Vietnam War in film

Viet Cong poster for a 1967 film about the death of war hero Nguyen Van Be

This article lists notable films related to the Vietnam War.

Representation of the Vietnamese in film

According to a study by Martin Novelli, the depiction of the Vietnamese in American war films is woefully stereotyped. Vietnamese civilians are usually shown as passive victims, prostitutes, or conniving with the enemy, while North Vietnamese or NLF guerilla fighters are frequently drawn as cruel torturers or effeminate cowards, and the ARVN are described as incompetent. In Walsh and Louvre's opinion, "the ideology of such films speaks of several basic and widespread public attitudes towards the war".[1]

Donna Alvah reported that students writing an introductory essay on the war often reflect the perception shared by most Americans born after the war. According to Alvah, students' conceptions of the Vietnam War are "largely gleaned from movies, documentaries, music, and .. relatives who served in the war, or who in any case hold strong opinions about it."[2]

Post-war films

After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, there was an increase in American films that were more "raw", containing actual battle footage. A FilmReference.com article noted that American filmmakers "appeared more confident to put Vietnam combat on screen for the first time" during that era.[3] These American post-war film representations have generally been more realistic and gritty, such as The Deer Hunter (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979).[3]

Feature films

Year Country Title Director Events depicted
1964 United States USA A Yank in Viet-Nam Marshall Thompson A USMC pilot is shot down, but meets a female guerrilla; filmed in South Vietnam
1965 United States USA Motorpsycho Russ Meyer A US motorcycle gang is led by a disturbed veteran
1966 United States USA To the Shores of Hell Will Zens A US Marine officer leads a rescue attempt of his brother who is held prisoner by the Viet Cong
1968 United States USA Targets Peter Bogdanovich A disturbed Vietnam veteran goes on a sniper shooting spree after killing his wife and mother.
1968 United States USA The Green Berets John Wayne,
Ray Kellogg
A tribute to U.S. Special Forces, starring John Wayne, filmed mostly in Georgia.[4]
1968 United States USA A Torn Page of Glory[5] Bobby Davis US soldiers in Vietnam have flashbacks to civilian life
1969 United States USA The Ballad of Andy Crocker George McCowan Made for TV film begins with a Vietnam firefight the deals with a veteran's readjustment problems
1970 United States USA The Losers Jack Starrett An American motorcycle gang is recruited for a mission into Cambodia
1971  South Vietnam Người tình không chân dung Hoàng Vĩnh Lộc
1971  South Vietnam Đất khổ Ha Thuc Can
1972  North Vietnam Vĩ tuyến 17 ngày và đêm Hải Ninh Life of Vietnamese living on both sides of the 17th parallel that splits Vietnam into North and South
1972 Canada Canada Deathdream Bob Clark War veteran returns home as a living corpse
1972 United States USA The Visitors Elia Kazan Returned Vietnam veterans confront each other over war crime
1974  North Vietnam Em bé Hà Nội Hải Ninh Operation Linebacker II
1976 United States USA Taxi Driver Martin Scorsese A mentally disturbed Vietnam veteran comes to New York City after the war, and gets a job driving taxicabs due to insomnia. He is unable to fit into society, displays obsessive behavior, and is driven to violence.
1977 United States USA Heroes Jeremy Kagan Amnesiac Vietnam veteran seeks out former comrades
1977  Hong Kong
United States USA
The Boys in Company C Sidney J. Furie A group of Marines go through basic training and a tour of service in Vietnam in 1968
1978 United States USA Coming Home Hal Ashby Homecoming of a Vietnam veterans.
1978 United States USA
United Kingdom UK
The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino Three friends from Pennsylvania go off to fight, and come back changed men.[4]
1978 United States USA Good Guys Wear Black Ted Post Former CIA assassin battles duplicitous US government official.
1978 United States USA Go Tell the Spartans Ted Post US military advisors during the early part of the war (1964)
1979 United States USA Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola A special forces officer is called in to locate and kill a rogue colonel[4] in a retelling of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
1979 United States USA Hair Miloš Forman Film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam war draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center.
1979  Vietnam The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone (Cánh đồng hoang) Nguyễn Hồng Sến An "unnerving and compelling .. subjective-camera-eye-view" of life under helicopter fire in the Mekong Delta. The film cuts to an (American) "helicopter-eye view", contrasting painfully with the human tenderness seen earlier.[6]
1979 Australia Australia The Odd Angry Shot Tom Jeffrey Follows a group of Australian soldiers in Vietnam
1980 United States USA The Exterminator James Glickenhaus Vietnam veteran turns vigilante
1980  Italy The Last Hunter Antonio Margheriti US officer goes on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines
1980 United States USA Return of the Secaucus 7 John Sayles Reunion of anti-war protesters
1981 United Kingdom UK How Sleep the Brave Lyndon James Swift A group of new soldiers go on a mission in the jungle
1981 South Korea South Korea Guns of Victory [5] Howard Donald ROK soldiers in Vietnam
1982 United States USA First Blood Ted Kotcheff John Rambo, a highly decorated special forces veteran traumatized by his experiences as a prisoner of war, goes on a rampage in a northwestern U.S. town against law enforcement officers who push him too far.
1982  Hong Kong Boat People Ann Hui The Fall of Saigon and its aftermath
1982  Vietnam Ván bài lật ngửa Lê Hoàng Hoa Biopic of the North Vietnamese spy Pham Ngoc Thao
1983 United States USA Streamers Robert Altman Four soldiers awaiting deployment to Vietnam
1983 United States USA Uncommon Valor Ted Kotcheff Father organizes a group of Vietnam veterans to go back and rescue his son who is secretly held prisoner in Vietnam.
1984 United States USA Missing in Action Joseph Zito Vietnam veteran goes back to Vietnam to free secretly held POWs
1984 United States USA Purple Hearts Sidney J. Furie Love story between a surgeon (Ken Wahl) and a nurse (Cheryl Ladd) who are serving in the U.S. Navy during the war.
1985 United States USA Missing in Action 2: The Beginning Lance Hool U.S. POW breaks out of Vietnamese prison camp.
1985 United States USA Rambo: First Blood Part II George P. Cosmatos Vietnam veteran goes back to Vietnam to free secretly held POWs
1985  Vietnam
 USSR
Coordinates of Death [7]
(a.k.a. Target for Death)
Samvel Gasparov,
Suan Tian Nguyen
Stranded Soviet sailors witness American war brutality.
1986 United States USA Combat Shock Buddy Giovinazzo Vietnam veteran goes insane (Troma film)
1986 United States USA Moon in Scorpio Gary Graver Three Vietnam-vet buddies go sailing and are attacked by the back-from-the-dead victims of a bloody war crime.
1986 United Kingdom UK
United States USA
Platoon Oliver Stone A new recruit's service in a platoon of soldiers patrolling the Cambodian border[4]
1987 United States USA
Philippines Philippines
Eye of the Eagle Cirio H. Santiago US officer hunts down rogue GIs.
1987 United Kingdom UK
United States USA
Full Metal Jacket Stanley Kubrick Battle of Hue
Tet Offensive[4]
1987 United States USA Good Morning, Vietnam Barry Levinson Loosely based on the experiences of AFRS radio DJ Adrian Cronauer
1987 United States USA Hamburger Hill John Irvin Battle of Hamburger Hill in the Ashau Valley[4]
1987 United States USA The Hanoi Hilton Lionel Chetwynd Mistreatment of U.S. POWs in the Hỏa Lò Prison.
1987  Italy
 Philippines
Phantom Soldiers [8] Irvin Johnson Special forces operator searches for brother who was captured by a mysterious group of soldiers
1988 United States USA Braddock: Missing in Action III Aaron Norris Vietnam vet goes back to Vietnam to rescue left behind wife and child
1988 United States USA Off Limits Christopher Crowe Two US Criminal Investigation Command agents investigate murders of Vietnamese prostitutes by high-ranking US officers
1988 United States USA 84C MoPic Patrick Sheane Duncan Found footage-style mockumentary follows a US Long-range reconnaissance patrol
1988 United States USA Platoon Leader Aaron Norris An inexperienced officer learns the ropes of fighting in Vietnam
1988 United States USA Bat*21 Peter Markle Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton's experience of survival while MIA
1988 United States USA Operation Warzone David A. Prior A squad of US troops attempt to locate an agent who has information detailing an arms shipment that could win the war in their favor
1989 United States USA The Iron Triangle Eric Weston Viet Cong soldier protects captured GI who spared his life
1989 United States USA
 Philippines
The Siege of Firebase Gloria Brian Trenchard-Smith Marines defend a firebase during the Tet offensive
1989 United States USA Jacknife David Jones Vietnam veterans have trouble adjusting to civilian life
1989 United States USA Casualties of War Brian De Palma The incident on Hill 192[9]
1989 Philippines Philippines
United States USA
Eye of the Eagle 2: Inside the Enemy Carl Franklin US soldier goes to rescue Vietnamese girlfriend who has been kidnapped by superior officer
1989  Hong Kong A Better Tomorrow 3 Tsui Hark A crime story involving the struggle of Chinese mobsters and their family trying to get back to Hong Kong during the fall of Saigon.
1989 United States USA Born on the Fourth of July Oliver Stone Based on the experiences of Ron Kovic, who joins the Marines and is paralyzed in battle, evolving into a significant protester against the war.[10]
1989 United States USA The Expendables Cirio H. Santiago Commando trains a group of misfit soldiers for dangerous mission
1990 United States USA Air America Roger Spottiswoode Air America pilots uncover U.S. plot to smuggle narcotics
1990 United States USA Jacob's Ladder Adrian Lyne Vietnam vet is haunted by his past
1990  Hong Kong Bullet in the Head John Woo Hong Kong mobsters travel to Vietnam during the war to smuggle illegal goods. They get entangled with both sides in the war.
1991 United States USA Flight of the Intruder John Milius A-6 Intruder pilots go on an unauthorized mission to bomb targets in North Vietnam
1991 United States USA For The Boys Mark Rydell Characters Bette Midler and James Caan entertain the troops and experience turmoil
1992  South Korea White Badge Chung Ji-young Story of two South Koreans who served in Vietnam
1993 United States USA
France France
Heaven & Earth Oliver Stone Based on the experiences of Vietnamese civilian Le Ly Hayslip of the Vietnam war and its aftermath.
1994 United States USA Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis Title character serves in Vietnam
1995 United States USA The Walking Dead Preston A. Whitmore II In the waning days of the war, a group of Marines are sent to rescue US POWs
1995 United States USA Operation Dumbo Drop Simon Wincer Green Berets bribe Vietnamese villagers with an elephant
1995 United States USA Dead Presidents Albert Hughes Characters serve in Vietnam
1998 United States USA A Bright Shining Lie Terry George Experiences of US Lt. Col. John Paul Vann, military advisor to the South Vietnamese
1999 United States USA Faith of My Fathers Peter Markle Experiences of US Navy Lieutenant Commander John McCain (later senator) as a POW
2000 United States USA
 Germany
Tigerland Joel Schumacher US recruits go through basic training before going to Vietnam
2001 Canada Canada
United States USA
Under Heavy Fire Sidney J. Furie Reunited veterans visit Vietnam 25 years after the war, flashbacks to their battles
2002 United States USA Path to War John Frankenheimer The Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of US President Lyndon B. Johnson and his cabinet members.
2002 United States USA
 Germany
We Were Soldiers Randall Wallace Battle of Ia Drang
2003  Vietnam Hà Nội 12 ngày đêm Bùi Đình Hạc Operation Linebacker II
2004  South Korea R-Point Kong Su-chang
2005  Vietnam Sống trong sợ hãi (Living in Fear) Bùi Thạc Chuyên A Vietnamese farmer is supporting two families after the end of the war - one in the north, which he abandoned after fleeing during the war, and his new family in the south. To get enough money he sets on to re-cultivate a field full of mines. His life and psyche is changing while he removes each mine by himself.
2005  Vietnam Giải phóng Sài Gòn (Liberate Sai Gon) Fall of Saigon
2006 United States USA
Canada Canada
The Veteran Sidney J. Furie Vietnam veteran and state senator returns to Vietnam 30 years after the war, and is secretly probed for information on missing GI
2006 United States USA Rescue Dawn Werner Herzog Dieter Dengler's experience as a POW
2007 Canada Canada
United States USA
 Germany
1968 Tunnel Rats Uwe Boll U.S. "Tunnel rats" who go into Viet Cong tunnel complexes
2007 United States USA Across the Universe Julie Taymor The main character's best friend is drafted to fight in the war
2007 United States USA Journey from the Fall Ham Tran Vietnamese experience of post-war reeducation camps and life as refugees
2008  South Korea Sunny Lee Joon-ik Wife of South Korean serving in Vietnam takes job as singer to be near her husband

Documentary films

Year Country Title Director Events depicted
1967  France The Anderson Platoon Pierre Schoendoerffer Follows a deployed US infantry platoon in Vietnam.
1968 United States USA A Face of War Eugene S. Jones Day-to-day activities of active duty Marines.
1969 United States USA In the Year of the Pig Emile de Antonio History of the war.
1970 United States USA Street Scenes Martin Scorsese Follows two demonstrations against the war, interviews with participants and bystanders.
1970 United States USA The World of Charlie Company John Laurence Follows US troops of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, of the 1st Cavalry Division.
1971 United States USA Vietnam!, Vietnam! Sherman Beck A United States Information Agency film, narrated by Charlton Heston, was shot on location in Vietnam in October–December 1968 but not released until 1971.
1972 United States USA Winter Soldier Follows the Winter Soldier Investigation.
1974 United States USA Hearts and Minds Peter Davis Interviews with Americans and Vietnamese.
1979 United Kingdom UK Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia David Munro The war in Cambodia and its aftermath under the rule of the Khmer Rouge.
1980 Canada Canada Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War
(TV miniseries)
Michael Maclear
(producer)
History of the conflict from the First Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon.
1982 United States USA The Uncounted Enemy George Crile III
(producer)
The film alleges that general William Westmoreland presented false numbers of enemy combatants to the US public.
1983 United States USA Vietnam: A Television History
(TV miniseries)
Based on Karnow's book Vietnam: A History.
1987 United States USA Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam Bill Couturié Based on letters from US soldiers serving in Vietnam.
1989 United Kingdom UK Four Hours in My Lai
(Yorkshire Television documentary)
My Lai Massacre.
1990 United States USA Berkeley in the Sixties Mark Kitchell Anti-war protesters at Berkeley University.
1998 United States USA Regret to Inform Barbara Sonneborn The director, a US war widow, goes to Vietnam to explore the loss of her husband.
1999  Vietnam The Sound of the Violin in My Lai (Tiếng vỹ cầm ở Mỹ Lai) Tran Van Thuy My Lai Massacre
2001 Netherlands Netherlands First Kill Coco Schrijber The psychology of war is explored through interviews with Vietnam veterans.
2001 United States USA Unfinished Symphony: Democracy and Dissent Bestor Cram, Mike Majoros Follows a three-day protest against the war in Lexington, Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend in 1971, staged by newly returned war veterans.
2001 United States USA Investigation of a Flame Lynne Sachs Story of the Catonsville Nine, Catholic activists who burned draft files in 1968 to protest against the war.
2002 United States USA Daughter from Danang Gail Dolgin, Vicente Franco US woman, daughter of US soldier and Vietnamese woman goes to Vietnam to meet her biological relatives.
2003 United States USA The Fog of War Errol Morris Interview with Robert S. McNamara, US Secretary of Defense during the war.
2004 United States USA In the Shadow of the Blade Patrick Fries,
Cheryl Fries
Huey helicopter on cross-US tour reunites veterans and veterans' relatives.
2004 United States USA Stolen Honor Carlton Sherwood The film connects the testimony of John Kerry with increased mistreatment of US POWs.
2004 United States USA Going Upriver George Butler U.S. Senator John Kerry's military service and his subsequent participation in the anti-war movement.
2005  France [8] Enemy Image Mark Daniels Examines the impact of televised war reporting, starting with the relatively unrestricted reporting during the Vietnam War.
2005 United States USA Sir! No Sir! David Zeiger Anti-war sentiments within the US armed forces.
2007 United States USA The Camden 28 Anthony Giacchino Follows twenty-eight members of the Catholic Left who were arrested in 1971 for attempting to break into and vandalize a draft board.
2007 United States USA Bomb Harvest Kim Mordaunt Aftermath of the bombing of Laos during the war, the problem of large amounts of Unexploded Ordnance in the country.
2009 United States USA The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith About Daniel Ellsberg and his leaking of the Pentagon Papers, a secret US government history of the war.
2012 United States USA Into Harm's Way Jordan Kronick West Point Class of 1967 and their experiences during college and in the Vietnam War.
2014 United States USA Last Days in Vietnam Rory Kennedy About the evacuation of American and South Vietnamese Citizens.

See also

References

  1. Louvre, Alf; Walsh, Jeffrey (1988). Tell me lies about Vietnam : cultural battles for the meaning of the war. Open University Press.
  2. Bradford, Laurence (7 July 2013). "Pop culture dictates the American version of the Vietnam War". Inside Investor. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 Vietnam War: American Cinema After the War, FilmReference.com, retrieved 2009-03-18
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Neale, Stephen (2000). War Films. Genre and Hollywood (Psychology Press). pp. 121–124. ISBN 978-0-415-02606-2.
  5. 1 2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1961336/
  6. "The Abandoned Field-Free Fire Zone (Canh dong hoang)". University of California, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  7. IMDb, plus RUSCICO DVD, 2000, ALL region, with menu and subtitles in English, French; subtitles only in German, Spanish, and Italian.
  8. 1 2 IMDb.
  9. Clarke, 2006. pp. 193–202
  10. Clarke, 2006. pp. 181–192

Further reading

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