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The 1979 Film Apocalypse Now

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The war that began in 1945 was a long, costly-armed conflict that rutted the communist regime of North Vietnam South Vietnam. The Vietnam War started after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in the north and continued during the backdrop of the Cold War. The struggle was fought over three decades, costing millions of lives (both Vietnamese and American) and causing vast amount of physical destruction in Indochina (Logevall, P. 281). During the height of the war more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the Vietnam conflict. Vietnam War provided support that the Cold War affected not only the two major superpowers, but also many third world countries. Countries far from the national borders and vital markets become points of intense superpower conflict. Historian, Michael Latham, discussed that polices …show more content…

In the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, the French woman says there are two sides to a soldier, one that loves, and one that kills. Kurtz is capable of the worst atrocities, beheading hundreds and ordering hangings, yet he is shown playing with children. Two sides to a soldier can be seen in Platoon as well, in the village of Lia Taylor yells at two Vietnamese people out of hiding then torments them. In that same scene Bunny starts to beat the kid who comes out of the hole and the camera flashes to Taylor and Barnes who show some remorse in their eyes. Taylor yells out later as men beat and harass more beat, “they are human” reminding everyone they aren’t animals, even though these men are treating them like animals by tying ropes around their necks. These men try to forget the Vietnamese aren’t human to make it easier to live with all the killing and destruction they have caused.

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