Film during much of the Vietnam War and the years after usually attempted to push a strong agenda. Not until later did movies become less biased, especially when talking about Vietnam. The Ugly American, directed by George Englund, and The Green Berets, directed by John Wayne, are no exceptions. The Green Berets propose a strong support for the war while The Ugly American tended to blame the United States for being in an unnecessary war. Nevertheless, while both movies differ strongly in their views, both tend to convey the horrors of war.
The Green Berets was a movie that continuously encouraged its audience to prolong the Vietnam War. Just as the movie begins, a scene takes place that sets the stage for the rest of the movie. A few reporters asked many Green Berets about their talents with responses listing the many qualifications they had (Green Berets, The). John Wayne was clearly attempting to convince his viewers that the Green Berets were a noble group that deserves praise and support. Furthermore, the entire movie consists of Americans easily defeating Vietnamese soldiers. When John Wayne’s character finds a North Vietnamese soldier pacing the coordinates for an attack, he easily beats him with one punch (Green Berets, The). To an audience, events such as these may sway them to believe Vietnamese victory can easily be achieved. Thirdly, the reporter attempts to be objective. Upon arriving at the camp, he states, “I will tell the people what I saw,” without distorting the truth (Green Berets, The). However, the reality is probably more akin to him twisting the truth without any reason for supporting the war. All things considered, The Green Berets shows a propaganda movie that contrasts sharply with many oth...
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In conclusion, the main point of The Green Berets was to convince its audience the Vietnam War was essential; conversely, the Ugly American attempted to berate it. However, it is also clear that both had a common goal; one that expressed the cruelty war can have. John Wayne’s defeat-all-communists approach was becoming a less popular opinion by the time the movie was released. Instead, the ideals The Ugly American conveyed were the most popular. Unless these two styles of thinking are reconciled, the countries of the world are destined to be trapped in a prolonged war.
Works Cited
Green Berets, The. Dir. John Wayne and Ray Kellog. Perf. John Wayne, David Jannsen, and
Jim Hutton. Waner Brothers, 1968.
Ugly American, The. Dir. George Englund. Perff. Marlon Brando, Sandra Church, Eiji Okada,
Pat Hingle, and Arthur Hill. Universal, 1963.
When discussing the truths that were revealed to Kerry through his experience at Vietnam he states, “We learned the meaning of free-fire zones, shooting anything that moves, and we watched while America placed a cheapness on the lives of Orientals.” Here Kerry shows the dehumanization that occurred as a result of the Vietnam war. By showing they were simply “shooting anything that moves” shows the how war sent these men to a thoughtless and barbaric state. He ultimately shows the loss of humanity. Kerry also gives insight into the many atrocities these men committed such as how they “cut off heads” and have “blown up bodies”. Through these graphics, Kerry takes a very distant war and makes it personal to his audience. He does not sugarcoat or dance around the barbarity of the war. Rather Kerry faces it head on and these descriptions create a truly barbaric
They were tired of just hiding from sniper fire coming from the Viet Cong. The soldiers wanted to go out a fight. Caputo described numerous times were the soldiers almost shot one another in the dark because they thought they were Viet Cong. Caputo does a good job at this as well you can feel the turning point when some of the men start to realize the reality that takes place in Vietnam. Caputo was different he seemed to feel at ease even when a bullet landed only a few feet above him. Later when Caputos platoon were chasing down some of the Viet Cong. they find a camp of the enemy that has letters, pictures, and items from their families back home. This information gives the audience a different outlook on war. Everyone thinks especially me that the enemy are heartless criminals that you would not think twice about killing. Seeing that the enemies have families and kids changes how you view them. That is what makes this book special you have a first hand information that has not been altered to make the story more enjoyable. Unlike how most people view wars through hollywood movies. This book lets you see and feel the war exactly like a marine would have during his time there. As the war goes on the death toll rises. Men start to pile up a deaths start to come daily. I feel like this is Caputos turning point. He is heavily involved in this because he is doing the casualty reporting. When he
In both Things and Forrest Gump the main character goes to the Vietnam War and leaves their family. In both of the stories the main character creates a strong bond with their fellow soldiers. Tim O’Brien, in Things, becomes friends with Jimmy Cross, Mitchell Sanders, Kiowa, Norman Bowker, Henry Dobbins, and Rat Kiley. In Vietnam, Forrest Gump becomes friends with Bubba and Lieutenant Dan. Both stories tell how close friends died and how the main character reacts. Along with the sad memories there are happy memories as well. O’Brien says that in their free time they played checkers and told stories to get their minds off the war. In Forrest Gump, Forrest played ping-pong and would play in front of his friends to entertain them. Him and Bubba
Chris Appy’s s American Reckoning is a book-length essay on the Vietnam War and how it changed the way Americans think of ourselves and our foreign policy. This is required reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and America’s place in the world, showing how events influence attitudes, which turn to influence events.
They sensationalize the war, but Charlie and his family know the truth and refuse to go. In Johnny Got His Gun, the masters of war use propaganda to glorify the war and occasionally “force” men to fight. They convinced the young men it is exciting and they have an obligation to serve their country. The Masters of War makes it sound amazing. This is nothing close to the truth.
Vietnam was a highly debated war among citizens of the United States. This war was like no other with regards to how it affected people on the home front. In past war’s the population of the United States mainly supported the war and admired soldiers for their courage. During the Vietnam War, citizens of the U.S. had a contradictory view then in the past. This dilemma of not having the support of the people originates from the culture and the time period. During this time period it would be the fourth time Americans went to war in that century which made it tough for Americans to give their supportS (Schlesinger 8). Most Americans did not know why the country was getting involved in Vietnam as well as what the United States’ agenda was. This dilemma ties into the short story, “On the Rainy River” which is a passage from Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried.
The Ugly American was written in 1958 and was meant to be an indictment on the U.S. government’s failures in foreign policy. The book provides valuable lessons that we can learn from today as special operators. I will use several stories and characters in this book and my own personal stories to explore if the Special Operatives (SO) Imperatives were applied and analyze if we as Special Operations Forces (SOF) are applying them well today. We, as SOF, should never be afraid of learning new principals or examining principals from the past to see if they are applicable. The Ugly American is a good example of a work from the past, even though it is fiction, which we can learn from today.
All in all, every year since 1975, Vietnamese have been killed or injured and they are so disappointed. The war causes chaos and is a sign of bad omen to Vietnam. This never-ending horror could be remedied if enough Americans cared about saving Vietnamese lives, as the stars of this documentary claim they did. After all, what kind of people seed a foreign land with hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives and then allow succeeding generations to lose eyes and limbs and lives? Only a “violent and unforgiving”
It is understandable that some Americans strongly opposed the United States getting involved in the Vietnam War. It had not been a long time since the end of World War II and simply put, most Americans were tired of fighting. Mark Atwood Lawrence is one of the people who opposed our involvement in the Vietnam War. In his essay, “Vietnam: A Mistake of Western Alliance”, Lawrence argues that the Vietnam War was unnecessary and that it went against our democratic policies, but that there were a lot of things that influenced our involvement.
American Public Opinion of the Vietnam War At the beginning of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, in 1965, The American public favored the idea of war because they feared the threat of communism. Polls conducted in 1965, showed 80 percent of the population agreed with President Johnson and were for the war. Rousseau 11. The U.S. got involved in the war to stop communism. from spreading throughout South Asia.
Unlike the WWII era, the Vietnam War brought realism into literature and film. There were no heroic movies of men fighting in Vietnam. Men could no longer shoot fifty enemy combatants on top of a tank without being hurt. Instead, popular culture brought a realistic view of war, death, pain, and destruction. Author Tim O’Brien, like many war veterans, struggled with his Vietnam experience and expressed them through writing. Tim O’Brien exposed the truth behind war stories because he shows the difference between WWII romanticism and Vietnam realism.
In the 1978 film, The Deer Hunter, Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken’s characters are captured by Viet Cong officials and are plotted against each other in a game of Russian Roulette. The iconic scene shows the two putting everything on the line and risking it all. Vietnam war movie directors play their own game of Russian Roulette when producing movies because of the delicacy of public opinions concerning the war. The purpose of Vietnam war film was to reveal to the public the actions oversea. After the war, films like Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter depict the wasteland of warfare and begins to ask the question, who are we fighting? Then, a significant shift comes about after Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Election in 1980. After Reagan
i. Difficulties faced by soldiers due to the nature of fighting in the Vietnam War - Personnel had difficulties with transportation supplied with adapted vehicles back seat faced rear to provide additional fire power (Source A) – It appears as if the government didn't worry enough to supply men with safe and capable equipment - Threat of traps led to fear as vehicles had to be parked on street at night (Source A) o Check for traps each morning became a daily ritual particularly in fuel tanks (Source A) o A request for a locking fuel cap was denied because weren’t entitled to one” (Source A) • What circumstances would have needed to arise for them to be entitled to one? The Offensive full guard was set up (24hrs a day), personnel got no sleep and were constantly on alert (Source A) – How significant would this have been in the personnel’s mental frame of mind?
The world’s history is majorly shaped by mega wars that happen both inside and outside the boundaries of individual nations. Almost every sovereign state in the world had to forcefully liberate itself from its colonizers and oppressors mainly through warfare. For instance, America had to fight a long and exhausting revolutionary war against the British before it could attain its independence in 1783, likewise is the fate of many other nations. It is important to understand the two distinct types of wars that exist and their implications. Guerrilla warfare and the conventional military warfare are two types of war that are very different in their execution and military approach. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the similarities and differences existing between the American war in Vietnam and the American Revolution (Vetter, 1997).
In conclusion the soldiers use dark humor, daydreaming, and violent actions which all allow an escape from the horrors they had to go through in Vietnam. These coping mechanisms allowed the men to continue to fight and survive the war. They wouldn’t have been able to carry on if it wasn’t for the outlets these methods provided. Without humor, daydreaming, and violent actions, the war would have been unbearable for the men, and detrimental to their lives going forward.