“If I’m forced to suggest something about the deeper meaning of the story, I would have to say that it has a lot to do with the Jungian idea of the duality of man: altruism and cooperation on one hand, and aggression and xenophobia on the other,” director Stanley Kubrick told the Chicago Tribune upon the release of Full Metal Jacket. “Yet to view [it] as an antiwar film is too simplistic,” he adds. “But there may be a fallacy in antiwar films that showing people war is bad will make them less willing to fight a war. Full Metal Jacket suggests that there is more to say about war than it is just bad.”
Today we have a look behind-the-scenes of the grueling production of Kubrick’s penultimate film thanks to a 30-minute documentary. Featuring interviews with the cast, producer Jan Harlan, and more, they discuss how R. Lee Ermey came on board as both technical advisor and actor, the 17-month production, how Kubrick called a meeting with ensemble to figure out an ending, the dueling personalities of the director, and much more. Check out the documentary below thanks to Filmmaker IQ and for another look behind-the-scenes, listen to Matthew Modine‘s recent extensive discussion.
What do you think of Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket?