The Green Berets (1968)

Directed by

Ray Kellogg, Mervyn LeRoy, John Wayne

Genre

drama film, war film, propaganda film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 21m

Rated

G

Rating

5.7 of 10 from 191 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

American Green Berets fight in the Vietnam War. A journalist accompanies them on missions to show their dedication and skill.

patrioticseriousslow-paceddatedearnestold-fashionedaction-heavypropagandistic

What happens

The Green Berets is a 1968 American war film directed by John Wayne and Ray Kellogg, and starring Wayne, David Janssen and Jim Hutton, based on the 1965 novel by Robin Moore. Much of the film was shot in the summer of 1967. Parts of the screenplay bear little relation to the novel, although the portion in which a woman seduces a North Vietnamese communist general and sets him up to be kidnapped by Americans is from the book. The Green Berets is strongly anti-communist and pro-South Vietnam. It was released at the height of American involvement in the Vietnam War, the same year as the Tet Offensive against the largest cities in South Vietnam. John Wayne was so concerned by the anti-war sentiment in the United States, he wanted to make this film to present the pro-military position. He requested and obtained full military cooperation and materiel from President Lyndon B. Johnson and the United States Department of Defense. John Wayne bought the film rights to Robin Moore's book for $35,000 and 5% of undefined profits of the film. The film was a financial success at the box office, but received almost universally negative reviews from critics. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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