Hollywood and War

General Instructions: Hollywood & Vietnam War

This unit asks that you read in the textbooks: OPENSTAX in order to establish the historical data on the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.

Read chapter 27 and 28. Link to the textbook:

https://d3bxy9euw4e147.cloudfront.net/oscms-prodcms/media/documents/USHistory-OP_3DLFMU5.pdf

After reading this data as historical background…the unit next asks that you view a film on the topic of VIETNAM… (Or may have Vietnam as its “central theme”).

Finally, the unit asks that you write a FILM CRITIQUE (fact check “Hollywood” in its portrayal of the Vietnam War era and U.S. policy in that region) …and the legacy left by U.S. involvement in that WAR.

Follow directions presented in A Pocket Guide to Writing in History for writing a film critique. Use the “Guiding Questions” listed below as the format for the film critique.

In other words: View a film on Vietnam. Write a film critique on how Hollywood portrays United States foreign policy in Vietnam era, its decision for war, its decision-makers, its enemies, the outcome and the legacy. Where appropriate interject data from the textbook assignments…use them to “FACT CHECK” the film. Remember to document your sources.

Guiding Questions:

A. How useful is this film as a historical source?

B. Is the film’s historical validity or lack thereof, more or less important than its role in boosting patriotism or morale? (Rate historical validity based on your knowledge and data from textbook or other sources…FACT CHECK the film). Document all sources.

C. Identify the film’s stereotypes that are used to characterize United States’ fighting men, United States’ enemies, United States’ decision-makers, Vietnam and its decision-makers and fighters, and other sectors of United States’ society and Vietnamese society. Why does stereotyping make a war easier to define…and an enemy easier to kill?

D. In general, how important are the media (in this case of the Vietnam era) in shaping public opinion within the United States about this specific war?

E. In general, what role does Hollywood play in supporting United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War era?

F. Speculate, (if not mentioned in this specific film) as to how the war looked different from the point of view of the “enemy”…in other words…does the film note how the Vietnam war looked different from the Vietnamese perspective(s)? What is the evidence for your comments on this point?

G. What does the historiography of the era/the data from the textbooks state about the importance of the decision makers…either collectively or of individual political/military leaders and how do the broader political/cultural considerations help to explain United States policy in the Vietnam War era?

H. How is the outcome portrayed in this film? Is the outcome portrayed in this film historically valid?

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Below are a few titles of films about United States in the Vietnam War era. These are ONLY suggestions:

Full Metal Jacket

Platoon

Deer Hunter

The Anderson Platoon

Apocalypse Now

Hamburger Hill

Bloods of Nam

When we Were Soldiers

Green Dragon