Essay on Hollywood and the Vietnam War - 2774 Words

Human history has been kept alive through a variety of mediums over the centuries. Throughout much of time, stories were told verbally to younger generations while written records and artifacts enhanced the story’s authenticity. In the late 19th and early 20th century, technology revolutionized story-telling with the invention of the video camera. Rather than hearing anecdotal stories about historic events, people could now see images of events happening all over the world. In addition, motion pictures were created to present fictional and non-fictional stories for education and entertainment. The United States, and specifically Hollywood, became the center of the film industry world-wide. The widespread social and political changes which†¦show more content†¦After nearly fifteen years of troops committed to the conflict beginning in 1959 and withdrawal in 1975, a number of films were made about Vietnam (Goldfield, 2014). The Green Berets, the sole movie produced duri ng the conflict, featured an image presented by John Wayne consistent with the heroic battles in Europe during World War II. Filmmakers emerged in greater numbers in the late 1970s and 1980s after considering that rather than focusing on the perception of losing the war, there were more important stories to tell about the conflict. Some of the notorious films about the Vietnam War are Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, Apocalypse Now, We Were Soldiers, Rambo, Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, and Hamburger Hill. Vast differences between how and why the films were made and the background and inspiration for the directors who made the film were apparent. Within each director lay a unique interpretation of the conflict based on personal experience (Toplin, 1991). There were some films that attempted to counter the feeling that the U.S. had lost the war and explored a hypothetical favorable American outcome in unifying North and South Vietnam under democracy (Siskel, 1985). Movies like Full Metal Jacket explored new concepts such as how the press’ presence in Vietnam influenced public support for the war. Many of these films were popular because of their violent imagery. Scenes depictingShow MoreRelatedSocial Commentary On Hollywood War Films1282 Words   |  6 PagesHIST2033-001 10 November 2015 Social Commentary in Hollywood War Films Hollywood film is a powerful twentieth century art form that has provided entertainment and social commentary since its creation. Film can be used to portray history on the silver screen. Directors can use their films to portray social commentary about current issues. A popular social issue throughout history is war. Directors can use their war films to promote pro-war or anti-war movements. Films have the ability to influence theRead MoreThe War Of All Time1288 Words   |  6 PagesTrouble Comes Vietnam War, one of the most controversial war of all time, it is best known as the American War, a war between France who had claimed Vietnam as their territory against the communist forces Viet Minh. The year of 1947 when the Truman Doctrine was passed, to send United State trooped across the globe to oppose any communist force. Also countries gathered in Geneva to issue a peace agreement among French-Indochina and Korea. The Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17thRead MoreThe Vietnam War Film Genre1313 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam film is a specific sub-genre of the conventional Hollywood war film that arose as a result of the 1960s counter culture. According to Elliot Stegall’s article Ideological, Dystopic, and Antimythopoetic Formations of Masculinity in the Vietnam War Film many American war films depicted the glorification of war and emphasized the concept of American masculinity (Stegall). Previous to the Vietnam period, Hollywood war films stu ck to contemporary tropes. These films often re-enact the ideaRead MoreRepresentations Of Disability During The 20th Century1727 Words   |  7 PagesAmita Wanar HSPB W3950 James Colgrove 10/22/15 Representations of Disability in Military Veterans During the 20th Century At the end of the Civil War, Andrew Johnson alleged our nation s supposed investment in our veterans by claiming that â€Å" a grateful people will not hesitate to sanction any measures having for their relief of soldiers mutilated...in an effort to preserve our national existence.† Since then, our changing perception of disabled veterans of military service has affected the successRead MoreThe Second Golden Era Of The Film Industry1258 Words   |  6 Pagesthe film industry, new hollywood, came about from 1969 through 1980. As the 1960’s started off positive and hopeful, there was now many Americans left devastated from the depressing events that occurred after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, such as the Vietnam War. There was also a conflict in the movie scene because Hollywood directors were torn between the old styles of filming and the new techniques. By 1980, this conflict was finally resolved and a new hollywood era was created. AlthoughRead MoreHistoric al Events Portrayed During War Films1380 Words   |  6 PagesHistorians do not agree with historical events portrayed in war films because films don’t always portray the facts. For this reason, historians might discredit the film but it’s not Hollywood’s job to inform or tell the truth. Hollywood is the business of entertainment that fulfills the fantasies that people want to see. Through films the audience gets the feelings and understanding of a historical time period, plus satisfaction of entertainment. The director’s give their point of view mixed withRead MoreWe Were Soldiers Analysis Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesWERE SOLDIERS It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, â€Å"We Were Soldiers† focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Hal Moore commanded the 7th Calvary RegimentRead MoreThe Cold War and Its Effect on The History of America Essay1706 Words   |  7 Pages The Cold War was the ideological conflict between the two superpowers of the world, the democratic United States of America and the communist Soviet Union. For over fifty years the two superpowers fought each other indirectly for power and control of the world. The Cold War started after the end of the Second World War in 1945 when the eyes of both superpowers were no longer looking at Nazi Germany, but instead at each other and the fate of the rest of the world. The Cold War began after the SecondRead MoreTourism : A Large Fraction Of The World s Economy1296 Words   |  6 Pagesof them. Vietnam is an example of being stereotyped by the films produced. Most films that include Vietnam only mention the Vietnam War, which was from 1961 – 1973 (U.S. Department of State 2013), travel guides still use the war to gain profit, â€Å"The subtitle above – ‘Vietnam, a country made famous by a war’ – is taken from the opening line in the popular guidebook Lon ely Planet: Vietnam (Florence and Storey, 2001: 11). It reveals the crucial role the American War plays in promoting Vietnam as a touristRead MoreThe Cold War Summarized Essay1619 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowing the Second World War is known as the Cold War. This period was full of tension and fear that the United States and the USSR would destroy each other and the world with their arsenals of atomic weapons. The seeds of this rivalry were planted nearly a quarter of a century before its actual commencement with the Revolution of 1918 in Russia. The Cold War Rivalry would manifest itself in everything from sports in Olympic competition to science and the Space Race. The Cold War did not only take place