“The Others” in American Films about the Vietnam War: Overcoming the Frame

Abstract. The article addresses the processes of decolonization through the prism of cinema. The fiction cinema is analyzed as a source of information about the norms, values and stereotypes of society in their dynamics. The American Vietnam War films from 1962–2020 were used for analysis. The following research questions are considered: have the processes of paternalistic ideas and hatred of “others” been reflected in featured films? what is the dynamics of the image of the Vietnamese enemy image in the American cinema? what audio-visual means can be considered to be the markers of this process?  In accordance with the subject of the study, not only the methods of historical analysis were applied, but also the structural-functional and semiotic analysis of films, as well as the method of the “competent observer” (analysis of reviews, interviews, reviews, etc.). The dynamic attitude of American society towards the people of Vietnam: from complete rejection and ignorance – through fear and demonization – to “humanization” and respect. The specific set of visual means used by Hollywood for the accumulation, reconfiguration and representation of these ideas is revealed: such as plot, choice of characters, composition, angle, color and lighting solutions, language, etc.

Keywords: Vietnam War, movie, ‘ours and other’, enemy image, historical source.