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WAR FILMS

WAR FILMS. Gender Roles as Presented in WWII and Vietnam. DEFINITION of War Films. Films where a war functioned as a critical force to the characters’ and plots’ development Our Criteria for Selection: Oscar Awards Popularity. Uncle Sam and Aunt Rosie Heavy Recruiting Across Both Genders.

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WAR FILMS

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  1. WAR FILMS Gender Roles as Presented in WWII and Vietnam

  2. DEFINITION of War Films • Films where a war functioned as a critical force to the characters’ and plots’ development Our Criteria for Selection: • Oscar Awards • Popularity

  3. Uncle Sam and Aunt Rosie • Heavy Recruiting Across Both Genders (Rosie the Riveter) • Women Played Large Role Home and Abroad • Broke into Job Market • Sparked Civil and Women’s Rights Movements

  4. Films Made in 1940’s • Women as a Movie-going Audience • Propaganda • Women Role Model Characters

  5. Movies of WWII during the 60’s – 70’s • Plot Focused Totally on Strategy & Battle • Films of the Past 20 Years • Focused less on Strategy of Generals and more on Emotions of Lower-Ranked Individuals • Some have made Attempts to make the War more Real • Pearl Harbor • Female characters are catalysts for conflicts amongst the leading males

  6. Women in WWII Films • Seldom Featured • When shown, have stereotypical roles; housewives, nurses, secretaries (not active/participants) • Independent Females are Sexually Promiscuous

  7. Men in WWII Films • Enemy – Impersonal • Hero – Attractive, Assertive • Man as One of Two Roles: • Macho on Battlefield • Behind the Scenes Strategic Thinking

  8. Interaction Between Men and Women • Women Defined by Marital Status • Men Defined by Rank/Job • Sexual Harassment Seen as a Game • Women Generally Subordinate

  9. The Good Ol’ Boys • 61% of the Men Killed Were 21 Years Old or Younger • 86% of the Men Who Died in Vietnam Were Caucasians, 12.5% Were Black, and 1.2% Were Other Races • 76% of the Men Sent to Vietnam Were from Lower Middle/Working Class Backgrounds • 2/3 of the Men Who Served in Vietnam Were Volunteers

  10. Women Were There! • “The military, which prided itself on the records it kept in Vietnam – counting the enemy number of weapons captured, for example – cannot to this day say with certainty how many women served. The army that sent them never bothered to count them. The estimate most frequently given is that total of 7,500 served in the military in Vietnam.” -Laura Palmer, Shrapnel in the Heart

  11. Military Occupations Marines 600+ Air Force 6,000+ Army, Navy and Air Force Nurses and Medical Specialists Red Cross, Special Services, Civil Service Awards Purple Heart Bronze Star Commendation Medals Unit Citations Women Were There! (cont.)

  12. The Green Berets (1968) • Male Gender Roles • John Wayne (The Ultimate Macho-Man) • No Fear • The White Male is Color Blind • The Teacher • Female Gender Roles • Defined by marital status • Objectified/Sexualized • Victimized • The temptress • Barely represented

  13. Apocalypse Now (1979) Platoon (1986)

  14. Male Gender Roles Hard-Edged/Emotional Teacher Humanitarian/Massive Violence Fear “I feel like a child born of two fathers.” Female Gender Roles Mostly non-existent Sexualized/Victimized/Objectified Temptress/Evil/Enemy Teacher Powerful from Sexual Desire and Violence Apocalypse Now & Platoon

  15. Heaven and Earth (1993) Male Gender Roles • Violent • Overly Sexual • Injuries to “American Manhood/Psyche” • The Teacher/Protector

  16. Heaven and Earth (cont.) Female Gender Roles • Defined by marital status • Objectified • Victimized • The temptress • Innocence as Desirable • Strong/Independent • Close to Nature (needed to be tamed)

  17. We Were Soldiers (2002) • Male Gender Roles • Patriarch/Family Man • Dedicated/Loyal • Fearless • Teacher • Humanitarian/ Lack of Racial Boundaries • Female Gender Roles • Defined by Marital Status • Confined at Home and to Household Work • Naïve • Emotional • Lost without Men

  18. CONCLUSION WWII: • Gender roles in WWII films have remained largely the same with the exception of films produced during the war Vietnam: • There is a parabolic trend that follows the movement from propaganda to disillusionment to patriotism. • Likewise gender roles go from defined to blurred to distinct

  19. Joan E. Solsman Lt. Of Encoding/Decoding R. Brooks Rollins III Sgt. Major of Library Research Emmy C. Jonassen Colonel of Internet Research Emily J. Hodges General of Production Michael T. W. Davis Minister of Communication THE END

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