Many of those boys were baby-boomers, right? That means they were 10ish when the Mickey Mouse Club aired, in the mid 50’s. ALL of them knew that particular song. So, there is a deeply bitter meaning in the contrast of showing them singing that joyful song whilst marching through such a hellish scenario, with Hue City burning after the battle, because it’s like those boys have acknowledged that, having been in a war, possibly the worst thing that one human being might be through (“ain’t war hell?!”…), their innocence, their youth, when they were kids and used to watch the Mickey Mouse Club, is gone forever despite being happy to be “alive, in one piece and short”. Incredibly powerful and touching movie ending.
Correct, I am a Baby Boomer and Vietnam Vet. I still can sing very word of the Mickey Mouse Club opening theme even at 74 years of age. Back then there was Mickey Mouse wrist watch. I was very cheap and low quality. So everything that was cheap or low quality was termed Mickey Mouse.
I always thought they were singing it while keenly aware of the absurdity given the setting. Most of them seemed to have a jaded, dark sense of humor needed to survive the unthinkable
What they are not telling you is that "Mickey Mouse" is a "nickname" for Satan's arch nemesis...Michael the Archangel, the great prince that stands for the children. Kubric is obsessing over him and so do you and everybody else including all the armies of the earth. th-cam.com/video/2tR3znzjDng/w-d-xo.html
I have seen that short film and I like your breakdown here. It is all about the absurdity of war and sending kids into a situation they could not understand.
I think it has more to due from where Kubrick got most of FMJ from: a little tome by Gustav Hasford called The Short Timers. The book has a scene where they sing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse theme in a funeral for dead rats. Kubrick probably used the song as a nice scene to end on, with a song from a show that most Nam soldiers would’ve been watching stateside. There’s also the idea of juxtaposing the “mature” setting of war with the “immature” song.
Simple: Lost Innocence and the realization that we can be in a happy but place but the world and our lives is not perfect (hence the song and the battlefield ruins)
I interpreted the ending with the micky mouse song as an insinuation that the entire U.S. involvement in Vietnam was "micky mouse shit." It's used by Hartman to describe something that's a stupid, and ridiculous, clusterfuck.
Along with all the other themes in the film, i always interpreted Full metal jacket as the somewhat 'Anti-Disney' film. GRANTED i doubt it's Kubrick's intention to make a film that mocks a multimillion dollar juggernaut, but it has that feeling, at least in my opinion. From the little references to mickey in the film, there's also the fact most of the recruits in the fisrt half of the film were just young men. And what joker says in the scene with the interviews, he says 'i wanted to be the first kid on my block with a confirmed kill'. Notice that he says 'kid' instead of 'person' or 'guy'. Most young men view war as a sort of adventure or thrill, but it's all just a fantasy, a facade that they think about before reality hits them, they would kill an enemy that was probably younger than them, get killed by traps made by simple children's toys, such as with Crazy earl finding a booby trapped teddy bear. This film is essentially the death of innocence and the transition from Youth to adulthood.
When I was in the infantry we would sing to the tune of the Mickey Mouse song sometimes when marching but instead of spelling out M I C K E Y M O U S E we would sing F U C K E D A G A I N.
Kubrick was always interested in the duality of man. Naturally, we can be mercilessly evil but we are capable of divine compassion. Mickey Mouse is an animal, a rat but also has human characteristics kind of like us 🐀 Mickey Mouse also in the shining by the way
Full Metal Jacket ending explained : Who is praying? ： th-cam.com/video/_vnzInxZOeE/w-d-xo.html The meaning of the last photo in The Shining ： th-cam.com/video/gUgUlL2A54Y/w-d-xo.html Eyes Wide Shut : Why the whole movie is Bill's dream: th-cam.com/video/tb4QABveiUY/w-d-xo.html
I always had it in my mind that they were singing to show how they had lost their minds together, the duality of man, the struggles of war. showing they were reverting to a child like innocence while being “born the kill” as it said on jokers 🪖
Many of those boys were baby-boomers, right? That means they were 10ish when the Mickey Mouse Club aired, in the mid 50’s. ALL of them knew that particular song.
So, there is a deeply bitter meaning in the contrast of showing them singing that joyful song whilst marching through such a hellish scenario, with Hue City burning after the battle, because it’s like those boys have acknowledged that, having been in a war, possibly the worst thing that one human being might be through (“ain’t war hell?!”…), their innocence, their youth, when they were kids and used to watch the Mickey Mouse Club, is gone forever despite being happy to be “alive, in one piece and short”.
Incredibly powerful and touching movie ending.
Correct, I am a Baby Boomer and Vietnam Vet. I still can sing very word of the Mickey Mouse Club opening theme even at 74 years of age. Back then there was Mickey Mouse wrist watch. I was very cheap and low quality. So everything that was cheap or low quality was termed Mickey Mouse.
also a slang to the Vietnamese who did not fight straight forward! hiding in holes in the ground like rats!
I always thought they were singing it while keenly aware of the absurdity given the setting. Most of them seemed to have a jaded, dark sense of humor needed to survive the unthinkable
And the club song is a Marching cadence
What they are not telling you is that "Mickey Mouse" is a "nickname" for Satan's arch nemesis...Michael the Archangel, the great prince that stands for the children. Kubric is obsessing over him and so do you and everybody else including all the armies of the earth. th-cam.com/video/2tR3znzjDng/w-d-xo.html
Im not certain but I think the song was sang to reclaim their innocence through their honors of war
I have seen that short film and I like your breakdown here.
It is all about the absurdity of war and sending kids into a situation they could not understand.
Fun Fact: One of the animators who worked on MMIV was the father of Mythbusters' Adam Savage.
The correlation to the sniper girl is reachin'.
This whole thing is reaching. The cartoon has nothing to do with full metal jacket. They both involve Mickey Mouse and War. That’s it.
I think it has more to due from where Kubrick got most of FMJ from: a little tome by Gustav Hasford called The Short Timers. The book has a scene where they sing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse theme in a funeral for dead rats. Kubrick probably used the song as a nice scene to end on, with a song from a show that most Nam soldiers would’ve been watching stateside. There’s also the idea of juxtaposing the “mature” setting of war with the “immature” song.
explains alot, thanks
Simple: Lost Innocence and the realization that we can be in a happy but place but the world and our lives is not perfect (hence the song and the battlefield ruins)
'The mickey mouse' connects the Leonard’s death to the sniper. It is Kubrick playing with the subconscious.
Good one. This movie is truly melancholic.
I interpreted the ending with the micky mouse song as an insinuation that the entire U.S. involvement in Vietnam was "micky mouse shit."
It's used by Hartman to describe something that's a stupid, and ridiculous, clusterfuck.
I'm thinking that is mickey moUSA...
Along with all the other themes in the film, i always interpreted Full metal jacket as the somewhat 'Anti-Disney' film. GRANTED i doubt it's Kubrick's intention to make a film that mocks a multimillion dollar juggernaut, but it has that feeling, at least in my opinion. From the little references to mickey in the film, there's also the fact most of the recruits in the fisrt half of the film were just young men. And what joker says in the scene with the interviews, he says 'i wanted to be the first kid on my block with a confirmed kill'. Notice that he says 'kid' instead of 'person' or 'guy'. Most young men view war as a sort of adventure or thrill, but it's all just a fantasy, a facade that they think about before reality hits them, they would kill an enemy that was probably younger than them, get killed by traps made by simple children's toys, such as with Crazy earl finding a booby trapped teddy bear. This film is essentially the death of innocence and the transition from Youth to adulthood.
i couldnt stopped laughing at the end of the video for at least 3 minutes. otherwise i feel like i would cry at the same time
When I was in the infantry we would sing to the tune of the Mickey Mouse song sometimes when marching but instead of spelling out M I C K E Y M O U S E we would sing F U C K E D A G A I N.
An interesting insight, good job on the research.
U missed another reference from the Mickey Mouse storyline. Just a FYI
It made for one hell of a juxtaposition.
Jelly donut scene says stuff about Mickey Mouse
Kubrick was always interested in the duality of man. Naturally, we can be mercilessly evil but we are capable of divine compassion. Mickey Mouse is an animal, a rat but also has human characteristics kind of like us 🐀 Mickey Mouse also in the shining by the way
I think Mickey or anything to do with Disney represents the USA as a joke because it's an American company.
wow... I saw full metal jacket some days ago and I don't know that reference...
Innocence lost …
Wow interesting connection
Full Metal Jacket ending explained : Who is praying? ：
th-cam.com/video/_vnzInxZOeE/w-d-xo.html
The meaning of the last photo in The Shining ：
th-cam.com/video/gUgUlL2A54Y/w-d-xo.html
Eyes Wide Shut : Why the whole movie is Bill's dream:
th-cam.com/video/tb4QABveiUY/w-d-xo.html
Dawn of the dead theme too wth?!
I know, I was confused as well, till I learn it was composed in 1965, and DOTD only popularized it.
Was there something like this similar in Korean war time 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Maybe in the timeline of Full Metal Jacket. Mickey Mouse is a bad guy
i thought this was a good show
thats lol and aligle
Lol
I always had it in my mind that they were singing to show how they had lost their minds together, the duality of man, the struggles of war. showing they were reverting to a child like innocence while being “born the kill” as it said on jokers 🪖