Vietnam War films

[Comanche Sun]

During the mid-70s, Hollywood began beseiging audiences with Vietnam war movies. Most of these films; the ones I saw, were terrribly flawed, lacked authenticity, and depicted the American infantry soldier in less than a honorable light. Well, what else could be expected from Hollywood filmmakers and their anti-war agendas. Anything depicting the US military in a bad way was the popular way to go and that surely would bring smiles to those in the anti-war movement. They, afterall worked hand in hand. Later on another film was released about the war in Vietnam which earned a thumbs up in my book and for the most part was done right this time. The details were pretty much up to snuff, though not perfect. The film depicted in 1965 a U.S. Army Battalion, 7th Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Diivision being overrun by 2,000 North Vietnamese (regulars) troops in the Central Highlands of Vietnam's 'Ia Drang Valley. If if ever there was a better film about Vietnam, this in my opinion is it. "WE WERE SOLDIERS...Once And Young".. a true story.

 

[del]

Sergeant Ernie Savage: Beautiful morning, Sergeant!

Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: What are you a fucking weatherman now?

 

[editec]

Odd that War films never spend much time dealing with the outcomes of war, isn't it?

My VietNam war was dealing with those outcomes.

It was not glorious, it was not heroic, it was stinking wounds and young men trying to cope with the fact that they would never ever be the same people they were before they went into a glorious war.

 

[Comanche Sun]

Sergeant Ernie Savage: Beautiful morning, Sergeant!

Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: What are you a fucking weatherman now?

[Moore and Plumley are looking on at the NVA headquarters]

Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: You want to know how Custer felt? Why don't you ask him? (QUOTE)

 

[del]

.

[Galloway is on the ground]
Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: You can't take any pictures from down there, sonny.

[Galloway gets up and is handed a rifle]
Joseph Galloway: I'm a non-combatant.

Sergeant Major Basil Plumley: Ain't no such thing today.

 

[Xenophon]

One of the better films was a low budget limited release picture called 'Go tell the Spartans' with Burt Lancaster. The film was based on actual first hand accounts of the advisors in Vietnam in 1964 before LBJ heavily comitted US forces in 1965.

Among the worst films are 'Platoon' which is so laughable you can count the war crimes in the dozens portrayed on film, 'The Deer Hunter' which again shows us how hollywood treated the subject matter, and the most rediculous, 'Apocolypse now' which was really Conreid's 'Heart of Darkness' reset in Cambodia.

 

[Gunny]

Odd that War films never spend much time dealing with the outcomes of war, isn't it?

My VietNam war was dealing with those outcomes.

It was not glorious, it was not heroic, it was stinking wounds and young men trying to cope with the fact that they would never ever be the same people they were before they went into a glorious war.

Try "The Deerhunter."

 

[del]

One of the better films was a low budget limited release picture called 'Go tell the Spartans' with Burt Lancaster. The film was based on actual first hand accounts of the advisors in Vietnam in 1964 before LBJ heavily comitted US forces in 1965.

Among the worst films are 'Platoon' which is so laughable you can count the war crimes in the dozens portrayed on film, 'The Deer Hunter' which again shows us how hollywood treated the subject matter, and the most rediculous, 'Apocolypse now' which was really Conreid's 'Heart of Darkness' reset in Cambodia.

lancaster took a lot of grief to get that made. good movie, imo.

i liked we were soldiers and deerhunter. coming home is okay.

 

[Gunny]

One of the better films was a low budget limited release picture called 'Go tell the Spartans' with Burt Lancaster. The film was based on actual first hand accounts of the advisors in Vietnam in 1964 before LBJ heavily comitted US forces in 1965.

Among the worst films are 'Platoon' which is so laughable you can count the war crimes in the dozens portrayed on film, 'The Deer Hunter' which again shows us how hollywood treated the subject matter, and the most rediculous, 'Apocolypse now' which was really Conreid's 'Heart of Darkness' reset in Cambodia.

Platoon did well in it's addressing the different personalities and how war affected them. You couldn't have the "crusader" (Elias) nor the disaffected anti-hero (Taylor) without a Sgt Barnes -- a killing machine interested only in results.

The war played second-fiddle to the affects it had on the lives of the characters and their community in the Deerhunter. I thought that film was excellent in that it actually addressed the people involved and the climax wasn't an overwhelming military victory for the US.

Apocalypse Now and Hamburger Hill were both stupid, IMO.

The biggest problem, IMO, is, people believe that shit. The culminating event being leftwingers actually nominated Kerry, who built his political career on having "witnessed" in 4 months every stereotypical war crime there ever was.

 

[Xenophon]

That is why I mentioned platoon and deerhunter, the in country parts are so over the top people believed them. As movies they are fine, but as a depiction of war they rank up there with movies like 'Flying Tigers' or other silly propaganda movies in the portrayal of it.

I doubt you will ever see a truely accurate movie on Vietnam at this point, the war was just too unpopular.

 

[Gunny]

That is why I mentioned platoon and deerhunter, the in country parts are so over the top people believed them. As movies they are fine, but as a depiction of war they rank up there with movies like 'Flying Tigers' or other silly propaganda movies in the portrayal of it.

I doubt you will ever see a truely accurate movie on Vietnam at this point, the war was just too unpopular.

From what I have read, "We Were Soldiers" portrays it pretty accurately. I agree however that most Vietnam movies rely too heavily on the criminal American soldier.

I'm surprised no one has given kudos to Gene Hackman, Sly Stallone and Chuck Norris for all those POWs they liberated in the 80s.

 

[Toome]

We Were Soldiers did something very few other movies do: depict what it was like at home. Yeah, there are plenty of movies about the home front during war, but this one was the first to depict both what it's like in the combat zone and at the home front. It was very well made on so many levels. Hal Moore saw to it personally that Hollywood didn't screw it up.

I doubt any other effort will ever come close.

 

[Xenophon]

From what I have read, "We Were Soldiers" portrays it pretty accurately. I agree however that most Vietnam movies rely too heavily on the criminal American soldier.

I'm surprised no one has given kudos to Gene Hackman, Sly Stallone and Chuck Norris for all those POWs they liberated in the 80s.

Missing in Action II is a cult favorite of mine, Soon tek Ho dressed in a japanese uniform (it was supposed to be vietnamese, but I guess the movie company didn't have those) vs Chuck Norris, still kicking ass after a decade in camp!

 

[manu1959]

i liked john waynes green berets....

 

[Toome]

From what I have read, "We Were Soldiers" portrays it pretty accurately. I agree however that most Vietnam movies rely too heavily on the criminal American soldier.

I'm surprised no one has given kudos to Gene Hackman, Sly Stallone and Chuck Norris for all those POWs they liberated in the 80s.

Missing in Action II is a cult favorite of mine, Soon tek Ho dressed in a japanese uniform (it was supposed to be vietnamese, but I guess the movie company didn't have those) vs Chuck Norris, still kicking ass after a decade in camp!

I guess out of all of them, First Blood is a favorite not so much because of the Stallone movie but because I'm a huge David Morrell fan. Even though the movie doesn't really compare with the book, it couldn't even if it tried. The movie came out in 1982, well after Vietnam whereas Morrell's book was written in 1972 during the height of the anti-war movement in America. The ironic part is that in the book, Teasle and Rambo have a mutual respect for each other even though they are doomed to fight and kill each other (Trautman is the one who actually finishes off Rambo after Teasle wounds him).

First Blood the movie was a very toned down version of the book. It wasn't until the very last installment of the movie series, Rambo, that the very essence of David Morrell's original character was finally captured on film.

As for the military accuracy of the first three Rambo movies, well, they make me giggle.

 

[Xenophon]

i liked john waynes green berets....

There is a SF board, and they all love that movie.

I liked the base camp stuff with the yards, but the general capture stuff was lame.

 

[Xenophon]

I guess out of all of them, First Blood is a favorite not so much because of the Stallone movie but because I'm a huge David Morrell fan. Even though the movie doesn't really compare with the book, it couldn't even if it tried. The movie came out in 1982, well after Vietnam whereas Morrell's book was written in 1972 during the height of the anti-war movement in America. The ironic part is that in the book, Teasle and Rambo have a mutual respect for each other even though they are doomed to fight and kill each other (Trautman is the one who actually finishes off Rambo after Teasle wounds him).

First Blood the movie was a very toned down version of the book. It wasn't until the very last installment of the movie series, Rambo, that the very essence of David Morrell's original character was finally captured on film.

As for the military accuracy of the first three Rambo movies, well, they make me giggle.

First blood is a fun movie, very 80s.

The rambo speech at the end is unintentionaly halrious.

 

[Comanche Sun]

We Were Soldiers did something very few other movies do: depict what it was like at home. Yeah, there are plenty of movies about the home front during war, but this one was the first to depict both what it's like in the combat zone and at the home front. It was very well made on so many levels. Hal Moore saw to it personally that Hollywood didn't screw it up.

I doubt any other effort will ever come close.

We Were Soldiers is the only movie that came close, sofar. The rest of them, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Apocalypse Now are laughable to say the least. They even managed to get the uniforms right in this one, a rarity not seen in previous VN war films.

 

[Toome]

We Were Soldiers did something very few other movies do: depict what it was like at home. Yeah, there are plenty of movies about the home front during war, but this one was the first to depict both what it's like in the combat zone and at the home front. It was very well made on so many levels. Hal Moore saw to it personally that Hollywood didn't screw it up.

I doubt any other effort will ever come close.

We Were Soldiers is the only movie that came close, sofar. The rest of them, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Apocalypse Now are laughable to say the least. They even managed to get the uniforms right in this one, a rarity not seen in previous VN war films.

Well, hell, Comanche, if they ever did it completely right, nobody would see it.

Nobody could handle it.

Happy Easter.

 

[Peejay]

No mention of "Full Metal Jacket"? Great film. My Dad says it was about the closest thing to what he experienced. The movie covered the guys from their arrival at boot camp, right into the war.

My favorite Vietnam war movie is "Forest Gump".