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... It is this war that Oliver Stone depicts inside of the deep jungles of Vietnam. Oliver Stone uses the platoon, Chris, Elias as well as Barnes, to deliver his political message about the rising moral conflicts within the American troops in Vietnam which compare to those back at home. ... Oliver Stones uses the rising, blinding, thick dust to represent Chris’ naivety heading into the war without the slightest idea of what he’s getting himself into. In the Inciting Scene of the film, Chris gazes around at the airfield, and sees body bags being carried away. Chris, having just arrived, is thrown right into the waging war in Vietnam, the realization that death is constantly creeping around the corner, waiting to claim a soldier’s soul.
Within this film, Oliver Stone delivers a handful of allegory, religious connotations and reference to Biblical figures all of which end up revealing more about Chris, Barnes and Elias’ roles in the plot. Oliver Stone uses the camera to give us different angles of how the jungle and its surroundings have allegorical meaning. For example, when the platoon is crossing through the dark jungles of Vietnam, the camera has a high angle, from a low point of the ground. Peeking through the tall dark green trees, we have a glimpse of light coming from the sun, from the Heavens above. Whereas, a few seconds later, the camera shoots a low angle showing the platoon climbing up a dirt path, a dark picture meant to represent the Hell, the carnage on Earth within the forests of Vietnam. We see later on in the film that this contrast between Heaven and Hell is very important when comparing Elias to Barnes, and Chris’ realization of Barnes’ Evil and Elias’ Prophet-like character. ... The acceptance of temptation leads to the loss of innocence within the platoon. ... Oliver Stone wants the audience, unconsciously, to realize that Sgt. Barnes is the Good within this platoon. ... It’s as if Chris has trouble breathing, which again is an allegory to the burning flames of Hell absorbing all of the present oxygen. ...
It is now, after the death of Gardener and the first conflict with the Vietnamese guerrilla tactics, that we see the division within the platoon.
Approximate Word count = 1862
Approximate Pages = 7.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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