vietnam and platoon question

2. The film Platoon was made in 1986.

3. There was only a few times were the Vietnamese people were shown on screen. The Viet Kong, were personified as humans with no identities. Their faces and bodies were always covered and were referred to by the Americans as Gooks. They were depicted as violent creatures who; were manipulative and sneaky. This was demonstrated by their ability to defeat so many Americans quietly and operatively. In the movie Platoon, The Viet Kong operated from secret bases in the jungle or marshes near the boarder of Cambodia. They played a significant role in the movie as they demonstrated the guerrilla tactics and warfare that was happening between the two camps. The other Vietnamese people that were illustrated in the movie were the village people. Like the Viet Kong, these people had no identities and were also referred to as Gooks. Like in Vietnam, Platoon showed the American soldiers destroying villages, food being stolen, relatives being murdered and beaten, etc. These people did play a significant role in the movie, Platoon, as they demonstrated how society functioned throughout the war. Although, they were only shown in one scene, Ol

7. The group of people this film omits is the Australian’s, British and New Zealanders that helped the American’s fight the Vietnam War. They demonstrated throughout this period a sense of leadership and alliance alongside the US soldiers. The movie also failed to illustrate the hippies that fought in the war. Although, they were all for peace and love, conscription forced them to fight for their country. Issues that were absent were the protests taking place for example, the Buddhists protesting against new laws, set by Diem’s ‘catholic’ regime. Hippies protesting for peace and the censorship of people’s opinions back in the United States. The movie also failed to explain how the war began? How the Americans become involved in Indochina war? Why did America make out to its people that North Vietnam was the first to set off heavy artillery?

5. The film, Platoon, Begins with Chris Taylor’s (Charlie Sheen) arrival in Viet Nam. The first thing he sees is rows of bodies being readied for shipment back to the U.S. With this being the first scene the narrator (Charlie Sheen) should have begun by introducing the Vietnam War and how the feud between communism and capitalism begun with the “independence” of Vietnam. Instead he replayed what his expectations were of the next few months. The enemy were North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong but you rarely viewed them except as shadowy figures in the jungle or momentarily illuminated by the light of a flare. There were no defined battle lines and the combat scenes lead you to believe that the enemy was everywhere. The line between good and evil was blurred or non-existent in this film. Sergeant Elias was portrayed as a caring, intelligent leader who escapes reality through the use of drugs. His nemesis, Sergeant Barnes, was portrayed as an efficient fighting machine who, will stop at nothing to get the job done. You soon realize that he, too, is just doing everything to ensure his own survival. These characters represented men of the 1950’s and 60’s. The Nature of the war would later be described as original and ingenious. Both the American and Vietnamese Soldiers used guerrilla tactics to win the war, which at times was demonstrated in the movie. The Environment in which the war was fought was shown on numerous occasions. Although, in the war itself the jungle was much thicker and diseases were transpiring more than in the film. Over all, this movie described an American’s view of what took place throughout the Vietnam War.

4. Platoon, is an American opinion of what took place during the Vietnam War, hence, why the American soldiers were depicted as courageous warriors. There is a difference between how the American Soldiers and the Vietnamese soldiers were depicted and how realistic the representations of both camps were demonstrated. I felt the American’s were portrayed as both good and evil. Which gave good substance for a war movie. During the Vietnam War, the American soldiers were heartless and courageous; they killed or died for their country

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