THE FILMS OF WAR

THE PURPOSE:  To analyze how movies have influenced and indeed continue to shape understanding of the Vietnam War.

THE PROCEDURE:  Complete the following three steps:

1)  View at least one Vietnam War movie.  Take notes and ask a set of critical questions as the film proceeds.

How is the nature and meaning of the war portrayed?  How are the different characters represented, and why?  What do we learn about the Vietnamese?  Is this really a movie about the Vietnam War or is the war but a metaphor for madness or the backdrop for a rite of passage or a voyage of self-discovery?  What is said about the federal government?  About the soldiers themselves?  About the war's purpose?

Do not get too caught up in the questions of whether the movie deserves a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  The question may not be the most important one for the historian.  Rather, try to offer a deep reading of the movie, even if the movie itself seems shallow or predictable.  I would recommend frequent use of the remote though I know such action may go against your instincts as a viewer.

2)  Do some background research about your movie or movies.  At the very least, see what other reviewers have written about the film.  A good resource here is ROTTEN TOMATOES.  Ideally, find information about how Americans reacted to the film when it was first released.  Were there any controversies associated with the movie and, if so, what significance would you attach to these?

3)  Prepare a brief in-class mini-presentation and write at least one journal entry based on this assignment.

SOME POSSIBLE MOVIES