The Evolution of War Films, from Vietnam to the Gulf War
Analyzing Anthony Swofford’s Jarhead
A marine shoves the barrel of his rifle to his comrade’s face; he screams and antagonizes his fellow marine to repeat what he is saying. He then flips the rifle and demands that his comrade shoot him in the face. This is not what you typically see in a war movie, and this is an example of what makes Jarhead stand out.
Jarhead ditches the glamorization of Vietnam-era war films and portrays the harsh, dull, and mind-breaking reality of war. Understanding how war films have evolved from Vietnam to the Gulf War era is essential regarding these films’ message and purpose. Jarhead is a strong example; analyzing it highlights several aspects of this evolution.
As A.O. Scott, movie critic for The New York Times, describes, Jarhead’s film is based on the book of the same name by author Anthony Swofford. If you are familiar with the film, this name sounds familiar, as it is the name of the story’s main character. This is not a coincidence, as the book’s author was a deployed Marine during the Gulf War.
As Mikey Neumann, the creator of Film Joy, describes, Anthony Swofford originally wrote the book after the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War. Swofford desired to create a realistic memoir; that resulted in Jarhead specifically recounting his experiences as a scout sniper during the war. When the book was released, it was met with much praise and also some criticism. Thomas Riggs, author of The Literature of War, describes that critics praised how Swofford was able to portray the evolution and development of a Marine throughout the course of the war, yet the book was condemned by some for its authenticity in its portrayal of Marines and the events. Years later, the film was released and succeeded with $97 million at the box office. Peter Bradshaw, writer for The Guardian, describes that while it was successful, the movie had significant criticism from many viewers and critics alike that the film lacked action. But looking back at the film, this lack of action is one of the most important characteristics that makes it stand out from other war films.
Now that we understand the background and inception of Jarhead, it is crucial to understand the overarching differences and similarities between the Vietnam and Gulf War-era films. A major difference between the films is how they convey and portray the nature of war to the audience. For a brief historical background, war films from the World War II era originally wanted to convey a patriotic and optimistic view of war. Specifically, the films did this by using characters as heroes and the justification of war. As described by Kelly Wilz, professor of media Studies at the University of Wisconsin, when the Vietnam era war films came around, they initially tried to portray the horrors of war instead of the positive view from prior films. Films like Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket would directly show the horrors of war, with scenes of innocent civilian deaths and mentally insane recruits at boot camp. Despite this, in most Vietnam films, action is the main focus, whether the message is positive or not, and as we see in Jarhead, this action is enough to influence the audience’s minds.
Vietnam films would return to their predecessors’ roots and try to glamourize and portray war positively despite the initial shift in tone. As stated by Andrea Porter, from John Hopkins University, this new wave of films would establish a myth of war that would influence the generations that would consume them, namely the generation that would fight in the Persian Gulf War. In Jarhead, we see hundreds of Marines in a theatre watching the “Ride of the Valkyries” scene from Apocalypse Now, with an intense passion for glamour and action, clearly showing their view on war has been shaped by the films’ mythology.
The other significant difference between these eras is the focus of the films. James Meek, writer for The Guardian, describes how the Vietnam era films focus on the bigger picture, specifically the impact of war on the world, and having high-octane action as a staple element. On the contrary, Gulf War era films focus more on a small cast of characters, their interactions, and dialogue. As Meek describes, they tend to lack action compared to the Vietnam films. So while both films focus on the impact of war on different scales, recognizing the underlying differences between them is essential to understanding how Jarhead exemplifies the evolution of war films between the eras.
Jarhead would become an influential war film that would change the portrayal of mental issues and realities of war. Through analyzing different scenes, we can glimpse why the film is essential to the future of war media.
One of the first consequential scenes is when Swofford releases his pent-up frustration and snaps at his comrade Fergus. For context, Fergus indirectly led to Swofford being caught throwing a party, which led to his demotion. After this, Swofford almost kills Fergus with his rifle until he flips it and tells Fergus to shoot him, which he does not end up doing. As Giancarlo Riccoban, writer for Looper, describes, Swofford’s rage against Fergus is partly due to his anger against his comrade, but, deep down, it is more about his self-hatred towards himself. He sees parts of himself in Fergus that he is ashamed of and wants to eliminate. Fergus is traumatized by Swofford’s actions, and later in the film, Swofford is faced with guilt and physical punishment for his unhinged behavior.
At the film’s climax, the characters of Marine Sniper Swofford and his spotter Troy are finally given a chance to fulfill their perceived purpose of getting their kill. As Swofford is about to shoot his target, a Major bursts through the door and calls off the shot. Troy first requests that the Major allow them to shoot their target since they already have permission and a clear shot. After the Major denies him again, Troy lunges for the Major, exclaiming, “That is my kill! He’s already dead anyways. What does it matter!” and he has to be held back by Swofford while crying. This shocking breakdown by Troy portrays his mental damage and instability. As Riccoban recounts, Troy is infatuated with getting a kill since the Marines have made him believe that getting a kill is his purpose. Troy would later take his own life near the end of the film. As Riccoban describes, Troy was once an example to his fellow Marines who would lead others and restore balance during disputes. But Troy would become so attached to the idea that he was trained for one purpose that he broke when his opportunity to fulfill it was taken away.
The ending of Jarhead shows the changed men and their circumstances after the Marines' deployment ends. The film shows the characters’ lives after the war, in their different day-to-day lives. Swofford also attends Troy’s wedding and reunites with Fergus. Riccoban states that it is clear that life could never be the same after all of the events and trauma the Marines went through, and this is realistically portrayed in the scene. The cold and emotionless expressions on the faces of the characters represent their evolution. The film ends with Swofford’s monologue, describing the latter, that no matter what a Marine does for the rest of his life, he will always remain a jarhead. According to Riccoban, this scene directly shows the lifelong effects of war, including PTSD, and how war changes men forever.
A later Gulf War film, American Sniper, draws upon the essential elements of realism that were an integral part of Jarhead. In the scene, Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal sniper, experiences PTSD at his home during a birthday party. As Stephanie Lee, writer for The AAPP Perspective, describes, Kyle is undergoing flashbacks of his deployment just sitting on his couch in the living room. After he goes outside to see the party, he sees a dog playing with his son, but Kyle perceives the dog as attacking his son and is about to beat it before he is stopped. As Lee notes, the scene does a fantastic job of portraying the dark reality of PTSD and how its traumatizing effects are present in the day-to-day lives of some veterans. Kyle is still partly living his Navy SEAL days through scarring flashbacks and can perceive simple acts like a dog playing with his son as an attack that he must defend against.
In our modern society, Hollywood has great power to provide a platform for awareness of war-related issues such as PTSD and military trauma. Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand that Hollywood has failed in the past, and the film industry ended up portraying a myth of PTSD, an unrealistic and inappropriate depiction of the veterans who suffer from it. As Francesca Katafias, a student at the Dominican University of California, describes, the decades of this misinformation and unrealistic portrayal have set a stereotype of what PTSD is, and it is common for people to have misconceptions and outlooks on it. This is precisely why realism is such a crucial issue in war media; a lack of realism can cause people to have misconceptions about serious issues like PTSD. With the new generation of Gulf War films such as Lone Survivor, American Sniper, and Jarhead, war media have started to realistically portray the mental health and PTSD issues of our service members on the big screen, as described by Katafias. Jarhead stands out in its portrayal of these issues and, alongside other Gulf War films, is instrumental to the future development of realism in war media.
Jarhead is influential in pioneering the nature of war films and portraying the realism of war and PTSD, which many films fail to fulfill. Future war media can draw inspiration and implement elements from Jarhead and other Gulf War films to lay to rest the myth of war that Hollywood has fabricated. With the relevance of cinema ever increasing due to the widening social network in our modern era, film holds great power in its ability to reach a massive audience. Given this increased connectivity, film producers have the opportunity to realistically and accurately portray war and its serious issues, such as PTSD, in the media that future generations will grow up consuming.
Additional Sources Used in This Article
Andrea Porter. “‘Jarhead’ and the Failure of the Vietnam Myth.” CEA Critic. 2010. Found on JSTOR.
A.O. Scott. “Film Review: Soldiers in the Desert, Antsy and Apolitical.” The New York Times. 2005. Found on ProQuest.
James Meek. “Film & Music: Cover story: Visions of hell: What makes a great war film? As Sam Mendes’ Jarhead tackles the 1991 Gulf Conflict, James Meetk, who has reported from the battlefields of Iraq, gives his verdict.” The Guardian. 2005. Found on Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints.
Kelly Wilz. “Rehumanization through Reflective Oscillation in ‘Jarhead.’” Rhetoric and Public Affairs. 2010. Found on JSTOR.
Thomas Riggs. “Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles.” The Literature of War. 2012. Found on Credo Reference.
