Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 74

70 Popular Culture Review does not emphasize anti-war sentiments held by some soldiers. The only semblance of anti-war sentiments are expressed by Sergeant Elias. Elias, played by Willem DaFoe voices his skepticism about the purpose of U.S. military presence in Vietnam to Chris, and worries that the U.S. is losing the war. Born on the Fourth of July allows us to take another step toward exorcising the traumatic memories of Vietnam. Stone continues to use a soldier's perspective to tell his tale. We see the world through the eyes of an eager Marine recruit who, over time, is transformed to an angry, paraplegic anti-war protester. Born on the Fourth of July presents an alternative view of the political and social issues surrounding the Vietnam War. Critic Duane Byrge described the intensity of emotion that emanated from the screen as: ...screenwriters Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic probe unflinchingly into one man's tormented psyche, and by extension dig deeply into the country's constitution as well. It's a deep-cutting incision that splatters unsparingly in a barrage of unnerving scenes.^ This emotional assault may begin to lay to rest the ghost of Vietnam which has haunted the American psyche since the war ended. What makes Born on the Fourth of July unique in terms of the Vietnam film genre is its ability to depict the value transformation which many Vietnam veterans experienced. Prior to Born on the Fourth of July, most Vietnam films focused on the war itself and did not include the anti-war activism of veterans. By focusing attention on the anti-war efforts of Vietnam veterans. Stone portrayed the Vietnam veterans' rejection of the materialistic myth and their affirmation of moralism. The success of Born on the Fourth of July in reaching new heights in the Vietnam film genre is found in Stuart Klawans' review: ...th e film w ants to shout down the desentimentalization of the Vietnam War, the sweettalk about national healing, most all the current pieties about the war's veterans. This is perhaps the first 1-was-there picture (including Stone's own