Different Looks at the Vietnam War

Few films dealing with the Vietnam War would seem to be such polar opposites as “Hair” (1979) and “The Deer Hunter” (1978). Their recent release in letterbox laser editions underline those dramatic differences, yet underscore their mutual exploration of moral values at a crisis point of history.

On laser, “Hair” (MGM/UA Home Video, 121 minutes, stereo, digital video transfer, three sides, Side Three CAV, $40) bursts with the vitality that marked the original, surprising stage musical. Writer Michael Weller wrapped a script around the Galt MacDermot score and Gerome Ragni/James Rado lyrics that gave it a poignancy that still resonates.

The crisp transfer to laser captures Milos Forman’s energetic direction and does justice to Twyla Tharp’s exuberant choreography. Thirty-three chapter stops let you move readily among the rich collection of songs, from the now-classic “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In” to “Black Boys” and “White Boys” with a dynamite Nell Carter.

A young Treat Williams is joined by fresh-off-the-farm John Savage, who, like the audience, gets a pre-Vietnam introduction to ‘60s counterculture. “Hair” on laser disc is not the quaint period piece some critics have branded it; the score holds up, and so does the underlying anti-war message.

Savage once again is destined for Vietnam in director Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter,” here joined by Pennsylvania steel mill hands Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken. “The Deer Hunter’s” power, sweep and horror make viewing it on laser almost as wrenching an experience as watching it on a big screen. Unfortunately, the review copy (MCA Home Video, 183 minutes, stereo digital sound, four sides, Side Four CAV, $45) was afflicted with video “noise,” especially damaging on Sides One and Three. The often too-dark film is seen in its original theatrical aspect ratio, and the extremely wide banding, while true to the original, could prove distracting for some.

The standard play feature on Side Four makes it easy to see frame by frame how film editor Peter Zinner and Cimino, who both won Oscars, cut the harrowing Russian roulette scenes.

The sound transfer envelops the room, making the early wedding scene an almost anthropological experience.

Both films are presented with their theatrical trailers, which are fascinating glimpses into how each was sold: “Hair” as a peppy musical, “The Deer Hunter” as an important critical (quote after quote after quote) event.

Both “Hair” and “The Deer Hunter,” however, warrant Criterion-type supplementary material, particularly interviews with the directors and writers discussing their decision-making process on these landmark films. MGM/UA and MCA will have to learn that laser disc buyers now expect more than just a good transfer of the film itself.

MCA also should take note of how to package double-discs: “The Deer Hunter” should be stored in two sleeves, like “Hair,” not squeezed inside a single cover.