Full Metal Jacket - shooting script versus film

[Jan Klimkowski]

The shooting script of Full Metal Jacket can be read here.

There are several major scenes in that script that did not make it in their entirety into the film as released.

Here are some.

From the first Act, with the Drill Instructor (Sgt Gerheim) creating killers.

During our sixth week, Sergeant Gerheim
orders us double-time around the squad bay
with our penises in our left hands and our
weapons in our right hand, singing:

This is my rifle
This is my gun
One is for fighting
And one is for fun.
And:
I don't want no teen-aged queen
All I want is my M-14.

Sergeant Gerheim holds up a rifle. "You will
give your rifle a girl's name. This is the only
pussy you people are going to get. Your days of
finger-hanging ol' Mary Jane Rottencrotch through
her pretty pink panties are over. You're married
to this piece, this weapon of iron and wood, and
you will be faithful."
They run. And they sing:

Well, I don't know
But I been told
Eskimo pussy
Is mighty cold...

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16

-12-

Inspection. My mind isn't on my
responsibilities and I forget to remind
Leonard to shave.

Sergeant Gerheim looks disappointed.
"Private Joker!"
"Yes, sir."
"Private Pyre did not stand close enough to
his razor this morning."
"No, sir."
"Private Pyle!"
"Yes, sir."
"Into the head on the double!"
"Yes, sir!"
Leonard double-times into the head.
"Recruit squad leaders, into the head, on the
double!"
"Yes, sir!"
Joker and the other recruit squad leaders
double-time into the head.
Sergeant Gerheim strides in after them.
"Recruit squad leaders form a circle around
this toilet."
They apprehensively group themselves around
the toilet.
"Now, on my command, you will open your pants
and urinate into the toilet. Do you understand?"
"YES, SIR!"
"Open your pants and urinate in the toilet!
They hesitate.
"IS THIS A MUTINY??"
"NO, SIR!"

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17

"LOCK THEM HEELS! YOU ARE AT ATTENTION!
READDDDY......WHIZZZZ...."
They whizz.
Sergeant Gerheim grabs the back of Leonard's
neck and forces Leonard to his knees, pushes his
head down into the yellow pool. Leonard
struggles. Bubbles. Panic gives Leonard
strength; Sergeant Gerheim holds him down.
After it seems that Leonard has drowned,
Sergeant Gerheim flushes the toilet. When the
water stops flowing, Sergeant Gerheim releases his
hold on Leonard's neck.
Leonard straightens up coughing and
sputtering, his face and hair soaked in urine.
Gerheim says: "Private Pyle, I wouldn't put
my hands in piss for just anybody. I hope you
appreciate that."
"Yes, sir."

From the second Act, as the Tet Offensive starts, and Joker and Rafter are posted from the rear into battle.

Joker and Rafter Man look out of the open
door of an S-55 helicopter.

Thousands of feet below, Vietnam is a narrow
strip of dried dragon shit upon which God has
sprinkled toy tanks and airplanes and a lot
of trees, flies and Marines.

Joker's ears pop. He pinches his nose and
puffs out his cheeks. Rafter man imitates him.
They sit on bales of green rubber-impregnated
canvas body bags.

It's a beautiful day. I'm so happy to be
alive and in one piece. I'm in a world of
shit, but I'm alive. And I'm not afraid.

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55

The door gunner smokes marijuana and fires
his M-60 machine gun at a farmer in the rice
paddies below.
"Git some...git same...harharhar."
The door gunner has long hair, a bushy
moustache, and wears an unbuttoned Hawaiian sports
shirt. On the Hawaiian sport shirt are a hundred
yellow hula dancers.

The hamlet beneath us is in a free fire zone
- anybody can shoot at it at any time for any
reason. We watch the farmer run in the
shallow water. The farmer knows only that
his family needs some rice to eat. The
farmer knows only that the bullets are
tearing him apart.

"You guys ought to do a story on me suntahm,"
the door gunner shouts above the noise of the helicopter.
"Why should we do a story about you?"
"Cause I'm so fuckin good," he says, "'n that
ain't no shit neither. Got me one hunnert 'n
fifty-se'en gooks kilt. 'N' fifty caribou." He
grins and staunches the saliva for a second.
"Them're all certified," he adds.
"Ever shoot any women or children?"
"Suntahms."
"How can you do that?"
"Easy - you just don't lead "em so much.
Harharhar."
Since lift-off, a bullying Arvin captain and
a big Arvin sergeant have been questioning two VC
prisoners seated on the floor opposite them with

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56

their backs to the open door, the wind tearing at
their shirts, their arms sharply tied behind them.
The Arvin captain has been concentrating on
one man, a hard-core VC, who won't even look at
him. Suddenly, the captain starts yelling
hysterically but the prisoner keeps his eyes
lowered.
The Arvin captain stops shouting, breathes
hard a couple of times and makes a sharp movement
with his head to the Arvin sergeant standing over
the prisoner.
The sergeant pushes the prisoner out of the
door, a frozen look of horror on the victim's face
in the split second before he disappears.
It happens so fast, it takes a couple of
seconds to sink in to Joker and Rafter Man.
Joker looks at the door gunner.
The door gunner winks amiably at him.
Joker looks at Rafter. Rafter's mouth is
open.
The Arvin captain starts shouting at the
second VC prisoner who looks like he's ready to
give Uncle Ho's Private telephone number.
Joker gestures to Rafter Man's camera.
Rafter Man looks down and sets his exposure.
It looks like the prisoner is answering the
questions but he doesn't seem to be making the
Arvin captain any happier.
Joker says, "Start shooting pictures - lots
of them."
Rafter starts shooting pictures.
The captain doesn't like this at all and
angrily gives Rafter Man the traditional

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56

no-pictures-wave-off. "Hey, you, Marine. No
camera me! No camera me!"
Joker gestures to Rafter to keep shooting.
"Number ten! Hey, Marine - why you camera
me?"
Joker leans closer and shouts to be heard.
"Captain, we are officially accredited US Marine
Corps combat correspondents and if you harm this
prisoner we're going to file an official report of
this entire incident together with our
photographic evidence."
"You number 10 motherfucker. Me captain.
Who you talking to?"
"I'm talking to you, Captain Zipperhead, sir."
The Arvin captain looks like he's going to
have a stroke. He shouts something to the
sergeant who draws his pistol but keeps it pointed
at the floor.
Joker shifts the M-16 across his knees.
Stalemate.
Then, suddenly, the Arvin captain turns and
pushes the prisoner out
of the door.
He turns back to Joker and laughs, showing
two gold teeth. The sergeant thinks this is
pretty funny, too.
Joker fires his M-l6 on full automatic into
the two men, blasting them
out of the door.
Joker stares at the empty door.
Rafter flops down on the floor.
The door gunner grins and leans over to
Joker. "Ain't war hell?"
Joker stares at the empty door.

"Joker, I've got big piece of slack for
you." Captain January picks up a manila guard
mail envelope and pulls out a piece of paper with
fancy writing on it. "Congratulations, Sergeant
Joker." He hands him the paper.

TO ALL WHO SHALL SEE THESE PRESENTS,
GREETING: KNOW YE THAT REPOSING SPECIAL
TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE FIDELITY OF JAMES
T. DAVIS, 2306777/4312, I DO APPOINT HIM A
SERGEANT IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS...

Joker stares at the piece of paper. Then he
puts the order on Captain January's field desk.
"Number ten. I mean, no way, sir."

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59

Captain January stops his silver shoe in
midstride. "What did you say?"
"Sir, I rose by sheer military genius to the
rank Of Corporal. But I'm not a sergeant. I
guess I'm just a snuffy at heart."
"Joker, you will belay the Mickey Mouse
shit. You've got an excellent 6-month record in
country. You've got enough time-in-grade. You've
been on enough combat ops. You rate this
promotion. This is the only was war we've got."
"Captain January, you know I do my job. I've
fouqht to make the world safe for hypocrisy. My
stories are paper bullets fired into the fat black
heart of Communism. Let me do it as a Corporal."
"Joker, I don't think you understand how
important our job is. Grunts are good show
business but we make them what they are. History
may be written with blood and iron but it's
printed with ink."
Joker thinks for a few seconds. "Sir, I shot
two Arvins on the way up here on the helicopter.
They were killing prisoners."
"You shot two Arvins on the way up here on
the helicopter?" Captain January asks, looking
down at the monopoly board.
"Yes, sir."
"You're pulling me leg, right?"
"No, sir."
"You're not pulling me leg?"
"No, sir."
"Oh, damn." Captain January slaps a card
onto the field desk. "Go to jail - go directly to
jail - do not pass go - do not collect two hundred

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60

dollars." The captain puts his little silver shoe
into jail.
Captain January looks troubled. Then he
looks up and says with finality, "Joker, you've
always had a sick sense of humour. You are
definitely pulling me leg. You will be wearing
chevrons indicating your proper rank next time I
see you or I will definitely jump on your
program."
"Yes, sir."
Captain January shifts into another gear.
"Okay... now I want you to hump up to Hue.
One-One is in the shit. Two NVA divisions have
overrun the city. Charlie's finally decided to
dig in and fight."
Captain January looks at Rafter Man. "Who's
this? Sound off, Marine!"
Rafter Man stutters.
Joker says, "This is Lance Corporal Compton,
sir. The New Guy in Photo."
"Outstanding. Welcome aboard, Marine."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Joker, make sleeping sounds here tonight and
head up to Hue in the morning. We've had reports
the VC have executed hundreds of civilians, maybe
thousands. They've uncovered several mass
graves. Walter Cronkite is due here tomorrow so
we'll be busy. But your job is important, too.
We need some good, clear photographs. And some
hard-hitting captions. Get me photographs of
indigenous civilian personnel who have been
executed with their hands tied behind their backs,
people buried alive, priests with their throats
cut, dead babies - you know what I want. Then get

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61

me come good feature stuff on the fighting with
good body counts. And remember: we're writing our
own report cards in this country. Don't be afraid
to give us a few A's."
"Yes, sir."
"Joker, before you go up there you will
remove the unauthorized peace button from your
duty uniform."
"Aye-aye, sir."
"And Joker..."
"Yes, sir."
"Don't even photograph any naked bodies
unless they're mutilated."
"Aye-aye, sir."
"And Joker..."
"Yes, sir?"
"Get a haircut."
"Aye-aye, sir."