Platoon (film)
"Platoon" is a 1986 American war film directed and written by Oliver Stone, who drew from his own experiences as a combat veteran in Vietnam. The film offers a nuanced portrayal of the Vietnam War, deviating from earlier cinematic representations that often depicted the conflict's moral failings or the psychological traumas faced by returning veterans. Stone's narrative focuses on the experiences of a platoon of young American soldiers, emphasizing their youth and vulnerability in a complex and often brutal environment. The film's themes explore the moral ambiguities of war, particularly through the protagonist's conflict between two sergeants who represent contrasting influences.
"Platoon" was critically acclaimed, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and became a pivotal work that resonated deeply with both audiences and Vietnam veterans. Many veterans found solace in the film, as it allowed them to express their experiences and emotions surrounding the war without stigma. The film played a significant role in reshaping American perceptions of Vietnam veterans, helping to facilitate a broader national healing process following the divisive conflict. It stands as a landmark in American cinema for its heartfelt exploration of the human cost of war and the sacrifices made by soldiers.
Platoon (film)
Identification American film
Director Oliver Stone
Date Released December 19, 1986
Platoon was the breakout film of director Oliver Stone, who went on to make several of the most famous and controversial films of the next few decades. The film chronicled an American soldier’s experiences in Vietnam in 1968. It resulted in a wider appreciation for the grunts of Vietnam, if not for the war itself.
Key Figures
Oliver Stone (1946- ), film director
Until Platoon (1986) was released, American films about the Vietnam War usually focused either upon the wrongness of the war, upon the atrocities of the war, or upon the psychological devastation wrought upon veterans who returned from the war. Routinely castigated by popular culture representations, few veterans felt free to discuss openly their experiences or to exorcise their own personal demons. Two things made Platoon not only possible but also necessary: the rebirth of American national pride and the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
For a decade following the end of American involvement in Vietnam, the United States appeared to suffer from what pundits referred to as “Vietnam syndrome,” a hesitance to become embroiled in major hostilities, lest earlier mistakes be repeated. The Iranian hostage crisis (1978-1981) and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) showed a United States incapable of effective response. Ronald Reagan won the 1980 presidential election in part through his platform of renewed American pride and a promise to roll back Soviet adventurism. Meanwhile, without any federal money, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund raised $8.2 million to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated in 1982. A new appreciation for the military, an awareness of the sacrifice made by so many young Americans, and a growing realization of the unrecognized service of American veterans meant that the time was right for a reinterpretation of the image of the American soldier who served in Vietnam.
Oliver Stone had enlisted in the military and had seen extensive combat in Vietnam in 1968. He both wrote and directed Platoon in order to reinterpret the war for American audiences. The film’s story itself is not unusual: A platoon patrols, a village is demolished, a firefight erupts, and soldiers die in the jungle. What made Platoon important was Stone’s assertion throughout that these were ordinary American kids inserted into a situation for which they were ill-prepared. If they survived, they were changed—but they were still Americans doing a job that their country ordered them to do. Stone intentionally mixed this literal message with a more thematic presentation, as the protagonist of the film finds himself caught between two sergeants, who come to symbolize a good father and a bad father as the narrative progresses. Platoon was the film of the year in 1986; at the annual ceremony in 1987, it won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
Impact
It was not uncommon to find Vietnam veterans weeping at the conclusion of a viewing of Platoon. More important, it was common to find them comforted by those in attendance who had simply not known what combat troops in Vietnam had experienced. Platoon allowed Vietnam veterans to articulate their feelings without remorse or fear of being called “baby killers,” and it portrayed the horrible complexities of a war in which one could be murdered by one’s fellow soldiers, as well as by the enemy. In some ways, Platoon might be considered one of the most important salves that allowed Americans to heal after one of their most divisive wars. In 1987, hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans came together to parade through Houston, Texas, finally staging the welcome-home parade they had never received on their return from combat.
Bibliography
Appy, Christian G. Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
Lavington, Stephen. Oliver Stone. London: Virgin, 2004.
Stone, Oliver, and Charles L. P. Silet. Oliver Stone: Interviews . Oxford: University Press of Mississippi, 2001.
Toplin, Robert Brent. Oliver Stone’s USA: Film, History, and Controversy. New ed. Topeka: University Press of Kansas, 2003.