Vietnam Veteran Films

by Mark x Walker

Overview

This book examines the change in the narrative film image of the returned Vietnam veteran over time, from its initial appearance in the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Vietnam veterans have appeared as characters in dozens of narrative feature films, from Billy Jack to Wild at Heart. These films are the primary resources of this study, and the book contains both a filmography of these films and a filmography of films set in Vietnam during the conflict (together by far the most comprehensive the author is aware of), as well as a bibliography of the period under examination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810824751
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/1991
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mark Walker (PhD, radio/television/film, Northwestern University) is a freelance writer and teacher living in the suburbs of Washington DC. He is co-author, with Stuart M. Kaminsky, of Writing for Television (1988) and author of several articles about film.

What People are Saying About This

S. Wodhouse

...layout is a model of clarity...a useful edition [sic] to the music librarian's reference shelves.

Editorial Reviews

...a good reference guide...imparts a passing sense of the war's peculiar and long-standing hold on the American imagination.

Choice Reviews

...layout is a model of clarity...a useful edition [sic] to the music librarian's reference shelves.

S. Wodhouse

...a useful reference tool for most libraries.

American Reference Books Annual

...a wonderfully complete filmography...

Film Quarterly

...informative and intelligent.

Classic Images

...a useful reference tool for most libraries.

American Reference Books Annual (ARBA)

...a good reference guide...imparts a passing sense of the war's peculiar and long-standing hold on the American imagination.

Choice

...a good reference guide...imparts a passing sense of the war's peculiar and long-standing hold on the American imagination.

CHOICE

The varied portrayals of Vietnam veterans (called ``Vietvets'') are examined here, from Stallone's Rambo, ``the most popular Vietvet character in American film history,'' to characters whose Vietvetness is underplayed, like Robert De Niro's in Taxi Driver (1976). Familiar common themes are explored, including veterans' psychological maladjustment, substance abuse, and the inadequate support systems encountered upon their return to the United States. Organized according to film genre (biker films, police films, comedy films, etc.), the analyses are accessible, but somewhat lacking in significant insights. Though more general, still superior are Gilbert Adair's Vietnam on Film: From ``The Green Berets'' to ``Apocalypse Now'' ( LJ 6/15/81) and the anthology From Hanoi to Hollywood: The Vietnam War in American Film ( LJ 2/15/91). Recommended for large subject collections.-- Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno

Library Journal

Examines the change in the narrative filmic image of the returned Vietnam veteran over time, from its initial appearance in the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. The book contains both a filmography of these films and a filmography of films set in Vietnam during the conflict as well as a bibliography for the period under examination. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews