Hundreds of Hollywood movies have documented the Vietnam War. Some are very powerful in educating the general public and younger generations about the war. However, there is a risk that they may be made giving a false representation of events, or even misleading. Every year at the end of April America remembers the fall of Saigon and TV networks show a myriad of documentaries, television shows and movies about the Vietnam War such as Apocalypse Now, The Quiet American, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter and Platoon. The Deer Hunter, made in 1978, tells the story of three Russian-American workers who journey to Vietnam and are taken prisoner by the Communist Viet Cong troops. The Vietnamese force the prisoners to gamble, playing the game Russian roulette. The prisoners eventually escape, but have become addicted to the game and seek out the game at illegal gambling dens. One of the ex-prisoners ends up committing suicide from the experience. Some believe that the movie trivializes what happened in Vietnam and is an insult to the plight of the Vietnamese and American soldiers who fought in the war. When the film was originally released it did cause a lot of controversy, particularly there is no evidence that the Viet Cong even played Russian roulette. Apocalypse Now, meanwhile, is another movie applauded by the film industry in America. However, some believe it is a prejudiced portrayal of Vietnam during the war. Using the backdrop of European colonization, the movie follows a man called Kurtz
The post Hollywood’s portrayal of the Vietnam War appeared first on WAR HISTORY ONLINE.