European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Battles on the big screen Hollywood Slove affair with War by Dolores Barclay associated press in 1914. Do Griffith s the birth of the nation Jave moviegoers the earliest clue of Hollywood infatuation with War the silent classic demonstrated How Battles could be shown with breathtaking reality president Woodrow Wilson called it history written in lightning " since then. American filmmakers have been ambivalent about the subject of War. Seduced by the storytelling potential of Battle and strife but torn by the bloodshed and inhumanity during world wars i and ii. Filmmakers were largely patriotic glowing in american victories and heroism but the  and Vietnam wars were Rifle rent few major Vietnam in vies were actuary made during the War mar a come in the 1ss3s  a d the up. U Anty of the cd  discouraged them another obstacle they said was television they could not pit their make believe against the blood and guts reality of the 6 o clock news the Vietnam War was difficult to get a handle on says Frank Mccarthy producer of Patton and Macarthur. There was none of the patriotism of previous  world War i inspired the big Parade one of the biggest grossing silent films of All and the Academy award winning All quiet on the Western front. It also produced such films As the Kaiser the beast of Berlin the spirit of 17 and the slacker starring such actresses As Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. Initially germans were seen As fiendish Swine in most world War i movies. It was not until the 1920s that filmmakers took a More realistic View of the War King Vidor s the big Parade tackled the horrors of War but also played on sentiment emerging As an Early anti War movie Oliver Stone resurrected anti Vietnam War sentiment with his 1986 award winning movie platoon right. Another was Lewis Milestone s All Ouicla on the Western front the Story of German youth who Volunteer Lor action on the Western f front Only to become disillusioned and die in 1957. Hollywood produced one of the most powerful anti War movies Ever made. Paths of glory. The Stanley Kubrick dim starring Kirk Douglas told of the court martial of three world War i soldiers Lor cowardice. World War ii produced scores of patriotic movies to support the War Effort arid enlistment there also were such epics following the War As the Bridge on the River kwai and from Here to eternity there were movies about heroes sergeant York and the fighting 59th and some movies looked like government made enlistment posters Wake Island. Bataan. Guadalcanal diary. 30 seconds Over Tokyo with Korea came television and Hollywood produced Only a Lew map movies on the conflict including the Bridges at Toko i 1s54 and pork chop a t959 about 50 Vietnam related movies have been made since 1964 when the first combat film. A yank in Vietnam was released most were Low budget and Many illuminated the counterculture the Green berets. John Wayne s hawkish movie grossed $9 7 million when it was released in 1968 it was 10 More years before major movies based on the War found an audience. The main reason people did t want to do those movies was because of sentiment said actor Chuck Norris whose missing in action movies have been hits. Now that sentiment has swayed Back i hate wars like Vietnam and Korea where we go in not to win. If you re in War you go to  the Oscar winning the Deer Hunter arrived in 1978, starring Robert Deniro and Christopher Walken. It grossed $27.5 million coming Home a moving anti War film starring Jane Fonda and Jon Voight. Came out that same year and grossed $13 4 million. The following year saw Francis Coppola s apocalypse now with its haunting images of Wasp like helicopters it grossed $37 9 million. Other Vietnam War movies did t appear until the 1980s in the end. The Vietnam War was considered a Blunder a mistake a terrible waste of Young men. That made it a difficult subject for  producer Robert Blumoff said Oliver Stone resurrected anti War sentiment and forced Many veterans to confront their nightmares with his poetic visions in platoon it was a Grunt s perspective of the War from a filmmaker who had been there. The movie won four oscars including Best picture. A More sardonic View was taken by Kubrick in full Metal jacket. Arid napalm seared the screen in hamburger Hill Coppola also returned with another Vietnam movie. Gardens of Stone but it lacked the critical and audience Success of apocalypse now. One of the most powerful anti War movies Ever made was the 1957 world War i classic paths of glory above starring Kirk Douglas. The Bridge on the River kwai Lefta 1957 world War ii movie starring Alec guinness supported the War Effort. Page 14 stars and stripes saturday be