Constant Character, Changing Nature: The Transformation of the Hollywood War Film, From 1949 - 1989
Abstract
The Hollywood war film was an extremely popular genre both during and immediately after World War II. During this period conventions were established which secured the genre s popularity with audiences throughout the late 1960 s, such as using the Democratic Platoon as a framing device to depict warfare as a patriotic and honorable undertaking. The ambiguous conclusion of the Korean War led both American society and filmmakers to question the legitimacy of war. This notion was explored further in film after the Vietnam War. The perceived illegitimacy of this conflict resulted in auteurs using the established techniques of the genre to create anti-war messages which present warfare as pointless and immoral. As the depiction of war changed during this time, so did the depiction of the warrior in American films. Film regarded the Vietnam War as immoral through its numerous depictions of veterans as criminals, whose current path was directly influenced by their war service. Sympathetic veterans were primarily presented as wounded warriors, whose participation in war unjustly left them with both physical and emotional scars. In the eighties, Reaganism permitted Rambo and other depictions of superhero veterans to return to Vietnam in order to symbolically win the war and restore morality to American participation in the conflict.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 16, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA601584
Entities
People
- Erik L. Schipul
Organizations
- Marine Corps University