Like many others around the world, I just heard the tragic news regarding the loss of Robin Williams, who died today at the age of 63.
This is certainly saddening news, as several of Williams’ most well-known films came out during my childhood. He was a gifted actor and comedian, showcasing his abilities to both make people laugh and put on a gripping, dramatic performance.
Of Williams’ films, the ones I’ve enjoyed the most over the years (in no particular order) are Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Aladdin (1992), Jumanji (1995), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Flubber (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997) and Insomnia (2002).
I think about it and wonder if this is how people felt when Elvis died (or something along those lines), as Williams was an artist of my generation whose work I’ve admired for years.
I won’t say much more, other than it’s a sad day indeed for the arts, especially for comedic artists. He will certainly be missed and remembered.
On this day, 46 years ago, the Communist People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN), paired with the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam (Viet Cong), launched one of the Vietnam War’s largest military campaigns: the Tet Offensive.
The campaign received its name from the Vietnamese holiday Tết, Vietnamese New Year, which celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese lunisolar calendar. It was during this celebration when North Vietnamese forces and Viet Cong launched the first wave of attacks, despite the two-day cease fire called for New Year celebrations.
The initial attack took U.S. and South Vietnamese forces by surprise. PAVN and the Viet Cong led a coordinated assault on more than 100 cities and settlements across South Vietnam with the strength of at least 70,000 troops, in an effort to encourage rebellion in South Vietnam and demoralize the U.S. PAVN and the Viet Cong even brought the offensive to Saigon, with the Viet Cong seizing the U.S. Embassy in Saigon for several hours.
Black smoke over Saigon during the Tet Offensive
The offensive consisted of three phases throughout 1968. Phase I lasted from Jan. 30–March 28, II from May 5–June 15 and III from Aug. 17–Sept. 23.
Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a victory for the U.S., South Vietnam and their allies, and a disaster for PAVN and the Viet Cong. North Vietnam failed to control any captured areas or instill any uprising in South Vietnam. The PAVN and Viet Cong suffered an estimated 45,000 losses, and while the U.S. and South Vietnam suffered a fraction of their enemy’s casualties, the drop in morale was severe.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was shocked at the scale of the Tet Offensive, and the enemy’s ability to coordinate such an attack, while then Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara resigned.
One of the biggest blows to U.S. morale, as a result of the offensive, was public perception back home. TV news coverage, capturing the truth of what the U.S. was really facing, stunned families in their homes, and thus began wide public demand to withdraw and end the conflict.
“(North Vietnam and the Viet Cong) have demonstrated, despite all our reports of progress, of government strength and of enemy weakness, that half a million American soldiers with 700,000 Vietnamese allies, with total command of the air, total command of the sea, backed by the huge resources and the most modern weapons, that we are unable to secure even a single city from the attacks of an enemy whose total strength is about 250,000.” – Senator Robert Kennedy, Feb. 7, 1968
(Caution: Contains graphic content)
Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, films have been made to depict the horrors, politics and history of the conflict. I have seen a number of these films, but only two of them left a lasting impact.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
His first major venture after The Godfather Part II (1974), Francis Ford Coppola’s film about a classified mission in the Cambodian jungle during the Vietnam War does more than show audiences the ongoing conflict in Southeast Asia. Apocalypse Now paints a vivid picture of the fragility of one’s psyche.
Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now follows Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) on a mission through the jungle to assassinate rogue Special Forces Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando).
In the film’s 2 ½ hours, the audience is taken into combat alongside the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, led by Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall), through the remote jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia via the fictional Nung River, and into a village and temple flooded with Montagnard warriors led by the insane Kurtz.
I first learned of this film at the age of 7, but never saw it until I was 19. Before seeing Apocalypse Now, my perception was that the film focused solely on combat and the Vietnam War itself. I couldn’t have been more wrong or surprised at my first viewing.
My current impression is that Apocalypse Now, despite its edginess and obscurity, is more than a war film; Coppola aims to depict the mental consequences of war. Sheen’s first scene alone shows this. We see a man broken by combat and “non-existent” operations thrown back into the mess of things because despite being broken, war is his element. And as if the imagery of the film weren’t enough, Sheen’s chilling narration ensures the viewer keeps pace with the plot.
In regard to the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now depicts the arrogance of U.S. troops during the conflict, the heavy use of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) military helicopter, the unpredictable nature of the territory and youth of U.S. combatants.
The 2006 Complete Dossier release presents Apocalypse Now in two acts, which are polar opposites in terms of disturbing content as far as I’m concerned.
In watching Act I, one takes in the initiation of a secret mission, combat and the socializing of soldiers. Act II paints an entirely different picture, leaving viewers asking “What the hell?” most of the time. I’d be lying if I said from the moment Willard enters Kurtz’s camp to the end credits my head wasn’t tilted to the side with a confused squint of my eyes. It’s not for the average moviegoer, and if the average moviegoer dwells in repeat viewings, it would probably outlast whatever tolerance they have.
That being said, I very much admire Apocalypse Now as a film. It’s certainly unique in its portrayal of the Vietnam War, in comparison to other such films. It stands as one of Coppola’s finest works next to The Godfather series, and one of the most impactful American films in cinematic history.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
The second film is more on the lines of what we think when we hear “war film.”
Based on the book We Were Soldiers Once … And Young, written by retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, Randall Wallace’s film presents a dramatized version of the Battle of Ia Drang.
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the U.S. Army and the People’s Army of Vietnam; essentially the beginning of direct U.S. involvement in combat during the Vietnam War.
The battle took place from Nov. 14-18, 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley in South Vietnam.
As the film depicts, U.S. Army soldiers were sent on a search-and-destroy mission to find the enemy force behind the Siege of Plei Me. Facing both PAVN and Viet Cong forces, the U.S. 7th and 5th Cavalry Regiments were assisted by air support via Hueys and B-52 bombers. The battle ended with approximately 1,000 U.S. casualties and approximately 2,000 PAVN/VC casualties, and an inconclusive victor. The Battle of Ia Drang symbolized a long road of combat and political distress that wouldn’t end for another 10 years.
Bruce P. Crandall’s UH-1 Huey helicopter and U.S. Air Cavalrymen under fire during the Battle of Ia Drang
We Were Soldiers, like Apocalypse Now, depicts the youth and innocence of many U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War, as well as the overconfidence of U.S. combatants. In many ways, We Were Soldiers bears similarity to the dramatized combat seen in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) and HBO’s Band of Brothers (2001). I sometimes think of We Were Soldiers as the Vietnam-version of Saving Private Ryan, while remembering the former tells a completely different type of story, despite the war setting.
The film is definitely heartbreaking to watch, with one of its deepest moments taking place after the battle, when Lt. Col. Moore (Mel Gibson) expresses never being able to forgive himself for his men dying while he lived. The highlight of the film, for me, is Moore’s speech, delivered prior to the regiment’s arrival in Vietnam.
“I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear before you and before Almighty God: That when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me God.” – Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore
Barry Pepper plays war-reporter Joseph Galloway, who enters the battle field to witness and tell the story of what took place in the Ia Drang valley. Another unforgettable moment, this one at the height of the battle, takes place between Galloway and Sgt. Maj. Basil L. Plumley (Sam Elliott). Plumley gives him a weapon, prompting Galloway to respond, “I’m a non-combatant, sir.” Plumley blatantly replies, “Ain’t no such thing today, boy.” This scene has always stuck out to me as a message that in battle, every person, no matter their reason for being there, has to watch the back of the person next to them because it’s the only way to survive.
As the Battle of Ia Drang occurred at an early stage of U.S. involvement in the war, proper casualty-notification teams were not established, resulting in the use of taxi cab drivers for delivery. Julia Compton Moore (Madeleine Stowe), Lt. Col. Moore’s wife, took the responsibility of delivering notification telegrams to fallen soldiers’ next of kin, solely consisting of widows in the film. Her complaints drove the Army to resolve the situation.
While We Were Soldiers isn’t 100% faithful to its literary counterpart, the film is still a fine piece of war-cinema. Both sides are treated fairly, more so than most war films depict at least, and the film in itselfis a memorable and outstanding depiction of leadership and teamwork. Its style and story bear a huge contrast from Apocalypse Now, but both films share the intent to preserve war and its consequences in our memories, and to ensure we always remember war’s true cost.
One of the panels of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial displaying names of fallen U.S. service members
Frame by Frame 