Final Blog Review




              In the class History v Hollywood, we viewed a wide variety of movies. There were many I liked such as Zero Dark Thirty, Forrest Gump, and Platoon. But there were also a few movies I didn't like such as The Help and Top Gun. No matter the genre of the movie we watched, all movies had something in common: influence from the media. The media and Hollywood play huge roles in determining our history and our opinion on many different. These influences trickle down into our everyday lives too.


               One of the best examples of this is the movie Platoon. Prior to the Vietnam War, America had never lost a war. America got their butts kicked in the Vietnam war, and while the fighting was going on over there, there was fighting at home too. There was a huge divide between those who supported the war and who was against it. This dispute was demonstrated in the movie between the two famous characters Sgt. Elias and Sgt. Barnes. Everyone flocked to the theaters when Platoon was released because it was the first war movie to be released after the tough loss in Vietnam. Everyone wanted to know what Vietnam was like, and Platoon portrayed it as extremely bad. The consensus today is that Vietnam was an awful war. The Pentagon did not endorse this movie for a number of reasons. Believe it or no, the Pentagon plays a big role in many of the war movies released today.


                A movie that was endorsed by the Pentagon was Top Gun. In this movie, state of the art technology and true American bravery are in full display. I personally did not enjoy the movie, but it did leave me with a sense of Patriotism, and that is exactly what the Pentagon wants. The reason so many movies ask the Pentagon for help is too drive up the profit. If the Pentagon is going to spend all of this money for a movie, they had to have power over the script. They often make many changes so the movie is to their liking. The Navy took advantage of the favorable publicity that Top Gun garnered. Outside the theater, there were tables to sign up for the Navy. I do not have a problem with the Pentagon making the army look good, but I do have a problem of them taking advantage of it. Think of all of the people that signed up to fight based on a movie.


             The media affects every corner of our lives, and even Hollywood too. We are constantly watching movies such as Saving Private Ryan, or even Platoon that "rewrite" history. The media has much more influence compared to Hollywood. Majority of the population believed that we were one plane ride from Ebola affecting the entire nation. That was not the case. Every week there is a new story that the media uses to get good reviews, and this is not entirely helpful. History is written by those in Hollywood and those in charge of improving ratings for CNN.