Vietnam in film

While in should be noted that Rolling Thunder is more of a vengeance film, it does deal with Vietnam. The Vietnam War has always been a controversial subject in America, and that is often, though not always, reflected in films about the war. Following the war, John Wayne released such movies as The Green Berets about Vietnam, however, these films were childish and did not offer an accurate depiction of what Vietnam was like. This prompted a new wave of films about Vietnam, dedicated to unflinching realism. Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is applauded often as being the most realistic. Following it was Oliver Stone's Platoon, which even won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1986. Hamburger Hill is another film in the more realistic movement. Perhaps the most applauded film about Vietnam is Apocalypse Now. Based on the book Heart of Darkness, this film, although less realistic, captures what the director Francis Ford Coppola believed to be the heart and soul of Vietnam. As Coppola said, "It's not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam." Some movies such as Rolling Thunder, First Blood, and Born on the Fourth of July, dealt with the difficulties facing soldiers as they returned home. Vietnam may be a less popular subject for films than WWII, but it is still important to watch these movies, and understand this war.