IVIV re Full Metal Jacket

[Doug Millison]

Singing the Mickey Mouse song as they  march through Hell is as heavy- 
handed as anything in IV,  but it's a juxtaposition that works for me,  
just as IV works for me, too. Knowing that this war is going on, on  
the other side of the ocean from those picture-perfect Gordita Beach  
sunsets, is something I can't ignore while reading IV, Pynchon points  
to it often enough.

I like that "High High High" in the song (below), reminds me of  
Pynchon saying it in the IV video.

High, in Hell:  that sums up the end of the 60s pretty well, imo.…


87 EXT. BURNING CITY--NIGHT. The platoon moves through the city,  
silhouetted against the raging fires. A scene in hell.

  JOKER (narration):
We have nailed our names in the pages of history enough for today. We  
hump down to the Perfume River to set in for the night.

  The marines start to sing.

  MARINE PLATOON:
Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?
  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E.
  Hey there. Hi there. Ho there. You're as welcome as can be.
  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E.
  Mickey Mouse. (Mickey Mouse.)
  Mickey Mouse. (Mickey Mouse.)
  Forever let us hold our banner high.
  High. High. High.


On Dec 15, 2009, at 9:11 AM, rich wrote:

> God has a hardon for Marines
>
> don't get me started ;)
>
> rich
>
> On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 12:06 PM, Doug Millison
> <dougmillison at comcast.net> wrote:
>> Full Metal Jacket is available for streaming at Netflix.com which is
>> offering a free trial.  I watched it again yesterday evening.  The  
>> source,
>> The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford, is  a Vietnam novel I often  
>> recommend.
>>  http://corky.net/scripts/FullMetalJacket.html The way the movie  
>> jams mashes
>> music silliness together with the awful war scene reminded me of IV's
>> general tone, and I find Pynchon's take on the end of the '60s as  
>> dark and
>> even more frantic.
>>
>> […]
>> HARTMAN
>>  I'll bet you're the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the  
>> ass and not
>> even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around!  
>> I'll be
>> watching you!
>>
>>  Sergeant HARTMAN walks down the line to another recruit, a tall,  
>> overweight
>> boy.
>>
>>  HARTMAN
>>  Did your parents have any children that lived?
>>
>> […]