MORRIS DICKSTEIN
629
tel l u s. On e o f th esc films. Sydn ey
J.
Fu ric's
T h f' Bo)'s ill Compall),
C.
justi fied m y reca lcitra nce; it o ffered a model o f how
1I 0t
to make a film
a bo ut the Vi etn am wa r. Th e mo vi e is
a
mi xture o f boo t-camp rea li sm .
sen 'ice com ed y. comba t gore. and cut e stereotypes
<I
la
Happy Days.
Were it no t fo r an o th er recent film . H a l Ashby's
Coming H ome.
it
would be en o ugh to put the subj ect o f Vi etnam un der wrap s fo r
ano ther decad e.
Comi ll g H ome
dea ls with Vi etn am by no t dea ling wi th it. by
ta kin g it o n o bliquel y. It conta in s n o comba t or atrocit y foo tage;
Vi etn am rem a in s an ull seen presence, a pl ace men
fl y
o ff to o r retttrn
from . sometimes in a box. never th c same. Th e film bel o ngs no t amo ng
th e wa r pictures but amo n g th e homccomin g mov ies, es pec ia ll y those
th at dea l w ith the reha bi lit a ti o n o f badl y damaged veterans. Th ese
in cl ude Delmer Da ves's
Pride of th e Marines
(19<IS).
in
whi ch j ohn
Garfi el d pl ays a blinded wa r-h ero. Willi am Wyler's celebra ted film
T h f' Best Y ears of Our L ilies
( 1 946)~
whi ch traces th e fo rtun es o f three
retllrnin g so ldi ers, and esp ecia ll y Fred Zinn ema nn 's
Th e M en
( 19.10),
a
h arsh a nd powerful film , in whi ch Marl o n Branda made hi s screen
debut as a s ullen pa rap leg ic who rejects life a nd res ists all reh a bilita–
t
io n .
Much o f th e fir st h a lf o f
Comin g
Homf'la ke~
pl an:> in a Ca lifo rni a
\' .A. hos pi ta l in th e mo nth s fo ll owin g th e 1968 Tet o ffen sive, scen es
strong ly remini scent o f
Th e M en.
Blit j o n Voi ght's performance in th e
Bra ndo ro le is a ll hi s own . a fin e mix ture o f macho and n!ln era bilit y,
a nger a nd tendern ess. just as Te resa Wri ght in
Th e M en
tri ed to pi erce
the shell o f Brando's depress io n a nd self-l oa thin g. Ja ne Fond a pl ays a
ma rri ed wom an who draws Vo ight o ut o f hi s isola ti o n a nd billert1 ess.
They have a n un expected love a ffa ir. ill whi ch Fonda impersonates a
prim middl e-Ameri can woma n wh ose husband , a Marin e Co rps cap–
ta in (pl ayed by Bru ce Dern ). has himself just gon e o ff to Vi etn am .
Acco rdin g to producer j erome Hellman . wh o
~pel1l
four yea rs
O il
the pro ject. th e impul se to ma ke th e film or ig in ated five years ago with
Fonda. who had been wo rkin g with wounded and antiwar vetcran s.
Unlike ma n y o n th c Amni can left FOllda {'vidt'lltl y too k as mu ch
interes t in o ur own casua lti es as in th ose o f the Vi etn am ese. Pl ay in g an
o ffi cer 's wife who vo luntcers for h os pita l wo rk and fa ll s in 100'e with a
cr ippled
V{'t.
Fo nda is a bl e bo th to draw a llenti on to the human
a ft ermath o f th e wa r a nd to po rtray th e g rowth o f person a lit y in a
woma n who is on her own fo r the fir st time. Th c mo vi e tri es h ard no t
to condescend to thi s middl e-Ameri can wo man an d h er wo rld . But
p lay ing aga in st typ e a nd aga inst her publi c image. Fonda rema in s a bit
