Vietnam+in+the+Movies

The Vietnam war has been the subject of some of the most emotionally powerful and complex movies ever made. Here are some of the movies that have shown the bravery, heart, and courage of the soldiers in Vietnam. If you would like to know more about Vietnam in the movies there is also documentaries on the war in Vietnam, such as __Dear America: Letters from Home__, click to this link Dear America Films 

=__Hamburger Hill__ = A realistic war film that focuses on the lives of a squad of fourteen U.S. Army soldiers of B company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during the gruesome ten day (May 11-20, 1969) battle for Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam as they try to take the fortified hill held by the North Vietnamese. The battle was later named "Hamburger Hill" because enemy fire was so fierce that the amount of bullets turned assaulting troops into shredded hamburger meat. This film was releasead August 28, 1987 and directed by John Irvin and written by James Carabatsos. media type="custom" key="3879071"

=__Platoon__ = A young American, Chris Taylor, gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. As he arrives in Vietnam, he faces the many horrors that come with being a soldier in Vietnam. Chris has two commanding officers, the ill-tempered staff sergeant Robert Barnes and the more cooperative sergeant Elias Grodin. The two veteran sergeants clash when an illegal murder occurs during a village raid. Chris soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon. This film was released December 24, 1986. It was directed by Oliver Stone and was also written by Oliver Stone. This movie won four oscars and was also nominated for four different oscars.This film also starred many famous actors, such as Forest Whitaker, John C. McGinely, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen. Recently this movie was parodied in 2008 by Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black in the movie __Tropic Thunder__. Platoon is considered as a classic war film. media type="custom" key="3879101"

=__Apocalypse Now__ = At the height of the Vietnam war, U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard is sent out by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that is extremely Top Secret. His objective is to travel down the Nung river by boat and assasinate a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, whose men have crossed the border into Cambodia and is executing hit-and-run missions against the Vietcong and NVA. The Army believes that Kurtz has gone completely insane. Captain Willard soon finds out though that Kurtz is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. Willard meets up with surfer-type, Lt.-Colonel Kilgore and his calvary, who provide an entry point to the Nung River. While traveling down the river, Willard confronts the horrors and violence of human nature, as well as the mezmerizing powers of the jungle that pushed Colonel Kurtz over the edge into insanity. Willard becomes more and more like the man he was sent to kill. This film was released on August 15, 1979 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and was written by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola. This film starred many famous actors, such as Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, and Robert Duvall. In 1980, __Apocalypse Now__ was nominated for eight Oscars, and out of those eight it won two,which was for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. media type="custom" key="3879559"

=__Full Metal Jacket__ = A two-segment story that follows the trials and tribulations of young men in recruit training in the Marine Corps to Da Nang, Vietnam. The first segment starts out on Paris Island, South Carolina, U.S. Marine Corps Training Camp in the late 1960s. A group of young marine recruits are put under the command of the cruel Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The two main characters, Private Joker and Private Pyle, are put to the test as they go through the misery of boot-camp. The second segment begins in Da Nang, Vietnam a year later. Private Joker is now a reporter for the stars and stripes, Marine Corps newspaper, and not a combat personell, but he is given a gun and thrown into the war when the Tet Offensive strikes. This film was released on June 26, 1987 an was nominated for an oscar in 1988.It was directed by Stanley Kubrick and was also written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based off of the book by Gustav Hasford called The Short Timers. media type="custom" key="3879049" media type="custom" key="3879143"

=__We Were Soldiers__ = Lt. Colonel Hal Moore is deeply committed to training his troops, who are preparing to be sent to Vietnam. On arriving in Vietnam, he learns that an American has been attacked, and is ordered to take his 395 men after the enemy and eliminate them, even though they have no clue how many enemy troops there are. He leads his air calvary unit into the la Drang Valley against over 4,000 well equipped enemy soldiers, in the "Valley of Death." The brutal battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history. This movie is a tribute to those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another. This film was released March 1, 2002. It was directed by Randall Wallace, and the screenplay was also by Randall Wallace. The movie was based off of a book by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, called __We Were Soldiers Once... and Young__. media type="youtube" key="vUsB68-w6Wg" height="344" width="425" =__Cease Fire__ = Tim Murphy is a Vietnam Veteran. When he loses his job he starts to relive all the pain and horror of his time in Vietnam. The stresses and strains nearly destroy his marriage and family. Tim finds relief though, from his nightmares by joining a veteran's therapy group. With the support of his fellow vets and the love of his wife, Tim is able to recover. This film was released on October 18th of 1985 and was directed by David Nutter, and written by George Fernandez.

=__The Siege of Firebase Gloria__ = A tough sergeant and his sidekick roll into a demoralized firebase and proceed to rebuild the morale of the soldiers and fortifications of the firebase in advance of the climatic battle against the VC. This film was released on January 27, 1989. It was directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and written by William L. Nagel and Tony Johnston.