The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam: Changing Visions in Politics and on Screen [Paperback]

Gordon Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0786427612 | ISBN-13: 978-0786427611

The fall of Saigon in 1975 signaled the end of America’s longest war. Yet in many ways the conflict was far from over. Although the actual fighting ended, the struggle to find political justification and historical vindication for the Vietnam War still lingered in American consciousness. A plethora of images from America’s first "televised war" has kept the conflict all too fresh in the memories of those who lived through it, while creating a confusing picture for a younger generation. The political process of attaching meaning to historical events has ultimately failed due to the lack of consensus—then and now—regarding events surrounding the Vietnam War.

Reviewing the record of American politics, film, and television, this volume provides a brief overview of the war’s appearance in American popular culture. It examines the ways in which this conflict has consistently resurfaced in social and political life, especially in the arena of contemporary world events such as the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan, the Gulf War and the 2004 presidential campaign. To this end, the work explores the contexts and uses of the Vietnam War as a recurring subject. The circumstances and symbolism used in the rhetoric of the political elite and the news media, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, and Newsweek, are discussed. Emphasis is also placed on the role of film and television as the book examines movies such as The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now and TV series such as M*A*S*H. In weaving together the political and screen appearances of the Vietnam War, the book reexamines the influence of a major episode in American history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gordon Arnold writes about film and society. He is Professor of Liberal Arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (July 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786427612
• ISBN-13: 978-0786427611
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,488,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon B. Arnold, Ph.D., is the author of "Conspiracy Theory in Film, Television, and Politics" (Praeger 2008), "The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam" (McFarland 2006), and "The Politics of Faculty Unionization" (Bergin & Garvey, 2000).

A writer and speaker on the topics of media, film, television, and society, he is also Professor of Liberal Arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well researched and clearly written book that helps one see and percieve, reflect and ponder, September 20, 2006

By 

Lawrence McAuliffe (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam: Changing Visions in Politics and on Screen (Paperback)

Gordon Arnold, Professor of Liberal Arts at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts in his book 'THE AFTERLIFE OF AMERICA'S WAR IN VIETNAM: Changing Vision In Politics And On Screen' traces the development of how this complex and confusing war was portrayed in films, television, books, and politics since the final denouement in April of 1975 after 12 long years of conflict that tore our nation apart.

As he states, "Even as the generation that fought the war (and opposed it) recedes into their (so called) golden years, the war remains an emotionally charged topic. Eventually new larger scale events are likely to push the Vietnam conflict into a less visible place in the national consciouness. By the time that may happen, however, the Vietnam War (and its 'Afterlife') will have helped shape events that extended far beyond its time."

Professor Arnold in this book with his fine concise writing focuses our attention on how the conflict has been presented since 1975, often it seems warped and manipulated for a particular purpose in politics, on television, or simply to explain a limited viewpoint in books, or mainly for entertainment emphasis in film.

What I gained from 'The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam' is how certain attitudes that evolved in our country out of the aftermath of the conflict, have contributed (rightly or wrongly according to a viewpoint) to the present situation our nation finds itself engaged in, forcing probing questions that will certainly surface in the 2008 presidential primary and election: WHAT ARE WE AS A NATION, WHO ARE WE AS A PEOPLE, WHERE ARE WE GOING, AND WHY? As a disabled Vietnam veteran I find these questions most important.

'The Afterlife of America's War in Vietnam' has helped me to see these issues more clearly and challenged me to ponder them. It is a worthy read. Not only for students, but also for people of all ages.