The guy who played the DI in Full Metal Jacket (which I am watching for the 5th time!): Did he have the part “down”? I was USAF myself, so we didn’t really suffer too badly in basic, but since the movie came out I often wondered how close they got to real life.
Thanks
Quasi
Do you mean, did Lee Ermey play the role of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in a manner believable to Marines?
IMO, yes, certainly and absolutely. Caveat: I joined ('94)after the movie came out ('87), so one could argue that the D.I.s I had were influenced by his portrayal. Those that would say this would be wrong, but they might say it.
The “old Corps” was certainly a hell of a lot tougher than anything the recruits today have, at least physically (there were blanket parties and hazing) and that has been mostly irradicated. I got hit, let’s see, twice and pushed into a window sill once (backwards shove to the chest.) I was an outstanding recruit (not IMO, I was third in my platoon of 81) so I know others might have gotten it worse, but I also know there was no outright beating of anyone.
I’ll wait for others to chime in, (UncleBill?) though officers will have a different feel for it than enlisted. I’ll be back after dinner.
R. Lee Ermery’s portrayal of a DI is great! I tell people that Full Metal Jacket is the closest rendition of marine boot camp in the movies. You know what a stickler for realism and detail Stanley Kubrick can be! Even the squad bays and bunks look right out of Parris Island. Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen the film. Also remember that the film takes place at at time when the marines are going to Vietnam. Wartime boot camp is undoubtably different from peacetime boot camp (which is what I went through). We certainly didn’t sleep with our rifles in our beds; they were locked to the side of the bunk. The film made it seem like the platoon had virtually the one DI; in reality there is a head DI and a few assistants. They play good-cop, bad cop type games. I believe that boot camp underwent a significant change because of the 1956 drownings of six recruits who were marched into a swamp by a DI in a misguided attempt to disciplining them. So boot camp became less sadistic. But it is still tough. No question. Marine boot camp is different from the other services in a few ways: it’s longer (almost 13 weeks), they still separate men and women, and there is no weekend leave. I’m sure that are others I’m not an expert.
And nobodycalls cadence as well as a marine DI and Ermery does that wonderfully!
A large part of why Ermey played that role so well is because he once was a USMC DI. He basically played himself in the role. It was the closest thing to realism that I’ve ever seen on film. Several things that happened/he did in that movie happened/was done to us in boot camp, which was in 84. It certainly sent a few chills up my spine when I first saw it. Awesome film.
For another great war flick with Ermey again playing himself as a DI is The Boys in Company C.
Another former Marine (1982-86) chiming in his agreement that Ermy was perfecty cast. IIRC, it seems to me that I read that Ermy was originally hired only as a technical advisor, but was so much better than the actor he was training that Kubrick cast him instead. Also seem to remember that Ermy rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the 60s, before being medically discharged.
Also would like to add that Ermy ain’t half bad when he’s playing non-military roles, i. e. “Pre,” “Dead Man Walking,” and on “Brisco County, Jr.” Most Drill Instructors, it seems to me, are damn good actors, though when they’re in your face, you forget mighty quick any notions that they’re acting.
Sir (used to be Corporal) Rhosis
…but the mention of calling cadence reminded me of how Kubrick was able to get the drums during the basic training sequence to do the same thing tonally. Remember that part? At first I thought he might have been using tympani, then I thought “maybe he’s bleeding in a little bass guitar”. Anyway, whatever it is, it is one of the coolest parts of the whole movie, and I think I just made this an IMHO thread. 
Thanks for your replies and I agree that Ermey was one scary dude.
Quasi
Didn’t I hear once that the guy who played Private Pyle went nuts from the badgering during that movie? That Lee Ermey did such a good job that he drove Vincent D’Onofrio crazy in real life?
I thought I did. If anyone can confirm or deny that, I’d appreciate it.