Presentation of the warrior hero and the symbolism of death in Apocalypse Now, Black Hawk Down, and Stop-Loss: a study of script and film texts

Abstract

This thesis discusses the presentation of archetypal characters and the depiction of death in both the scripts and films for Apocalypse Now, Black Hawk Down and Stop-Loss. The project's main focus is on how ideals are presented differently at different time periods and because of shifting public opinions of a conflict. It emphasizes the difference between the post-Vietnam War film and the post-9/11 War film in their presentation of American ideals through their main character and depiction of death. This thesis also suggests a curriculum using the War film genre in a composition classroom to encourage student's analysis of script and film texts and aid in the production of multimodal texts.