ANALYSIS

Protest music in the 1960’s and 1970’s involved both bluesy and folksy tunes as well as angry, thrashing guitar sounds. Prominent protest artists included Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and many others, so it’s no surprise that Vietnam War films use such influential music from that time. The music that’s chosen for film soundtracks usually encapsulates the period well, so the viewer can have a sense of what emotions and actions were involved in such a turbulent era.

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In this project, I will try to highlight some of these songs over 10 particular Vietnam War films. By connecting the movies to the music choices, I hope to show people perhaps why the filmmakers chose the songs they did, and why those songs capture the feelings of the era. I'll also discuss the irony of using antiwar protest songs in movies about the Vietnam War.