Full Metal Jacket: The Patriotic Genre in the 1898 Release of Tearing Down the Flag

The 1898 release of Tearing down the Flag signifies the one time in American history when Hollywood enters into battle. War, especially in our modern day society, has become one of the most sought out film genres for producers to portray. Our nation is obsessed with war, which makes this genre a huge moneymaker. Throughout the recent years, we have seen a shift in emotion in the film industry. Sometimes we see the action from a third person perspective, but more recently, the audience is brought right to the front lines.

Every film, no matter which war it is attempting to display, shows the emotions and attitudes that the community possess at the time. War films portray military conflicts throughout the 19, 20* and 21″ centuries. These films serve to show portrayals of combat, stories of heroism, and patriotism. The war genre is defined as a group of films that serve to reenact the actualities of war; on and off of the battlefield.

While Tearing down the Flag is the first film to ever reach the cinema, the movie that truly brings in crowds is The Birth of a Nation.

Basing upon the bloody battle between the North and South, The Birth of a Nation is “Brilliant but sinister, to be viewed with care” (Lehr). This film struggles to stay neutral mostly due to its director D.W. Griffith, who portrays the southern regime and The Ku Klux Klan as American heroes. This movie, however, effectively impresses its audience, and so begins the nation’s fascination with the patriotism that war brings to the cinema.

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Through lengthy, and violent battle scenes, people begin to realize the importance of the war that is currently terrorizing the country. The Birth of a Nation fascinates people with the idea of war film and introduces an interest into later conflicts.

Films basing on the Civil War create interest in the war movie genre. While World War I films are not as popular as World War II films, many are created that add to World War I and its patina. Due to the war that is still in motion, most films during the 1930’s are used as propaganda for the war effort. One exception, however, took the genre back out of its rut. All Quiet on the Western Front is considered the most realistic war film in the early years of this genre. “Now and again songs are heard, genuine melody that comes from the soldiers… but when the big guns begin to boom there are further terrors for the soldiers” (Hall). All Quiet on the Western Front introduces the reality behind the bloody violence in the war as it did not serve as a piece of propaganda. The movie creates an unforgettable depiction of war that the audience remembers forever. Apart from film propaganda and the occasional audience thriller, World War I films are “portrayed by the public as anti-war themed” (Siegel 446).

World War I is the primary cause of war films’ decline. Due to the increase in isolationism, Hollywood made fewer films during the 1930’s. It was not until World War II started that films began to pick up again. In fact, more films have been made about World War II than about any other armed hostility in American history. World War II’s popularity with the nation stems from its large role in the political struggle against the Nazi’s. Many films created during the war brought in a lot of money. One of those movies, Casablanca, is a mixture of romance, and war. It shows the relationship between the hardships of war and the benefits of love. Other movies such as The Great Dictator and A Yank in the R.A.F. serve as important films that show two different perspectives on the war. The Great Dictator presents the war from the point of view of a poor Jewish barber who is avoiding persecution. Charlie Chaplin stars in this film and successfully demonstrates how war is not solely about the conflict itself, but of the innocent involved. A Yank in the R.A.F presents the war from the perspective of an American pilot who gets a job flying bombers to England. This movie brings the audience closer to the actualities of war, and it serves as an opportunity for the public to get a general sense of a soldier’s life. More recently, a film by the name of Saving Private Ryan captures the hearts and minds of people everywhere. Of all war films ever created, its story is entirely unique. Directed by Stephen Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan truly shows how war is not just about violence, but about family and the importance of brotherhood. This movie exposes the audience to multiple bloody and difficult-to-view images. More importantly, this film helps people remember what our purpose in war truly is.

“Patriotism runs rampant and heroism deep in every leading role” (Siegel 445). This quote describes the main ideas behind the genre of war film. World War II gives directors the opportunity to promote both self-sacrifice and national support. War films, especially in the 1940’s bring people together; they honor the fighting men overseas and give people a sense of hope. After the war though, it was time for another break. War films went on the decline during the decade of the 1950’s. The declines in 1930 and 1950 are for two completely different reasons. The 1930’s decline signifies a time in war genre where people, for the most part, no longer took interest in war film whereas, the 1950’s decline is a time where people needed time to recover from the destruction of war. World War II hit the United States at its core.

After a decade of decline in war films, the 1960’s serve as a revival to the Hollywood film industry. The year 1962 introduces a film known as The Longest Day which “recalled the Allied invasion of Normandy beach in exacting detail and received a satisfactory welcome at the box office” (Toplin 159). Other films like Beach Red and The Hill show parts of war that many people were not familiar with. North African imprisonment, brutal punishment, and freedom are all themes of The Hill, which demonstrate the heroism of American soldiers. The year 1970 is also a great time in war movies. However, these movies cause some controversy due to the nationwide disagreement over the Vietnam War. The great American hero during the time was General George Patton. People follow his beliefs because he is not afraid of having a different viewpoint. Patton, the film, is so successful in gaining people’s support that a large majority of people began to realize their disagreement with the conflict in Vietnam. While the war did not have support by the American people, the war film industry did not decline during the time. One film, in fact, brought people flocking to the theatre: Full Metal Jacket. While the film itself tends to change plots suddenly, people seem to enjoy seeing what life is like at boot camp in the early stages of war. Full Metal Jacket seems to be a comedy at first, but later introduces an emotional theme about the psychology of a soldier. War can change a man. Full Metal Jacket is full of climactic plot twists and justified humor. This film serves as a glance into the reality of the Vietnam War and slowly teaches the audience of the soldier’s attitudes towards the conflict. Sharon D. Downey describes the Vietnam soldier as a “would-be but fallen hero whose quest for honor in a failed war was not to be realized” (115).

The 1980’s brought an assortment of different war films. Platoon, Red Dawn, Good Morning Vietnam, and Top Gun are some of the popular films released in the early-to-late 1980’s. Platoon is considered the most popular war film of this era for multiple reasons. “[Platoon] is possibly the best work of any kind about the Vietnam War since Michael Herr’s vigorous and hallucinatory book Dispatches” (Canby). Platoon tells the story of the harsh environment that soldiers deal with. From the dense and muggy forestry of the Vietnamese jungle, Platoon successfully depicts the theme of fear in this tragically intense war film.

War films continue to flock our theatres today. American Sniper, Blackhawk Down, and Pearl Harbor are all different films that take us onto the battle field. War genre films are great and impressionable of their ability to accurately depict war realistically. Through intense battle scenes, dramatic romances, and patriotic rescue missions, war films serve the purpose to educate the audience on the importance of war. While the audience learns something new from each and every war film, one message is shown throughout them all. War films show the heroism and patriotism of the men and women involved. On and off the battle field, these films accurately depict the actualities and realistic characteristics of war.