"Is that you John Wayne? Is this me?": myth and meaning in American representations of the Vietnam war

Newman, S.P. (2008) "Is that you John Wayne? Is this me?": myth and meaning in American representations of the Vietnam war. American Studies Today,

Abstract

John Wayne's portrayal of Sergeant John Stryker in the Sands of Iwo Jima became the defining image of the American hero in films of the Second World War. However, attempts by Hollywood to create a similar myth at the time of the Vietnam war foundered because the war experienced by young Americans in Vietnam differed so starkly from the 'Good War' of their fathers. Simon Newman explores the way in which the war was portrayed in films from the Green berets to the Rambo series reflected changing public perception of the war and American foreign policy.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Newman, Professor Simon
• Authors: Newman, S.P.
• Subjects: E History America > E151 United States (General); P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
• College/School: College of Arts > School of Humanities > History
• Journal Name: American Studies Today
• ISSN: 2044-8031
• ISSN (Online): 2044-804X
• Published Online: 01 April 2008