Great scene and one of my favourite films. It’s an interesting one structure-wise. At just over 3 hours, it’s been accused of maybe indulging itself a little. But, for me, the powerful middle act is the glue that holds it all together. The score also carries the film like nothing else. What do you think Scott? Overly long? Lacking pace in the third act? Interested to hear your thoughts.

Dan, I confess I haven't seen the movie in years. I do remember vividly leaving the Isis Movie Theater in Aspen, Colorado in 1979, where I was living at the time, after having watched the film for the first time, and being quite blown away by it. So many visceral and memorable scenes. I know there has tended to be some revisionist history in terms of appraising the film because of Cimino and the Heaven's Gate debacle, but that shouldn't influence The Deer Hunter. Here's a suggestion - to myself and everyone: Set aside a weekend to watch The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now, which came out within a year of each other, the front edge of movies about the Vietnam War.

You could follow the rule of 3s and add Coming Home to the list. Apocalypse Now set in Vietnam, Coming Home set in the US, The Deer Hunter bridging the two.