Vietnam War Films in Hollywood Before 1975
Even when Vietnam was still in the resistance war against France, American cinema was the first country to use the Indochina War as the theme for the film "Rogues' Regiment" produced in 1948.
Then in 1964, at the same time the Americans decided to directly participate in the war and called this period a local war with the invasion of the South, the film “A Yank in Vietnam” by director Marshall Thompson was released. The female movie star of the South at that time, Kieu Chinh, played the role of a female guerrilla in the film. And until the entire period before 1975, Hollywood films on this topic were considered films about American heroes in the war with a biased, one-sided view of the US.
In particular, after the Tet Offensive in 1968, with the Spring General Offensive and Uprising, Hollywood released the film “The Green Berets” to appease public opinion starring American cinema legend John Wayne. The film had a fairly large budget at that time of 7 million USD and revenue of nearly 22 million USD. The film praised the strength of America and the American army. Besides movies, there are a number of documentaries made by Hollywood, mainly from independent filmmakers, which are more objective and authentic due to the genre.
Since 1975, post-war life has been the dominant theme in films about the Vietnam War.
When the war ended, the issue was no longer about who won or lost or who was right, but the issue that many Hollywood filmmakers exploited came from reality, which was the life of American soldiers returning from the war. Therefore, the view of war in many films was more humane.
The film “Heroes” released in 1977 tells the story of an American veteran who lost his memory. He gradually recovered when he found his old comrades. “The Boys in Company C” also released in 1977 tells the story of five young marines undergoing basic training before going to the Vietnam battlefield in 1968. The film “The Deer Hunter” by director Michael Cimino won 5 Oscars in 1978, a special phenomenon when the film about the Vietnam War won many important awards: Best Film, Best Director…
The film tells the story of veterans returning from the Vietnam War and the terrible memories of the war that changed their mentality, personality, and caused post-war trauma and inability to integrate into real life. However, the film “The Deer Hunter” has caused many audiences not only in the US but also around the world to protest and argue because of the negative scenes about communist soldiers.
The True Face of the Vietnam War in Super Movies
In 1979, a masterpiece was born and is still considered the best film about the Vietnam War, "Apocalypse Now" by director Francis Ford Coppola.
The film won the Palme d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Picture. It has even entered popular culture, being referenced in other films and songs, including the hit “Bonjour Vietnam” by French musician Marc Lavoine.
In 1986, the film “Platoon” directed by Oliver Stone was released with a budget of only 6 million USD but earned 138.5 million USD in ticket sales and won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The film shocked many Americans because they realized that war is not far away, war is right in the heart of every person and that is the reason for America's failure.
Following the two blockbusters “Apocalypse Now” and “Platoon”, in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century, a series of famous films about the Vietnam War were released such as “Full Metal Jacket”, “Hamburger Hill”, “Good Morning Vietnam”, “Casualties of War”, “Born on the 4th of July”, “Heaven and Earth”… all of which were highly appreciated in terms of art.
However, entering the 21st century, although there are still works produced about the Vietnam War, they are no longer as popular as before.
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