The Green Berets Analysis

Introduction: Which film? When asked to “name the film” based off of the following description: a commercially successful American production about the Vietnam War; based (loosely) on a book; prominently featuring a popular song, and directed by an Academy Award winner, the average moviegoer may be surprised to learn that two films would actually fit the bill. The first is the extremely well-known Apocalypse Now , which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (then credited as Francis Coppola) and released in 1979. The other is (these days) a lesser-known film called The Green Berets, which was co-directed by John Wayne and released in 1968, making it one of the only American films to be released during the United States’ actual military involvement in the conflict. Despite these ostensible similarities, the two films could not be more different. This is true not only regarding the final products themselves, but everything from the motivation of the filmmakers to the production of the films and …show more content…
In The Green Berets, Sgt. Petersen is one of the men on Kirby’s team who was originally recruited by Kirby due to his skill in stealing supplies from Kirby’s depot. Once over in Vietnam, Petersen befriends a young Vietnamese war orphan named Hamchuck who lives on the base. He becomes Hamchuck’s guardian, helping to protect him during a siege on the base. Towards the end of the film, Petersen is killed on a separate mission and when the helicopters return home without him, Hamchuck is seen crying and running from chopper to chopper searching for his friend who is now gone. The message is clear, the American soldier is the benevolent rescuer and defender of the people and the Vietnamese depend on his presence and cherish his role as protector and