Film is a two-way street, wherein it is inspired by the lives and opinions of the world around us, while simultaneously influencing people’s outlooks in various issues. It is one of the best ways to tell a story, document a time period and express creativity.
American Film & Vietnam War
The Vietnam War marked a shift in the portrayal of war in American film, there was a sense of realism and immediacy that had not be prominent in war films prior to this period. This is most likely due to the extensive televised nature of the war. The documentation of war in films such as Apocalypse Now, Boys in Company C, Coming Home is much more accurate compared to war films created previously. Moreover, war was shown as a gory event that put people through hell, instead of being oversimplified or glamorised.
Films created during this period, had an element of ambivalence to them; the Vietnam War divided the American people like never before. Despite being realistic and equivocal these films fail to give its audience the main reason behind the war, the aims and possible future the American government was looking towards after the end of the war. For example, the Anderson Platoon is an anti-war documentary that shows the destructive nature of the war and the struggles of the soldier in the most realistic way possible, but it is ambiguous in portraying the reason behind war.
“Internal conflicts among American soldiers now lead to violence and death suggests the depths of societal division and the lack of clear sense of purpose about war.”- Linda Dittmar and Gene Michaud
Films created during that time had a dual nature, they sought to find something redeeming about the war as well as resonate with the public about the misgivings of the war. This was probably because the films were trying to give closure to the American public. For example, Apocalypse Now shows the brutality of the war but at the same time it leans towards instilling patriotism and a resolving the uncertainty the war brought into people’s life.
“Most of the films work to re affirm those same beliefs that the war threw into doubt, and that they do so by obscuring, not illuminating, the painfully unresolved feelings Americans still have about war”
– Linda Dittmar and Gene Michaud