving at Parris Island, South Carolina. Under the relentless supervision of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, the recruits are subjected to a system of discipline designed to transform civilians into Marines.
The film then moves forward into the Vietnam War. Pvt. James “Joker” Davis is now working as a combat correspondent for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. Alongside combat photographer Rafterman, he travels to the fighting around Huế during the Tet Offensive.
As the Marines move through the ruined city, the film shifts from the controlled environment of boot camp to the unpredictability and violence of urban combat. Journalism, military duty, personal survival, and the spectacle of war become increasingly difficult to separate.
TRIVIA & BEHIND THE SCENES
Filmed Entirely in Britain
Although the film is set between Marine training in South Carolina and combat in Vietnam, Stanley Kubrick filmed Full Metal Jacket entirely in Britain.
The production used locations in London and Cambridgeshire, with British locations transformed into American military facilities and Vietnamese battlefields.
Huế in East London
The ruined city of Huế was recreated at the disused Beckton Gas Works in East London. Kubrick’s production team modified the industrial site and selectively demolished structures to create the appearance of a war-damaged Vietnamese city.
Tropical Vietnam in Britain
The production imported large quantities of tropical vegetation, including palm and banana trees, to strengthen the illusion of Vietnam.
The Marine Base
Bassingbourn Barracks in Cambridgeshire stood in for the Marine Corps recruit training environment at Parris Island.
Belgian M-47 Tanks
The production originally investigated using American armored vehicles, but shipping suitable American tanks proved impractical. Six Belgian Army M-47 tanks were instead rented and transported to Britain for the film.
Rafterman
Rafterman, played by Kevyn Major Howard, is introduced as a combat photographer working alongside Joker. His character represents the film’s exploration of war photography and the desire to document combat from within the fighting.
R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey was initially hired as a technical adviser. Kubrick was impressed by Ermey’s approach and eventually cast him as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. AFI records that some of Ermey’s improvised material was incorporated into the screenplay.
Production
Principal photography took place from August 27, 1985 to August 8, 1986.
AWARDS & LEGACY
Full Metal Jacket received an Academy Award nomination for Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium).
The film was later ranked No. 95 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…100 Thrills list.
The film has become one of Stanley Kubrick’s most recognized works and one of the defining American films about the Vietnam War.
CARE
• Machine wash cold, inside out.
• Do not bleach.
• Do not iron directly over the print.
• Wash with similar colors.
IMPORTANT
This is a contemporary H354 T-shirt featuring a graphic interpretation of the movie itself does not represented as an original promotional or production garment.
