Sergeant Hartman's Welcoming

“Goodbye my sweetheart. Hello, Vietnam.” This song entitled “Hello Vietnam” by Johnny Wright plays during the opening scene in Full Metal Jacket when a handful of young men are getting their hair buzzed moments before entering the hellhole that is Sergeant Hartman’s boot camp. The dejected facial expressions of the campers along with the sappy-toned song combine to let everyone know the men are about to get their worlds rocked by their new drill instructor. Just before this scene jumps to Sgt. Hartman’s intimidating welcome speech, the camera cuts to the bottom of the floor in the barber shop to show the jumble of hair created by all of the new soldiers. I believe this is a representation of what is to become; they’ve lost their sense of personal freedom. Their drill instructor is now their boss and he is prepared to be nothing short of a vicious badass.
The background music is silenced as the scene switches from the barbershop to the barrack. The new soldiers are in two parallel lines on both sides of the room. As Sgt. Hartman walks from one side of the room to the other, the camera is focused on him constantly. By doing this, Full Metal Jacket director Stanley Kubrick emphasizes the importance of Sgt. Hartman as well as the immediate authority he has over the rest of the “unorganized, grabassing pieces of amphibian shit,” in the room. The fiery Sergeant Hartman argues by character during the scene; that is to say, he plays the part of the dominant drill instructor who knows everyone in the room is supposed to agree with him. Sergeant Hartman paces the room and explains that the recruits will not like him because he will be hard on them. When asked if everyone understands, they all reply with “Sir, yes Sir!” Hartman uses his power to scare the hell out of the maggots in the room. He’s purposely wearing his decorated uniform while the recruits simply wear green shirts and pants in order to show who is boss. While he is walking on the other side of the room, Private Joker makes a snide remark, prompting Hartman to walk frantically across the floor in order to find out who said it. After the drill instructor realized it was Pvt. Joker, he sends him to his knees by punching him in the stomach. Another important change in the camera angle takes place here when it switches to a close up of Sergeant Hartman staring down at The Joker, screaming at him with his finger in his face. This again shows that Sergeant Hartman is not someone to be crossed. Proof of this is shown again a couple minutes later, this time in the form of Private Pyle. Sergeant Hartman doesn’t accept the fact that Pyle was born with an odd smirk on his face, so when Pyle can’t erase the awkward grin Hartman chokes him until he does. The camera angle switches here as well, but this time it’s a close up on Pyle with his neck in the right hand of Sgt. Hartman. Stanley Kubrick highlights the seriousness of the pain Hartman is inflicting on Pyle by providing a close up. Much like the situation with The Joker, this view depicts Sgt. Hartman as an extremely authoritative figure.
So why is Hartman such a natural drill instructor? Well, it’s because the actor who played him, Ronald Ermey, is a retired drill instructor who just happened to serve during the Vietnam War. Seriously, look the guy up, his own uniform is possibly more decorated than Sgt. Hartman’s. Director Kubrick certainly knew what he was doing when he selected Ermey for the role. Many former soldiers were probably able to directly relate to Sgt. Hartman because he was such a natural, but Ermey also gives an idea of what boot camp is like for those of us who have never experienced it. His intense cursing and errorless form of speech inserts fear into his recruits and the viewers. In addition to the cursing, Sgt. Hartman also explains that he considers this is his “beloved corps.” He’s clearly passionate about what he does, and his form of showing it is to swear and scare the hell out of everyone. Who isn’t going to fear someone who threatens to unscrew your head and shit down your neck? Although the speech Hartman gives is a bit more vicious, it draws certain similarities with the famous Patton speech. In the movie Patton, George C. Scott who plays General George Patton, is the focus of the scene much like Ronald Ermey in Full Metal Jacket. The camera is purposely set on them to reveal to everyone who is in charge. Both men feel very strongly about their topic of speech. While Patton speaks on the USA and its perfect war record and endless hunger for competition, Hartman focuses on his beloved corps. The main difference between the two is the setting. Patton has an audience in front of him with a large American flag in the background that only adds to the passionate speech he gives. However, Hartman is surrounded by 30 or 40 young men and plain bunk beds. As different as the settings are, they add something important to both speeches. Patton was a highly decorated general during WWII, so an auditorium and an in-your-face American flag fit perfectly. He’s not necessarily trying to scare anyone; he just wants them to understand how important it is for everyone to do their job for the United States. On the other hand, Sgt. Hartman is a certified badass drill instructor who wants to frighten his recruits. This is why the scene takes place in an uncomfortable barrack and not a nice auditorium. The young men in the barrack know they’re all about to receive a rude awakening…Hello, Vietnam.