One of my editors asked if I could include The Deer Hunter in my next batch of Blu-ray reviews since it was his favourite movie ever. I’m happy to oblige, of course, and his request prompted me to start ripping frames from the disc for a Blu-ray vs DVD comparison.
We chatted briefly about the movie’s director, Michael Cimino, who I accused (unfairly, I suspect) of being bit of a one hit wonder. However my editor pointed out that with that one hit, he achieved far more than most people do.
Point taken.
Meanwhile, I’ve just remembered: John Cazale was in this movie. In fact, he was dying of cancer as it was being filmed, and died six months before it was released. Cazale was only ever in five movies (plus a comedy short way back in 1962). Those five were released between 1972 and 1978, and all five are all in the IMDB top 250. Two of them are in the top 3. How’s this for a career:
- The Godfather
- The Conversation
- The Godfather: Part II
- Dog Day Afternoon
- The Deer Hunter.