There’ll be a few people who’ll get shot on Sunday, and then you can have the stuff back. You’re making a movie - I have a military coup. The general said, “Barry, Barry - please, please. In an interview with Vanity Fair, producer Barry Spikings recalled what happened when he attempted to protest. Despite the fact that he was helping run the country, the military’s supreme leader, Kriangsak Chomanan, took on the additional responsibility of serving as “The Deer Hunter”’s liaison in Thailand, providing the film with tons of military vehicles, weapons, and aircraft. The Deer Hunter began filming in 1977, less than a year after a student uprising in Thailand resulted in the brutal massacre of dozens of civilians and the overthrow of the elected government by the military. Filming was postponed so the film’s military liaison in Thailand could stage a coup.Ĭimino insisted on filming in Thailand to ensure the Vietnam scenes looked as real as possible - a decision that, according to the LA Times, ultimately inflated the budget from $7 million to $13 million.

The deer hunter cast