John McCain as John Wayne: The Influence of the War Film Genre\u27s Evolution

Abstract

Films of the war genre reflect the cultural ideologies of the time in which the films were made. Thus, Vietnam War films portray the American soldier as considerably less honorable and heroic than World War II films, because of the varied national perspectives. Consequently, John McCain chose to invoke imagery recalling WWII films rather than ally himself with the more tumultuous Vietnam era