John Ford's They Were Expendable.
The United States has fought and is fighting a lot of wars since 1945 and this latest generation of soldier has seen a lot of desert action. There doesn't seem to be a lot of myth-making storytelling about our veterans of foreign wars in the last 20 years.
Vietnam was the last war that got the big, Hollywood treatment. We have been at war pretty consistently with this latest generation of unknown soldiers, fighting in battles that get little historical perspective back home.
Some times 'war movies' may seem corny, but our entertainment culture needs a way of healing, understanding and incorporating our soldiers back into American society after their service. Movies and television can bring us together as a people instead of separating us... because united we stand... divided we fall.
Yes, there were movies about Vietnam. But most of them were made after the war was over.
The desert war movie genre won't work until then, I fear.
Posted by: Comrade Misfit | June 02, 2011 at 11:39 AM