Johnny Got His Gun on DVD

Johnny Got His Gun

based on the novel by Dalton Trumbo [DVD Johnny]

I heard about this movie nearly thirty years ago, when I first saw a music video that had snippets of this movie in it. The video was for the song “One” by the band Metallica — they wrote the song based solely on the plot of this movie. I was so intrigued that I always felt I should watch the movie. However, I was also intimidated by it. The story, briefly, goes as follows: a soldier is severely wounded during battle in World War I. He’s a quadruple amputee who also is now blind, deaf and mute. The song describes his struggles, where he’s essentially trapped inside himself, unable to communicate, unable to tell the difference between waking and sleeping. His only distractions are memories and nightmares. I knew that the movie would be somewhat heavy, to say the least. However, I have never been able to get it out of my mind. So I finally borrowed it and watched it. It’s VERY well made, crossing between black and white (the present) and color (the past/memories/nightmares), and has some incredible cast members. It’s considered an anti-war film, but it didn’t seem that way to me. I would definitely recommend this film!

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Born on the Fourth of July, M*A*S*H* or Full Metal Jacket)
(Also available in traditional print format.)

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

Recommended by Tracy T.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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