Question

What role does Hollywood play in how the US's involvement in Vietnam is remembered?

Answer 1

The movie ,FIGHT OF THE INTRUDER adapted from the novel of Stephen coonts was one notable movie of the air war over Vietnam.Atlthough fiction,the author was on another aircraft carrier at the same time.The initial scene in the movie and in the boook about an A - 6 BN losing his life actually happened.

Besides this there are some great films

• Full metal Jacket
• Battle of Hue
• Platoon
• The green Berets
• BAT 21
• We were soldiers etc

Most of the US directors choose to focus their lens on the emotional tolls on US soldiers,which is understandable and expectable. However the lack of research and general understanding about the soldiers on the other hand side of the front ( the vietcong and the vietminh) gives these movies a tint of past colonialism,where vietnamese soldiers are simply enemies/without depth,personality,background or any other thing to established connection  with the audience for that matter.

Some are artistically high quality and best movies .However there are some new noteworthy movies with touches on the theme of loss of family and explore the depth of human feelings.FREE FIRE ZONE & THE LOVE DOESN'T COME BACK this movie is fantastic as this movie's director use war as the background to study human conflict and emotions.And they bring about Vietnamese as real people interacting with others in their communities,not enemies in khakis firing.

HEAVEN & EARTH was an amazing piece of work.The third movie from Oliver Stones Vietnam war trilogy.It brought to life the sufferings of neutral Vietnamese civilians who were caught between two sides and suffered no matter which sides they were forced to take.It also depicted PTSDs in Vietnam veteran and the struggle of vietnamese immigrants in adjusting the new life in US.

JOURNEY FROM THE FALL,heart breaking movie about the plight of the boat people after the fall of Saigon. Authentically Vietnamese who were once boat people themselves.The story shows about parallel life of a wife and her family on the boat escaping Vietnam and her husband who has trapped in a mine ridden concentration.

WE WERE SOLDIERS covers the historical accuracy of this movie more than sufficiently .Interest,chaotic,intense,entertaining some authenticate chilling moments.It sounds like google translated from English.

And finally APOCALYPS NOW, The cinematography and the use of color is magnificent.The Helish scene at Du Luong bridge is so surprisible.I think the movie has been digested to bits by countless reviewers so I am just adding my own observation on the accuracy of of it's depiction of Vietnam