Historical Events Portrayed During War Films - 1380 Words

Historians do not agree with historical events portrayed in war films because films don’t always portray the facts. For this reason, historians might discredit the film but it’s not Hollywood’s job to inform or tell the truth. Hollywood is the business of entertainment that fulfills the fantasies that people want to see. Through films the audience gets the feelings and understanding of a historical time period, plus satisfaction of entertainment. The director’s give their point of view mixed with drama and understanding of the account of history. Even though feature films aren’t all facts, they should still be credited because they portray the emotions of a historical time period. Oliver stone was an American film director who also served†¦show more content†¦The combat felt as real as it could be. Many war veterans thought they can relate to Platoon as it showed wars brutality and carnage. Which resembled most of the realities of the being in the Vietnam War. For example, in one of the scenes of Platoon American soldiers stormed a civilian population Vietnamese village and burned it to the ground. Charlie Sheen, who resembled as Stones cinematic image, tormented a Vietnamese civilian by shooting at his feet and telling him to dance. After that, one of the characters named bunny brutally murdered the farmer with his butt stock of his rifle. The brains of the victim started pouring out of his crushed skull. American soldiers were interrogating and slaughtering the inhabitants like barbarians, some even tried raping a peasant girl. This scene â€Å"we see unfolding before us is My Lai†¦in the making†¦a context that closely mirrored the Vietnam experience of many American GIs (Davidson Lytle p443).† In reality this event was marked as the â€Å"My Lai massacreâ €  in which many women and innocent infants were killed by the US army soldiers of â€Å"Charlie Company†. Although, the scene is altered and does not show what exactly happened at My Lai, its Stones version and point of view of how the event at My Lai happened. It should not be discredited because it still gives an understanding and account of history to the viewers. Similar to the Platoon another war film named â€Å"Saving Private Ryan† by Steven Spielberg