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