Lesson Suggestions

Using the Green Berets

1. Propaganda
2. Pro involvement in Vietnam
3. Compare to anti war messages in other films
4. Discuss Ballad of the Green Berets and compare to other music from the war.

Using Apocalypse Now

1. Watch after reading Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"
2. Use when discussing imperialism.

Using Platoon

1. Compare combat scenes to primary source descriptions of combat.
2. Show after reading Fallen Angels or Fields offire
3. Use when teaching about Mai Lai
4. Discussion of methods of Barnes and Elias: Kfil'em all vs. win hearts
and minds.

Using Full Metal Jacket

1. Opening sequence in a psychology class
2. Anti war message
3. Film class on Kubrick
4. Use with novel Shortimers
5. Discussing Tet Offensive
6. Battle of Hue
7. Loss of individual identity

Using Born on the Fourth of July

1. Show after reading actual book.
2. Compare differences in movie to memoir.
3. Show the home front both before and after the Vietnam War.
4. Treatment of Veterans
5. Issues involving the disabled

Using Casualties of War

1. Ethical issues
2. Compare to actual story
3. Discuss when talking about war crimes

Using Heaven and Earth

To show Vietnamese perspective
2. To show history both before and after American war.
3. Use with actual memoirs
4. Compare memoirs to film
5. Vietnamese immigrants in America

Using Forrest Gump

1. Good short combat scene.
2. Monsoons
3. America before and after the war.
4. Anti war movement
5. Veterans issues

Using Three Seasons

1. Contemporary Vietnam
2. Economic changes in Vietnam
3. Veterans issues