Abstract
In 2003, when Paul Haggis started thinking about the script of ?In the Valley of Elah', President Bush had an eighty percent approval rating and the war in Iraq was supported by most of the country. Four years later, this was no longer the case and the war has become the new topic in Hollywood. Hollywood's coverage of the war in Iraq is a clear departure from earlier war films. From World War II to the Gulf War, patriotism and caution prevailed. Generally speaking, the war was not criticized before the fighting had stopped. The few war films released during wartime, such as The Battle of Britain (1943) or The Green Berets (1968), depicted military heroes. Moreover, many Hollywood stars were actively involved in supporting the troops, especially during the Second World War after Pearl Harbor. Even the increasingly skeptical public opinion during the Vietnam War did not reverse this trend. When Coppola tried to film Apocalypse in 1972, he met with strong opposition from Hollywood producers and actors. The Vietnam-related movies we remember, such as Coppola's, Stone's Platoon and Kubrick's ?Full Metal Jacket' were all released between the end of the seventies and the mid-eighties.
