Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver

It seemed to be what the war was about. Hours of boredom, seconds of terror,”(80). Richie summed his time in Vietnam in this sentence and it was perfect. Whether it was them sitting around being anxious for what's to come, and the anxiety of it actually happening. Richie even admits that the missions bring a level of excitement, all his worries for the future go away, and he is taken up in all of the parts of war.

The Vietnam war was a troubling war that lasted from 1955 to 1975. It was located in Vietnam and was fought by the U.S., as well as North and South Vietnam. There was bloodshed from both sides and many innocent lives lost. The Vietnam war was not only a troubling time in Vietnam, but also for the United States. Richard Nixon was the United States president at the time of the war and was the one that pushed America into joining the war, but realized he only cared about winning.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder seems far more prevalent in Vietnam War veterans than in those of other wars: fifteen out of one hundred Vietnam Veterans have combat-related PTSD as compared to one out of twenty World War II veterans (“How Common is PTSD”). Although it is nearly impossible to pinpoint the root cause for the rise in PTSD in this generation of veterans, there are many factors that could have contributed to this rising issue. Many used to believe that these veterans were simply young, immature boys dragged into the war by the draft and were unable to cope with the pressures of combat: the average age for a soldier in Vietnam was nineteen and in World War II it was twenty-six (Roark 838). However, every war has its nineteen-year-olds

The Vietnam War was very different from the past wars. There were a lot more cases of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) among soldiers than any other wars http://historyofptsd.umwblogs.org/vietnam/ . In ‘The Things They Carried’, a book about the Vietnam War written by Tim O’Brien, using the psychological lense can help us understand how wars can change a person’s mental state dramatically. It can show us what soldiers had to carry during the war, including intangibles, like fear and guilt. These men had to fight a war that the U.S. did not have to be involved in and it changed their whole life.

On top of the dramatically climbing number of casualties, there was also a lot of controversy regarding the horrific effects that the fighting had on the mental status of soldiers. “The bitter Vietnam experience has left the United States Army with a crisis in morale and discipline as serious as any its oldest and toughest soldiers remember.” (New York Times Article, Document I ) Many times, returning soldiers would suffer from extreme anxiety and depression, dealing with the difficult memories left in place of fighting in the war. “I know my happiest moment in Vietnam was when I was hit, because I “knew” I was homeward bound.

Starting from November 1, 1955, the day the Vietnam War began, the war has brought nothing but pain to the lives of the American Soldiers.   They were forced to kill, and witness mass murder of friends and innocent civilians of Vietnam. In order to escape these traumatic experiences, soldiers resorted to drugs. Drugs like marijuana, opiates, amphetamines and barbiturates.

The book All Quiet on the Western Front takes place during World War I. The author, Erich Maria Remarque, describes how dehumanizing war can be for soldiers who give their life to serve their country and protect it. Remarque specifically describes the hardships of a German soldier Paul during the war. Through Remarque’s story we learn that war affects relationships, thought processes, natural instincts and many more functions of a soldier. We learn over the course of this book that all soldiers change through war.

Years after the war, and after returning home to a somewhat normal lifestyle, a majority of veterans suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD is a delayed effect of the mind that includes severe cases of anxiety, regularly occurring panic attacks, and severe cases of rage. psychological disorders often led to divorce, drug abuse, and especially suicide. The war in Vietnam had the most cases of suicide amongst veterans than any other war in American history. More cases of psychological disorders resulted from Vietnam rather than World War I and II because unlike the two world wars, Vietnam wasn't a war with straight battle lines of back and fourth fire in which the position of the enemy

Rudd, Malco, and Rogen provide so many gut-busting laughs that the movie can float with them alone. Many of the film’s best moments come from the interactions of these three actors, who also are able to offer some of the most quotable lines of dialogue in the film. In addition to the supporting cast, there are also a great number of cameo appearances from other comedians and stars such as Jonah Hill, David Koechner, and Kevin Hart to name a few. The worst aspect of this film is the somewhat long running time.

Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene shot in long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool). The narrative throughout the film established a formalist film. Cinematography John F. Seitz used lighting and camera angles in such a way to create a loneliness and hopefulness atmosphere.

On November 1st, 1955, a country divided into two, North and South Vietnam will soon have a war known to many countries around the world. The Vietnam War, or the Second Indochina War occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. At the time, Vietnam had a dispute on what the country should be, Communistic or Republic, which had led war breaking out. North as the Viet Cong group while the Republic Of Vietnam group was South; eventually unexpected events started to unfold, leading towards the end of the war. To this very day, The Vietnam War has changed the ways how many civilians live their lives, especially my family.

Sunset Boulevard in 1950, directed by Billy Wilder, was famous in its time for being one of the first films to show the darker side of Hollywood. Lighting is one of the important aspects of mise-en-scene in film noir. As we know film noirs are much on dark nature therefore the lighting uses on low key lighting and shadow to create moody atmosphere and the sense of danger and mystery that will occur. In the Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950) film, it is full of shadows in a very figurative way. It shows the shadowy world deception, greed, lust and jealousy.

In the excerpt “Under the Eye of the Clock” by Christopher Nolan, talks about the paralyzed boy joseph who is overwhelming with muscle pains. The excerpt develops an idea that tell us that no matter what the situation is, there is always hope. According to text, “Typing festered hope” (line 20). The author of the excerpt, means to tell us that you should never think that, you will not able to do anything, since you are paralyzed; there is always hope and you should wait for right time to come. In addition to that, author also says “great spasms gripped him rigid and sent his simple nod into a farcical effort which ran to each and every one of his limbs” (line 24 and 25).

War isn’t a topic talked of lightly, especially for those who served in the war. In Tim O’Brien’s book titled The Things They Carried, soldiers encountered countless lifeless bodies, witnessed gallons of bloodshed, and questioned their own morals knowing that each battle could prove to be their last. In fact, the soldiers long to escape the daily fear and, in Vietnam especially, resort to whatever easily offers itself as a way to momentarily break with harsh reality whether alcohol, drugs, etc. However, the ones who did experience that trauma almost miss it. The adrenaline in combat, the lack of connection in society after the war, and the brotherhood they created are all factors that contribute to their saudade.

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters