Learning Beyond the Classics: Hollywood In and Out of Vietnam
Directed by Hal Ashby
With Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern
Rated R, 127 minutes, Blu-ray
Sally (Jane Fonda) is married to a Marine (Bruce Dern) who is serving in Vietnam. As many military spouses during the Vietnam War did, she volunteers while her husband is stationed abroad and spends time at a veterans hospital, where she meets Luke (Jon Voight). He has lost his ability to walk while in combat and has soured on the American presence in Vietnam. A relationship between Sally and Luke blossoms forming a love triangle with her absent husband.
Free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB Students.
About the Series
Enroll in the course by November 9
Hollywood In and Out of Vietnam
While often referred to as the “living room war” due to its insertion in the home via television, the Vietnam War became a common subject matter for films inside and outside the Hollywood studio system for years after the fighting ended. This capsule course looks at three major Hollywood studio films on the subject of the Vietnam War while also looking for comparisons and contrasts with three films made without the studio system’s budget, access, and (un)written rules.
About the Instructor
Peter Cajka is Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Notre Dame’s Department of American Studies. His research sits at the intersection of Catholic Studies, the history of ideas, and the history of sexuality. His book, Follow Your Conscience: The Catholic Church and the Spirit of the Sixties, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2021.