The Deer Hunter: Fun Facts About 1978’s Best Picture 

From Guns & Filming Locations To Deer Bloopers & Hidden Messages

The Deer Hunter wasn't the first Vietnam War film, as that distinction goes to 1964's A Yank in Viet-Nam (and not The Green Berets as one might think), nor was it even the first film made after the end of U.S. involvement in the still-controversial conflict in Southeast Asia. Both The Boys in Company C and Go Tell the Spartans were made around the same time, but hit theaters earlier in 1978.

Yet, Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter remains noteworthy for several reasons. It was filmed entirely on location with no sound stages—including in Thailand (standing in for Vietnam) as well as in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and West Virginia. It was unique too in that it sought to depict the lives of the characters before the conflict, focusing on the lives of the Slavic-American steel workers in a Pennsylvania working-class town in the late 1960s and the war's impact on them.

The main characters played by Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and John Savage work backbreaking jobs at the steel mill, drink heavily at the local bar, and in their spare time are avid hunters (hence the film's title).

As members of the Ukrainian Orthodox community, the three volunteer to go to Vietnam, simply believing it is the right thing to do.

Heavy On Symbolism: Two Spilled Drops!

While other Vietnam War films would go on to depict the lives of the characters after their time in Southeast Asia, The Deer Hunter devotes nearly one-third of the story to the set-up, including a highly symbolic wedding sequence filmed at the historic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio.

Watch closely: Angela the bride—pregnant with another man's child—spills two drops of wine as she drinks from a ceremonial goblet meant to signify good luck if the couple can drink every drop.

The Deer Hunting

The wedding is followed by an actual deer hunt in which De Niro's character Mike extols his hunting philosophy, telling his friends, "A deer has to be taken with one shot." He succeeds in killing a stag (not a whitetail) in a single shot, which suggests he is virtuous and right in his cause, while the theme of one-shot resonates throughout the rest of the film.

Yet, keen-eyed viewers will be quick to note the deer isn't native to Pennsylvania, and in fact, is an Asian red deer (Cervus elaphus)—a species common in Europe and Western Asia—rather than the regionally-appropriate whitetail buck. The stag also appears to have been downed with a tranquilizer dart that can be seen in the close-up, which is good for the deer. It should be further noted it wasn't the same deer that was seen strapped to the car as the friends returned to town.

That can be explained by the fact that the hunting scenes weren't filmed in Keystone State—instead, Heather Meadows at Mount Baker in Washington State stood in for the Allegheny Mountains. While rural Pennsylvania is already quite scenic, the production desired something that was truly breathtaking in its beauty to contrast with the character's life in the city.

Late in the film Mike, who is changed by his time in Vietnam, abandons his one-shot viewpoint.

A Different Take On Vietnam

The Deer Hunter is also unique in that it forgoes any training sequences and instead jumps straight to the frontlines in Vietnam, where all three men are soon captured and held in a Viet Cong POW camp.

They are forced to play sadistic games of Russian roulette for the amusement of their captors. While they use the game as a means to escape, their freedom comes with a price. Steven (Savage) falls from a rescue helicopter, resulting in the loss of both his legs, while Nick, suffering from PTSD, deserts. Mike returns to civilian life, but the war has also taken a heavy toll on him.

The Russian Roulette Controversy

Upon its release, The Deer Hunter earned significant praise for depicting the impact of the war on the characters, and it went on to win five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

Still, the film has been questioned in the years since for its historical accuracy, notably the American captives being forced to play Russian roulette. There is no evidence this ever occurred. Yet, perhaps lost on audiences at the time was that Ukrainians had been treated as second-class Slavs by many Russians in Tsarist times and even during much of the Soviet period. Ukrainian-Americans (one of whose loyalty is questioned due to his last name) forced to play "Russian roulette" certainly makes a point!

Despite the controversy, numerous period-correct revolvers—including the Colt Detective Special, Smith & Wesson Model 36, and Smith & Wesson M&P—are used in the Russian roulette scenes, although it wasn't exactly the notoriety the gun makers likely had in mind!

Moreover, the sequences have become a staple of pop culture in the years since, parodied by the animated series The Simpsons and by the often outrageous sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Dangerous Gun Play

According to rumors, De Niro had requested that a real "live bullet" be loaded into the revolver to add to the "realism" and to heighten the sense of danger in a Russian roulette sequence with co-star John Cazale, who even agreed to the request. Cazale only demanded that the crew obsessively checked the gun before every take to ensure the live round wasn't next in the chamber.

Of course, it remains questionable whether even in the 1970s, an armorer would have agreed to such a request, but the legend lives on.

Appropriate Hunting & Military Rifles

It is easy to see The Deer Hunter as two films when it comes to firearms. First, there are the civilian weapons, including the hunting rifles carried by Mike, Nick, and Steve. All three friends take to the woods of Western Pennsylvania (really Washington State) with Remington 700 BDL rifles, perhaps an ideal firearm for the period and setting.

The Remington Model 700 was first released in 1962, gaining popularity as an affordable yet reliable hunting rifle, while it was later adopted by the military and police as a sniper rifle.

For the sequence in Vietnam, The Deer Hunter sees the three main characters with the M16A1, an appropriate choice as it was entering service with U.S. forces at the time the film is set. In addition, stock footage from the conflict shows at least one U.S. soldier with the Colt XM177E1 Commando carbine.

By contrast, the Viet Cong were primarily armed with the Chinese-made Norinco Type 56, which was the primary stand-in for the AK-47 in many early Vietnam War films due to the difficulties in obtaining the actual Soviet-made firearms. One Viet Cong soldier can be spotted with a Type 3 AK-47 with milled receivers, and it has been speculated it was an actual AK-47 that had been used in the conflict and had found its way to Thailand where it was acquired by the armorers, making it a rare sight!

Although not the most action-heavy film, in terms of the accuracy of firearms, The Deer Hunter hits the mark on many levels.