Hollywood and Vietnam

[Jffal]

http://www.phillynews.com/inquirer/2000/Apr/23/arts_and_entertainment/VFILMS23.htm

Interesting article chronicling the changing attitude America had toward that "police action".

A friend told me that one of his buddies who saw combat in Indochina was impressed with what he felt was the muddy authenticity of the film, Hamburger Hill.
Jeff

 

[4V50 Gary]

Fire Base Gloria.

 

[Munro Williams]

The article in the link shows that leftists are still in control of the cultural iconography of our country. Hollywood, the dominant media, and the educational bureaucracy require a self-perpetuating state of denial on the part of leftists, and unearned guilt on the part of conservatives.

This is what the link indicates.

Communist mass murder in SE Asia is still denied by the left, even Pol Pot was somehow "driven crazy" by the B-52 raids. In other words, it was all America's fault.
The movies reflect this, even if they portray American soldiers as "just plain folks."
Don't buy into this stuff, people.

A good analysis of Vietnam can be found here: http://www.zolatimes.com/V3.27/vietnam.1.html

------------------
ALARM! ALARM! CIVILIZATION IS IN PERIL! THE BARBARIANS HAVE TAKEN THE GATES!

[This message has been edited by Munro Williams (edited April 23, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Munro Williams (edited April 23, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Munro Williams (edited April 23, 2000).]

 

[swampgator]

I remember seeing "Full Metal Jacket" for the first time at 13. Needless to say that it left an impression. "Hamburger Hill" was great in that it showed the futility of the war effort in the way it was carried out. I just saw again the other day on TNT and love the seen where the reporter is at the bottom of the hill trying to interview the troops returning from the top, and the sergeant says something to effect of "if your on the top when we take this hill, I'll blow your head off." Really drives home the fact what the troops themselves felt.
"Platoon" is a great flick, but I have a hard time believing that one platoon experienced all the "cliches" that were left over from the war. Burning villages, Killing of fellow NCOs, murder of villagers, raping little girls, and fragging superiors. Not to say that this didn't occur, but I just don't buy one platoon incountering all of it. Then again I wasn't there.

Hat's off to ALL Viet Nam veterans.

Gator

 

[Sword]

Platoon tried to compress the whole war into less than two hours. Full Metal Jacket did a much better job. On a personal note, I was turned down for four jobs that I KNOW of, because I'm a Nam vet. (Might go crazy with a gun, ya know)I was young enough, and crazy enough, to volunteer, spent two years in the boonies, and, to this day, I get people lookin' at me funny when they find out I was there.

To all the bros out there, if no one else says it, I still do:

WELCOME HOME!

------------------
When guns are outlawed, I will be an outlaw.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Sword, thanks to you and your fellow grunts for going. I was all hot to volunteer in the mid-sixties but, by the time I reached recruitment age in 1968, Vietnam didn't look like the war I thought it was. So, I waited to see what number I pulled in the lottery.
It still sickens me to think of those punks spitting on returning GI's. It's even more sickening to think of them running our government.

Fire Base Gloria may have gotten through the cracks because it was a lower-budget film.
I'm sure if one of the Hollywood elite had a
major role in that film, the GI's would have been portrayed as babykillers.

IMO, the most accurate Vietnam films are those done by Chuck Norris

.

Dick