We Were Soldiers Analysis
Scott Johnson
04/14/09
HIST. 1700
Term Project
Film Analysis/Review
WE WERE SOLDIERS
It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, “We Were Soldiers” focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Hal Moore commanded the 7th Calvary Regiment that landed a helicopter in an area named “X-Ray” located in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. LT. Col. Moore found himself and his men defending an area no bigger than the size of a football field surrounded by an overwhelming North Vietnamese army. For the most part, this movie portrays a factual and historical account of this battle; however, some parts of the movie were not found to be historically accurate.
In the film “We Were soldiers”, the images were one of the most important keys in conveying the historical truth of the Battle of Ia Drang. Many photographs taken during the actual battle by Joseph Galloway allowed Hollywood to visualize and recreate the battle scenes. These photographs reflected the pain and anguish of the soldiers; the bloodiness of the battle; and the landscape and vegetation of the area. The movie used graphic images to show how the American troops were outnumbered 395 to 4,000 North Vietnam soldiers and how they were fighting within feet of the each other. The film also showed some of Mr. Galloway’s black and white photographs of the actual battlefield. The black and white images of soldiers dying during combat help portray the actual events of the battle. I felt a deeper understanding of the pain and suffering of those soldiers and what they had to do to survive. In addition, many Hollywood war movies portray the main character as much more of a
04/14/09
HIST. 1700
Term Project
Film Analysis/Review
WE WERE SOLDIERS
It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, “We Were Soldiers” focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Hal Moore commanded the 7th Calvary Regiment that landed a helicopter in an area named “X-Ray” located in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. LT. Col. Moore found himself and his men defending an area no bigger than the size of a football field surrounded by an overwhelming North Vietnamese army. For the most part, this movie portrays a factual and historical account of this battle; however, some parts of the movie were not found to be historically accurate.
In the film “We Were soldiers”, the images were one of the most important keys in conveying the historical truth of the Battle of Ia Drang. Many photographs taken during the actual battle by Joseph Galloway allowed Hollywood to visualize and recreate the battle scenes. These photographs reflected the pain and anguish of the soldiers; the bloodiness of the battle; and the landscape and vegetation of the area. The movie used graphic images to show how the American troops were outnumbered 395 to 4,000 North Vietnam soldiers and how they were fighting within feet of the each other. The film also showed some of Mr. Galloway’s black and white photographs of the actual battlefield. The black and white images of soldiers dying during combat help portray the actual events of the battle. I felt a deeper understanding of the pain and suffering of those soldiers and what they had to do to survive. In addition, many Hollywood war movies portray the main character as much more of a
References: Harvey, Fred, 2002. “We Were Soldiers.” The History Place website: http://www.historyplace.com/specials/reviews/were-soldiers.htm Isserman, Maurice, 2002. “Hollywood: We Were Soldiers Once… But in Which War.” History News Network website: http://hnn.us/articles/638.html Isserman, Maurice, 2002. “We Were Soldiers Once… But Hollywood Isn’t Sure In Which War.” History Matters website: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6579 Moore, Harold and Galloway, Joseph, 1992. “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young: Ia Drang – The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam.” Random House Publishing Group, October 20. Nix, 2002. “We Were Soldiers (2002) Movie Review.” Beyond Hollywood.com website: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/we-were-soldiers-2002-movie-review/ Owen, Gary, 2005. “We Were Soldiers.” Epionions website: http://www99.epinions.com/review/mvie_mu-1112647/content_192010555012