Vietnam Movie Reviews Samples For Students

The year 2014 marks the 28th anniversary since the movie Platoon was first released. It is one of the most honored and best movies of all time. It was released on 24th December 1986. It was directed and written by Oliver Stone, while Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen were the people starring. Upon its release, it took moviegoers, critics, and audiences by surprise as it took home four academy awards including best director and best picture, Oscar awards in 1987. In 1997 and 2007, it appeared in top 100 films of all time in American Film Institute ...

The 1970s was a decade of the public’s disappointment with the government and its policies, domestic and foreign, social and economic. It was the time of counterculture and various movements and protests that followed the example of the civil rights movement. The most important topics for the American people were the distrust for the government after the long-lasting Vietnam War that weakened not only the United States, whose economic situation was already devastating, but other countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia and their neighbors; the Watergate scandal that made Americans doubt that the county is in fact a democratic one, the state ...

1. The most important man of the twentieth century, according to Charles Kaiser was Martin Luther King Junior. He was important for spearheading the civil rights movements that were advocating for social justice between the blacks and the whites.
2. The Diggers were a group of radical activists where were considered as left wings and operated from Haight-Ashbury within the proximity of San Francisco, in additional they were also improvisational actors who had guerrilla kind of a group that was referred to as San Francisco Mime Troupe. The original founding member was Peter Coyote (Perry 284).
3. At Monterey ...

The film Full Metal Jacket was directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1987 (IMDB), 20 years after the events described in the movie. It depicts several crucial moments of the Vietnam War, the Battle in Hue and the Tet Offensive, and trainings before. First of all, soldiers’ training does not seem to be realistic because of its cruelty and sarcasm from Hartman, the Senior Drill Instructor. Hartman treats soldiers in a way that hardly can be called humane. Yet the main aim of these episodes is to show that training is not a holiday and that soldiers should be prepared to all ...

Introduction

1979’s Apocalypse Now is one of the most significant films which emerged from the Vietnam War period. The movie is based on Heart of Darkness, a book by Joseph Conrad (Syn 1). The story revolves around the character of Benjamin Willard, who is tasked with the duty of killing Colonel Walter Kurtz, who has gone rogue in the Cambodian jungles. The accuracy of the movie in depicting the actual happenings of the Vietnam War has been a subject of extensive debate. Francis Ford Coppola, the producer and director of the film asserts that Apocalypse Now is not just about Vietnam ...

The weather underground is a documentary that outlines the violent protest aimed at overthrowing the United States government. The general set up of the documentary is up to standards. It vividly shows the brutal violence of the protestors opposing the injustices performed by the government. The document is very informative on matters touching on the Vietnam War and how the weatherman got frustrated from the SDA (students for a democratic society). After I did deep review of the subject matter of the movie it is clear that it has captured the important elements of the Vietnam War and the factors that ...

Full Metal Jacket, produced in 1987, is a movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, which highlights the experiences of Vietnam War soldiers. The title of the movie depicts the metal jackets worn by foot soldiers. Through the film, the director seeks to showcase Gustav Hasford’s novel (The Short-timers) by following a platoon of U.S marines. New recruits undergo a rigorous training under the command of a drill instructor, Sergeant Hartman, who prepares them for grueling combats ahead. Full Metal Jacket earned rare plaudits from the Academy Award after its nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and after the American Film Institute put the movie ...

Moonchildren

The play moonchildren are a comic play in two acts by Michael Weller. The play is produced by Zelda Fichandler and directed by Alan Schneider. The play is acted in the Royal Court theatre. The play qualifies to be a successful movie as evident in its stage production; Marjorie selection of costumes is excellent, and the play lighting done by Vance Sorrells is appropriate and is used in an appropriate manner which makes the play more comical. The work of Weller is perceived to be “seminal work” it is an attractive work which have stood the test of time. Although, the ...

Robert Zemeckis' 1994 dramatic epic Forrest Gump tells the tale of the eponymous character, a mentally challenged man who recounts his life experiencing some of the most interesting times in American history - the Vietnam war, the Red Scare, the hippie movement, Reagan-era America - blithely unaware of the importance of the events that he experienced. In this way, Forrest's lack of awareness or incuriousness is reflected in the attitudes of the film; in many ways, Forrest Gump feels like a pastiche of the 'greatest hits' in American history, without really exploring them in depth. In this way, Forrest Gump is ...

The 1968 film The Green Berets, starring and co-directed by John Wayne, presents a very pro-American and jingoistic view of the Vietnam War, sugarcoating the more violent and abhorrent aspects of the US Army’s activities during the war in favor of a more benevolent, patriotic mindset. The film follows Colonel Mike Kirby, leader of a Green Beret Unit, as he fights in South Vietnam and defends his men against actions taken by the North Vietnamese. In this essay, several aspects of the film will be critiqued, comparing the viewpoint explored in the film with the truth of US Army actions during ...

Platoon Review

Oliver Stone’s Platoon is a superb depiction of the Vietnam War unlike that of any other in its class. Many other war films doting on the romantic promise of brotherhood in arms during war times, or the heroism of battle. Some rely on the gritty truth of war and death amidst the almost comical amount of bloodshed. Platoon is none of these things, while still managing to show Vietnam like never before.
In an effort to show what Vietnam’s infantrymen experienced on the ground, Platoon begins immediately with the violence, hostility, fear, and exhaustion of war. There ...

Produced in 1984, Yellow Earth was the first film directed by Chen Kaige, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. The film is a period piece, taking place against the backdrop of China when World War II broke out. The film focuses on a communist soldier who comes to a village to collect folk songs to serve as morale-raising communist propaganda for the Eighth Route Army. During his visit to the rural village, the young soldier stays with a family, motherless but with a father, a young boy, and two sisters. The elder sister has already been "married off" in an arranged marriage, and the 14-year-old ...

Daughter of Danang, a film by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco, may be ranked amongst the greatest documentaries of this century. Unlike most Hollywood movies, this is a real, absolutely true harrowing story that takes its beginning from the Vietnam War. There are no stunts or special effects, outstanding actors or hackneyed phrases – there is just a real life with all its problems, misunderstandings, pros and cons, love and pain.

Being abandoned (let us call things by their proper names) by her Vietnamese mother, Heidi, the mixed-race girl whose father is American servant, flies to the US with other American-Vietnamese children due ...

A thought-provoking and original film, “The Fog of War” is highly controversial. The critical reception of the film reflected both some historical disagreements over the Vietnam and Cold Wars and appraisal of its ability to speak to universal and contemporary questions. The director, Errol Morris, was accused of presenting a historically inaccurate and self-serving narrative and being too lenient on the major figure of his film. On the other hand, “The Fog of War” won an Academy Award for being the best documentary. In general, the film tells the audience about grueling problems in ethics, politics, and contemporary history. ...

The film, ‘Apocalypse Now' is a 1979 American movie, which bases its settings In the Vietnam War. The film draws its plot and characters from the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, an explorer of the Congo, who puts down his experiences in the heart of Africa. The film and the novel both emphasize on the native savages depicting the latter as objects rather than human beings whose character deserve an exploration just like other characters. This essay reviews the ‘Apocalypse Now' film based on the differences and similarities between the film and the novel on which it ...

The Man of Marble is a movie set as a denunciation of the communist government that existed in Poland and was grossly misleading and manipulative. The movie director is more concerned with painting a picture of the exploitation by bourgeois traditionalism image that had been created by communist authorities who had taken over the Polish nation (The Man Of Marble). The Man of Iron was also set as a continuation of the story line of The Man of Marble and is also about a young worker involved in anti-communist labour movement as well as a young man working for ...

In the first act of the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now, it was interesting how the Americans choose to play loud music while they executed their aerial attack on the beachside village. The Americans believed that the music would intimidate the Vietnamese villagers and weaken their resolve. At the same time, in contrast, the music invigorated the American soldiers and kept them motivated throughout the assault. I think that this scene is interesting, because it demonstrates that music can be a powerful emotional influence, both positive and negative. The music that the Americans play is “Ride of the Valkyries” by ...

Movie Review: Maya Lin

Maya Lin is an award winning film that explores the artistic work of Lin—a renowned designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The documentary focuses on her other works that have considerably impacted on the community’s social and political aspects. The archived resources such as old clips, interviews and modern footages are used to explain how Lin’s artistic work developed to be an important tool for activism, confront and healing. Lin from her viewpoint explains the implication of her work and attempts to explain to the audience the criteria and motivation behind developing her design and structures.

How Maya Lin’s Design can be Considered Courageous

Maya ...

For many years, between 1964-1974 the people of the US were awakening by imaginations, this was when people started forming the movements so that they can protest against the injustices imposed to them by the whites. The following movements were formed, The Free Speech Movement, The Anti-War Movement, The Counter-Culture Movement (Hippies in SF) and Women's Movement. Each with its objectives and methods of achieving them for instance: The Free Speech Movement
The university students to protest against the abolishment of the no-campus political activities and allow free speech formed this movement. This movement had an impact on ...

The statement that 80 Million (2011), a Polish film directed by Waldemar Krzystek, is less a Political Drama than lively hybrid of action movie, heist thriller and dark comedy can be quite valid. On surface, it dealt with the formation of pro-democracy Solidarity in Poland of early 80s that in fact resisted the communist rule as the main subject. But, in its depiction it features solely on small heist angle planned and executed by the Solidarity leaders under the threat of secret police. It featured an incorporation of a few simple truths of the era to play out a ...

The Chinese epic “Farewell My Concubine” by Chen Kaige is a cinematic masterpiece. It is a spectacle of action, history, culture, views of social and political landscapes that all intertwine in a love story that spans 52 years. It won the top prize in the 1993 Cannes International Film Festival and several other accolades in its time (Canby). The movie is vastly entertaining and enthralling. It is easy to get lost in the richness of the story – consider it a cultural achievement.
This is an epic that covers years 1925 through 1977 in Beijing (formerly Peking), China. It showcases ...

The mysterious growth of the Chinese economy today had diverse effects on the social well-being of the country. The economic growth in the country failed to portray equal social development among the citizens. This fantastic colossal growth of the economy has impacted negatively on the social lives of the people in the country. Through globalization, today cultural crashes and the need to embrace the changes continuously affect the national development in a country (Williams, 2008). In the case of China, a communist country is trying to adapt to the capitalist world to sustain its development. With the integration of ...

Good Bye, Lenin

“Everything begins with Marx, continues on with Lenin, and ends with the refrain, Welcome, Mr. Brezhnev”, says the classics of critical theory. How come socialist revolutions begin with bright slogans and promises of the emancipation of every social group but soon end up with Stasi, KGB, Gulags, economic stagnation and deep coma? Why does it need the Wall to be built to prevent the people not from the intervention but from escaping if, by theory, everything is made in sake of people’s happiness? The destinies of the characters of Good Bye Lenin movie (like many of people from ...

The Great Gatsby

Movies are often a reflection of the political and social changes that are occurring at the time of their creation. Movies typically reflect the views and attitudes of society and do so in a way that is dramatic and captivating. This holds true for The Great Gatsby, both during the time period in which it was written as well as during the 1970s when the motion picture was released. Written by F. Scotts Fitzgerald, the story takes place during the Roaring Twenties, a time in history many refer to as a period of great transformation and wealth. Following World ...

Introduction

Easy Rider is one of the hallmark films of Hollywood. It defines a cultural period as this important film established filmmaking styles and attitudes. Aside from its cinematography, it also launched a guerilla style of independent filmmaking with very controlled and smooth studio film cinematography. Principally, this film featured a very remarkable soundtrack. Easy Rider was one of the first films that used the popular music during that period. The film also featured musicians such as Steppenwolf, The Byrds and Jimi Hendrix. The rock and roll background gave a more enriched narration and storytelling. The musical pieces featured by the film also made ...

Seven Days in May

Some individuals are concerned about the increasing activity that is OccupyWallStreet. In our own town, there are even some individuals demonstrating here, and individuals are concerned, especially those in power and authority. Some that fear think that the individuals protesting have an issue with capitalism and how it performs. Some that fear think that the individuals protesting strategy on overthrowing government and changing it with socialism, or what they think is socialism. As a news reporter, the writer cannot say one way or the other- the writer can only notice and recommend a film to motivate further believed.
An American ...

The Butler based upon the true story Eugene Allen of a man who served eight American Presidents over the course of his employment as a butler in the White House. Over the course of 34 years working in the White House, the fictional Gaines and the real Allen served as eyewitness of the sweeping changes to civil rights law and attitudes. Some of Allen’s life events are fictionalized for the movie. The real Eugene Allen’s parents did not suffer the same abuses that Gaines’s did in the movie, however the fictional version uses these iconic events to portray ...

Journalism

The movie that I am reviewing is referred to as Forrest Gump. The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis and was released in 1994. Forrest Gump highlights the life events of a male individual who was born with a below average intellectual capacity and was still able to accomplish tremendous things in his lifetime. The main actor, Forrest is able to get a place in the school’s football team and the army despite experiencing challenges with his legs and using leg braces. In addition, he sets up the shrimp trade.
I chose to view the Forrest Gump because it highlights ...

The movie “Born under the Red Flag”, directed by Sue Williams, is a touching representation of China’s evolution after Mao Zedong’s ruling. The beginning of the movie briefly reflects a quarter of century under the oppressive governance of Mao’s dictatorship and his reforms that generated terror: Cultural Revolution or the “Sent - Down Youth”, to name a few. Besides generating terror, these reforms and the entire political program that Mao developed created a closed China, isolated by foreign relations and in tensioned and hostile relationships with United States.
Soon after Mao’s death, it was Deng Xiaoping who opened ...