The lasting effects of the Vietnam War are as potent a part of pop culture in 2020 as the unfolding war was itself in the late 1960s. Though the war has been over for 45 years, its particularly poignant impact on film and television might have something to do with the fact that it was the first war to be fully televised. People from all over the world were able to tune in and not only see some of the shocking events taking place thousands of miles across the globe but also express their views about the war in new ways.
A litany of films were released in reaction to the Vietnam War both in the immediate years after it ended and while the war was still raging on—some films were even shot on location in close proximity to active battle zones. These films harbor differing sentiments toward the war itself, some choosing to focus more heavily on the…
