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Updates will be few and far between for a while. It isn’t that I have stopped watching films on a daily basis, it is that now they are of a decidedly homogeneous variety. I have been approved to write an honors thesis, something I am very excited about. It is about America’s cultural memory of Vietnam, which includes historical events, campaigns, memorials, books, comic books, music, and, of course, film. Therefore, since I was approved for this thesis about a week ago, I have only been watching Vietnam films – a genre I was already familiar with, one I will soon be very knowledgeable about. So, in an effort to keep this blog alive, I have decided to use my recent fixation as an entry. The first widely viewed Vietnam film was John Wayne’s 1968 The Green Berets . Filmed during the war, it has the feeling of a World War II movie more than a Vietnam movie – the Vietnamese are portrayed very similar to the Japanese in The Bridge Over the River Kwai , and John Wayne’s patriarchal figure ...

War films are a dime a dozen, so much so that even individual wars are now their own genre of film. There is a distinction between World War II films, Vietnam Films, the wars of old, and even fictional conflict. As a history major I am required to write a long essay for my degree and give a presentation, and mine will involve Vietnam films – I might dedicate a whole entry to that later. I am a big fan of the war genre, and could probably turn this entry into a top ten list if I really wanted to. My favorites are the ones with the best photography of the wars – All Quiet on the Western Front, Paths of Glory, and The Thin Red Line. These films instill the fear and despair in the audience that is felt by the soldiers during battle. As a student of history, I am also a big fan of war films that recount stories, such as Joyeaux Noel, Downfall, and Gallipoli. Although dramatized, they offer a bit of insight into the events in a way that differs from a primary source. Thirdly, I love war f...