MovieChat Forums > Coming Home (1978) Discussion > In retrospect

In retrospect

posted 20 years ago by dgave
24 replies | jump to latest

I remember not thinking a whole lot of this movie when it came out in 1978. I've watched it recently on cable and now, 25 years later, I think even less of it -- I thoroughly dislike it. This movie tries to make something noble out of what was nothing more than the wife's (Jane Fonda) cheap affair and callous betrayal of a husband who was in harm's way on the other side of the globe. When the husband (Bruce Dern) returns home to find his life in shambles he says, "I don't belong in this house and I don't belong over there (Viet Nam). The reason he doesn't "belong in this house" is because she made him not belong there. His suicide (which presumably would clear the way for her to go back to her lover) is too convenient and lets her off the hook too easily. It puts the movie on a level with something from the Lifetime Movie Network or a bad '40s melodrama. The song that plays over the suicide scene at the end, "Will You Remember Me?" ("Once I was a soldier, I fought on foreign sands for you/Once I was a hunter, I brought home fresh meat for you....") is ironic. She forgot about him easily enough when he was alive and overseas; why would she remember him when he's conveniently dead?

[–] seabreeze-1 20 years ago

I'm retrospecting right now and I didn't see it as black and white as you put it. Jane Fondas officer husband was a jerk to her...before he went to vietnam. She was pretty stand offish when she met Jon Voights character (who, i thought what phenomenal in this movie). He went to the war too..just like Bruce Derns character did afterwards.
I dont think anything seemed easy or convenient for any of them. They all seemed pretty torn and miserable.

I bought the DVD because I always loved this movie. The soundtrack does make it twice as good.

[–] brux (14724) 5 years ago

both of you have a point.
the husband was portrayed as a jerk.
the thing that has changed from then to know is the agency of women.
at that time most women were almost chattel to their husbands.
they were just expected to be obedient.
there is a lot going on in this movie, and nothing.
I don't remember it as a good movie, and putting Jane Fonda in the lead
was a statement in itself at the time because she was such a polarizing
figure, and kind of naive like her character as well.

[–] morgoth0084 20 years ago

I had to recently watch this film for a college course on film from 1967-79 and of all the movies about Nam that we watched, I'd have to say that this one was the worst. Ultimately I walked out at the end with the mantra in my head "Viet Nam bad, cheating wives worse." Frankly I'm disappointed that they demonize the husband and make him the least sympathetic of the characters even though he was jilted the worst of the bunch. I don't usually like to call film liberal pieces of garbage, but I'd have to say that this one takes the cake.

[–] tsnuggins 19 years ago

what cake? this movie does not demonize the husband... it does'nt demonize the wife or her paraplegic lover either... if anything it demonizes the war, and very poorly i might add! and to call one of hal ashby's films a liberal piece of garbage, is like calling the pope... catholic! but this film is one of his least liberal works... for a real advocate of peace to say " i'm not saying don't go (to viet nam), but there is a choice to be made"... is very impressive.
that is why, i would say that this is one of the truest pieces of film ever made about the viet nam war.

[–] txwildswan 19 years ago

This remains one of my favorite films of all times. Though I graduated hs in 1973, I still remember alot about the Viet Nam war and how it was portrayed on t.v., and in the papers etc I was even married to a Vet (divorced within a year) and dated one as well (both had major problems) I also have an Uncle who was in a top position in the Air Force over there, so I saw that side as well. As to the Sally Hyde character, we are all human, her husband was not the nicest guy before he went to Nam, and really did not seem interested in her sexual satisfaction, her self esteem, and I do not think she ever had a real orgasm until she got with Luke. I am not saying leave your husband if he does not satisfy you, but I do not think he even cared) She did not intend to go and have an affair-but I can understand how it happened. Just like I can understand the pain of so many that came back from Viet Nam that were against it. I also had compassion for the Bruce Dern character who I am sure was brought up to fight for your country, and go out and kill the enemy which is a noble thing, when it is for the right reason. I do not think his suicide let her off the hook too easily, I am quite sure she felt guilty and sorry. But she was in love with Luke. I think all the songs were appropriate and right on for each scene. A magnirficent piece of work to this day-and I am not a liberal. Just someone who realizes we are all human and that there are 2 sides to war.

[–] wylierichardson 19 years ago

Very nicely put, wildswan. I myself have mixed feelings about this film. The main strength is Jon Voight's lead performance. He shows so much range, he is thoroughly believable. I think an interesting alternative ending would have been for Sally (Jane Fonda) character to divorce her husband (Bruce Dern) and marry Luke (Jon Voight). After all, the two of them consummated their affair, why not have it reach it's logical conclusion?

[–] brux (14724) 5 years ago

at the time very few women were getting divorces ... it was not very common.
my mother got divorced in this era, and life was impossible for the typical ex-housewife.
the women's movement was just starting.

i think mainly the issue was that no one really understood what the veterans had
to experience, and her could not talk to his wife, and had no support system of his
own. the wife was on her own trajectory by this time.

[–] jackyisajester 18 years ago

It's good to know that you don't find a problem with a woman cheating on her husband because the sex isn't good. Modern entertainment...so many life lessons to be learned.
BTW, this is a liberal masturbatory aid. The whole movie.

[–] tbcat 19 years ago

I totally disagree. I think this film captured a moment in time in America quite well. As far as Bob Hyde (Dern) he wasn't the best husband in the world. He was a condescending, chauvenistic jerk. If I were married to that guy and Luke came along, I'd be outta that marriage in a heartbeat.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] roghache 19 years ago

You wouldn't believe how much I agree with you, first messager (dgave). It's really hard to put a pretty face on a wife having an affair while her husband is off fighting a war overseas & in harm's way. Of course they do everything possible here to cast Sally in a sympathetic light rather than show her as the cheatin' wife she is. For example, Luke is a more likable, sensitive character while the husband's a gung ho hawk. Also, screenwriters cheat in resolving a love triangle by killing off the spouse. So convenient. That way, Sally gets to keep her lover but doesn't come across as the villain of the piece by dumping her husband. Not fair!

I thought I was the only person who saw the movie like this. Unlike you, I was young & foolish and thought this was a wonderful movie back when I first saw it in the 1970's. Fortunately, I've matured a bit during these intervening years.

By the way, I can certainly see why the divorce rate is so high these days! Half the comments are from people eager to dump the Bruce Dern husband who's not nice enough to Sally, and go for the kinder Luke (Jon Voigt). Let's remember, Sally chose her husband in the first place, presumably well aware of his military views. I doubt that anyone forced her to marry him

[–] repete66211 19 years ago

By the way, I can certainly see why the divorce rate is so high these days! Half the comments are from people eager to dump the Bruce Dern husband who's not nice enough to Sally, and go for the kinder Luke (Jon Voigt). Let's remember, Sally chose her husband in the first place, presumably well aware of his military views. I doubt that anyone forced her to marry him

True, nobody forced Sally to marry her husband, but sometimes people change. He went to war and she had nothing to do, so she volunteered at the hospital. Doing that opened up the world to her and changed her perspective of things that she had previously taken for granted. She changed and grew while her husband was out of country. He went through some pretty dramatic changes as well. That's why when he returns they just don't fit together like they used to. Sure, you can work through things like that and try to make the marriage succeed. Sometimes it's just not that easy though.

Your above statement makes it seem like you would encourage a wife to stay with her husband whether or not he treats her well, just because she's married to him. Surely this isn't what you mean.

[–] roghache 19 years ago

I'm not sure to what extent we want to turn this into a debate on the significance of marriage vows, but to some extent it's EXACTLY what I DO mean. No, obviously I don't mean that the wife should stay with her husband if he's physically abusive or unrepentently unfaithful. But neither do I accept that people just grow and change and don't fit well together any more, so it's fine & dandy to simply divorce and move on to the next one if it's not working out. Unfortunately, that's society's prevailing view today, which you seem to be in synch with while I'm not. I would say...don't make vows in the first place if you don't mean them, though I agree it sometimes might be very difficult indeed to keep them.

Anyway, I don't want anything to get nasty, it's a hot topic. Also, I don't know the personal situations of people who write messages here, so certainly don't want to insult or judge anyone. But that's my opinion about marriage, and you're equally entitled to yours.

[–] Castor-29 18 years ago

You make excellent points, roghache. And you do it with intelligence and respect for others, two qualities seldom found on these message boards.

[–] Chwelve 17 years ago

I am bewildered by people's reactions to this movie. I don't think the film justifies Sally's adultery at all. She admits herself that it was wrong. Ashby's strength is in his ability to see the three leads as real people, rather than as the plug-in stereotypes in a convetional melodramatic love triangle they could easily have been. We see why Sally would begin an affair with Luke, but that doesn't mean we have to agree it was a good choice. Any mature audience member should be able to sympathize and empathize with characters in a film without necessarily agreeing with them all the time (otherwise why would The Godfather be so enduringly popular?). Also, it seems to me that after her husband's suicide it would probably take a fair amount of time before Sally considered marrying again (with Luke or anybody else). And it certainly isn't "letting her off the hook too easily". She's going to feel responsible for the death of presumably one of the two men she has loved. I think if anything the suicide would probably make it even more unlikely for the two lovers to wind up together, with that unbelievable amount of emotional baggage attached to their relationship.

[–] TCall2004 17 years ago

Maybe she went a little far in the way she protested against the Viet Nam Debacle, but she was right.

If people like her hadn't spoke up, that war would still be going on. We'd be fighting in Iraq AND Viet Nam because we have people who don't want to face defeat.

The Viet Nam War has been over for almost 35 years. Unfortunately, we have learned nothing from it because the U.S. is repeating the same stupid mistake.

[–] billycan 17 years ago

Possibly Bob (the husband) is having a little breakdown and contemplating suicide but he sure isn't thinking hard or else he would have chosen another method. He swims out into the ocean and what? Hopes there will be a convenient shark hanging about or perhaps he figures he'll get tired and just drowned? Bill (Vi's brother) had the right idea, inject air into a vein - quick, easy and no mess.

Assuming Bob is successful in this half-hearted attempt, who says Sally will just carry on with Luke? The guilt she would feel would probably destroy any chance she and Luke would have at a lasting relationship. In any event, she wants to be with her husband to TRY and make the marriage work in spite of the changes in them both. She is hardly "off the hook".

Ultimately, if you didn't think much of this movie it's because you didn't put much thought into it at all.