SSC Film Studies

In the movie full metal jacket I feel sympathy for Private Pyle as I can only imagine what it feels like to be in his situation, He clearly isn’t in the wrong as he’s the victim of harsh and brutal bullying, However I feel empathy for the group in the film because they are being dragged down because of them and it is something I have experienced in the past, Pyle is a character that in reality shouldn’t be in the surroundings hes in, and we feel like we can’t align with him, as he annoys the audience by the stupid and pointless mistakes he makes yet it’s not his fault due to his clear learning disability. The response we have to pyle is central because of the effect he’s having on the group, and we begin to feel more a part of the group so in theory it feels like pyles is becoming a threat to us, He does on good thing, then one bad thing, and repeats this patter and it begins to annoy the viewer. Kubrick begins to create a divide between the audience and Pyle, the divide is starts to begin when the group are marching and then Pyle is behind with his pants down and sucking his thumb and this is where it shows Pyle isn’t one of the marines, he can be considered a threat or an outsider. From this point onwards Pyle becomes a threat to the group, someone who threatens Hartman and the entire group with failure which is something everybody hates, its easy for me to feel empathy towards the group as I can put myself in the shoes of the group as I have once been brought down by a certain member so I know how it feels. This makes you align with the group in the first half and see pyle as a threat as you want the group to succeed yet pyles is bringing them down. In the second half of the film we no longer see the group and I feel we can align with joker as hes a familiar face but not the main character as I feel there isn’t one, in the first half of the film when the group decided to beat pyles with bars of soap, even joker joined in despite him being the one who helped pyle, and I think because of this he put himself in the group and not a stand out main protagonist. In the second half we are presented with a different group of soldiers and joker is the familiar face again so we align with joker and his new group. I feel it is hard to align with anyone in the film and it is easier to align with the group as Kubrick doesn’t let anyone from the group have an identity so we see the same characters in each person.