Were the movies produced during the Vietnam War good sources of history?
They were and are only if you happen to share the political worldview of the writers and directors who created them. Look at films that were produced pretty close to when the conflict was still going on, like THE GREEN BERETS, one of the most racist and xenophobic movies ever produced about the conflict – and of course it starred John Wayne. Then look at a film produced years later, like Brian de Palma’s CASUALTIES OF WAR, which weighs in on the far opposite end of the spectrum. The passage of time and a change in our perspective gives us a totally different view.
