THE BOYS IN COMPANY C

US, 1978, 125 minutes, Colour.
Stan Shaw, Andrew Stevens, Michael Lembeck, Scott Hylands, Craig Wasson, R.Lee Ermey.
Directed by Sidney J. Furie.

The Boys in Company C was a memoir of training for and fighting in Vietnam 1967-8 in the late seventies. John Wayne's vigorously loyal Green Berets' came out then. The U.S, critique came much later, Perhaps M.A.S.H. had to show that war could be criticised.

This film is reminiscent of M.A.S.H. but sets itself the serious task of showing Marine training and morale (the language has not been dubbed, though the rest looks like old army movies) and then is fairly relentless in its picture of fights, skirmishes, blunders and con-tricks in Vietnam - no let-up here except individual be-true-to-self heroism. A young cast re-enacts vigorously ugly recent history.

1. Why a memoir of Vietnam and American involvement in the mid-seventies? A late view of the pros and cons of Vietnam? The need for remembering? How much is a film like this a work of American conscience? (The main writer and director an Englishman?) How much hindsight into the meaning of American involvement in Vietnam and what actually happened and its effect on American society?

2. The contrast with American attitudes in the mid-sixties towards Vietnam: the enemy, patriotism, involvement, the forces? Protest at the time and its later development? How much insight into East Asian problems
in the sixties? Loyalty? The point of view put across by Collins so strongly as typical of American attitudes on
the official and general public level at the time?

3. Use of colour, wide screen? The visual impact of the look of the times, army training? The contrast of the landscapes of Vietnam with those of the United States? The portrait of the cities of Vietnam, the towns and villages, the countryside? Music? The incessant swearing and language - atmosphere of realism or not?

4. The effectiveness of the diary structure and technique? Audience interest in particular times, dates, places? The cumulative effect of these incidents? Audience involvement with the group? The irony of Poster's death at the end and the pages scattered on the ground? A bitter taste to the portrait of the involvement of these young men?

5. How credible was the group of young actors, the various types represented, race, urban and country, the cross section of American youth? Their vigour? Could audiences identify with this American group? Non- American audiences?

6. The credits and the introduction to each of them? Their arrival, the humiliations of the army, haircuts etc.,
bunks and their chatter, the growing bonds between them, atmosphere of suspicion? The ordinary interaction of a
group joining the armed forces? Their volunteering, drafting, intentions to do well. the atmosphere of possible death?

7. The techniques of the training film? The various exercises in training, the abuse, the swearing, their doing everything wrong, their doing everything right, the atmosphere of their graduation and the prospect of the Mediterranean or Vietnam? Typical military background? The pros and cons of such army training, - for combat?

8. The prospect of Vietnam, the ever-present possibility of death, the sequence with Tyke discovering the bags for the corpses. the continual giving of statistics, the presentation of the various motivations for being involved in the war, the veteran trainers who had been there, Collins and his talk, the discussions about body count? Was the film fair in giving the pros and cons of American involvement?

9. The approach to Vietnam, the experience of the ship, the soccer training and their reaction to this, the introduction to Collins and the other officers, the picture of authority? How realistic and accurate?

10. Impact of the arrival sequence with the people selling things, the raw young recruits, the inspection for V.D. the sudden attack? Violence in the middle of ordinary situations? The continual need to be on the alert? How was this reinforced by the mission of guarding the things for the General and the number that were killed for birthday presents for the General? The irony of Bisbee blowing up the bus later? Communications on the field with phones, the nature of decisions to be made, the growing body count? The introduction to Vietnam?

11. The presentation of the village and ordinary civilian life with all the seeming mod-cons? Collins and his
attitude to keep them on the move? Their marching, skirmishes, the village and Collins' suspicion that it was an enemy village and his not being able to be told otherwise, the boy and his baseball. the sheltering children after the bombing of the village? Trang and his interrogation and the sound of the boys death? Collins and his bad judgments? How was this illustrated when he went over the bridge and the men were caught on the bridge? The sequence in the rice fields and Washington stepping on the mine? Ever-present danger?

12. The build-up of the attack on the radio? The reaction on the officer and on Washington? The irony of their spending a million dollars in the false report and the bombardment of the hill and the irony? the men stripping off and cheering? The ironic comment on their involvement?

13. The decision about the soccer match, the enjoyment, the motives, Trang and the change of policy? Their decision whether to lose or not, the humour of when they were losing, their decision to win? The sudden irony with the shelling of the field? The pathos of Foster's death to save the children? What comment on Vietnam in these final images?

14. What was left of heroism of being true to oneself? Any loyalty to the cause, patriotism, American involvement, liberation? Saving oneself, old fashioned heroism? Personal integrity?

15. The comment on the troops in Vietnam - their money, sex and venereal disease, drugs and drug smuggling. The command and the nature of orders, obedience and disobedience, deals and confidence tricks? The irony of American men being shelled for body count and to make impressions? The uncertainty, the strategies, the racism against the enemy? How just was the film in its presentation of these issues?

17. The characterisations of the group:
- Washington - as a black man, his background, loner, attitude towards authority, combining with authority to bind the group together, antagonism towards Pyke, helping him back to life after the drug taking, his decision to smuggle drugs and his change of heart, the mine field episode, the siege of the hill, his decision about the soccer, his formulation of the final heroism ideals?
- Paw - his girlfriend, her pregnancy and the discussion about abortion, the drugs? Collins holding this over him, saving Washington's life at the mine field after his being saved with the drugs, guarding the rice, his ability at soccer and his final decision about the game, his being a father?
- Foster - the intellectual. the various scenes of his taking notes, an earnest young man, the irony of his entertaining the girls, his wounds, reappearance for the final match. friendship with Fazio and the coolness between them, the heroism of his death?
- Fazio - all talk, city background, sex-preoccupied, girls, the break with Foster, his grief at his death?
- Bisbee - his initial appearance, his hostility, the guitar and the songs, friendship, blowing up the bus after the protest to Collins, refusing to obey Collins' orders, guarding the rice fields, bonds with the children and his reaction at the siege after the soccer match?
How well delineated were the other characters, the sympathetic officers, the arrogant officers?

17. The portrait of Collins - a strong character and his determination to be right? presentation of poster attitudes of Americans, his intensity, soccer, coward, the irony of his death?

18. Themes of war, anti-war, American involvement, ordinariness of people involved in war, human nature, patriotism?