Healing Screens? The Vietnam War in Films, Memorials, and on the Internet
Carsten Hummel
Center for U.S. Studies, Leucorea Foundation Wittenberg
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Screen
a surface that is projected upon
an object that hides something from view
shelters or protects
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The Wound
13
62
17
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
%
Not Worth Fighting and Loss
of Life Involved
Worth Fighting and Loss of Life
Involved
Not Sure
Vietnam War
Source: The Harris Poll, October 2004
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The Wound
14
6
80
0 20 40 60 80 100
%
Not Worth Fighting and Loss
of Life Involved
Worth Fighting and Loss of Life
Involved
Not Sure
World War II
Source: The Harris Poll, October 2004
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The Wound
31
32
37
28 30 32 34 36 38
%
Not Worth Fighting and Loss
of Life Involved
Worth Fighting and Loss of Life
Involved
Not Sure
Korean War
Source: The Harris Poll, October 2004
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Films about the War
Narratives of popular films become part of the cultural memory.
Provide an “experience” of what this war was like
Reflect the desire to construct a particular set of historicalnarratives
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Wartime – late 1970s
The Green Berets (John Wayne, Ray Kellog, 1968)
Getting Straight (Richard Rush, 1970)
The Strawberry Statement (Stuart Hagman, 1970)
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Wartime – late 1970s
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Late 1970s
Coming Home (Hal Ashby, 1978)
Who‘ll Stop the Rain? (Karel Reisz, 1978)
Go Tell the Spartans (Ted Post, 1978)
The Boys in Company C (Sidney Furie, 1978)
The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino,1978)
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
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Late 1970s
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Early 1980s
Rambo: First Blood (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
Missing in Action (Joseph Zito, 1984)
Missing in Action 2 (Lance Hool, 1985)
Rambo: First Blood, Part II (George Cosmatos, 1985)
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Early 1980s
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Late 1980s – 1990s
Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986)
Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)
Hamburger Hill (John Irvin, 1987)
Casualties of War (Brian DePalma1985)
Born on the Fourth of July (Oliver Stone, 1989)
Heaven and Earth (Oliver Stone, 1993)
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Late 1980s – 1990s
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Late 1980s – 1990s
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Late 1980s – 1990s
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Late 1980s – 1990s
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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Washington Monument,Washington, D.C.
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Lincoln Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.
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World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.
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World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.
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The Three Servicemen, Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Washington, D.C.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial,Washington, D.C.
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www.virtualwall.org
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www.virtualwall.org
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www.virtualwall.org
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Thank you!
http://www.zusas.de