Why doesnt the Korean War get any attention (WW2, 1950's, Hitler)
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Call of Duty skipped it over, there are no movies about it really, all they get is M*A*S*H.
Some of battles that took place make for a great action franchise be it movies or videos games.
The war lasted for about 3 years. It is almost as long as US involvement in WW2, and WW1.
Did it not have much political ramification? I even forget who is president at the time. What about towards Cold War Military doctrine? Did it have much impact there?
I am stump as much as you.
The size, the long term effects, the causalities, etc make it a big war. But it is placed in the same box as the Panama invasion in the eyes of most people.
I've always wondered about this too. WW II & Vietnam (the wars in between The Korean War) get all the attention, but you rarely hear about this 1950's conflict.
Though there have been very few films about this conflict, about ten years ago I saw a great Korean produced/Korean language film about the war titled: Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War. Extremely well-done, with a seemingly large budget. I'd check this out if you don't mind subtitles - it's on DVD. However, be warned - it's extremely violent:
World War II was a tough act to follow. The Korean War falls into the same category as The War of 1812 which followed the more glamorous Revolutionary War, and both suffer from the same shortcomings with regard to fame.
Revolution & WWI II..both perceived as righteous causes, both result in unambiguous triumphs.
War of 1812 & Korea...causes are not popularly supported by large segments of Americans, both ended status quo ante bellum without a victory to celebrate. Irresolution doesn't sell at the box office.
You need to see Pork Chop Hill if you want to know a little about the Korean War.
Excellent film with a superb cast.
Other decent ones:
The Bridges at Toko Ri
All the Young Men
Fixed Bayonets
It was also the first war with a racially integrated US military and that was often a subplot of Korean War movies. As we moved into the Vietnam era with the political concern that Blacks were over represented among the "grunts" as cannon fodder instead of the WWII being withheld from combat because racist didn't think they were up to it in the movies the Korean War only became indistinguishable from WWII if jet fighters were a big part of the story.
Back in the 70s characters of TV series were often veterans of Korea instead of WWII. Like today where they are veterans of Afghanistan instead of Iraq so you can squeeze a few more years into the character bio before they aged out of your story.
It was also the first war with a racially integrated US military and that was often a subplot of Korean War movies. As we moved into the Vietnam era with the political concern that Blacks were over represented among the "grunts" as cannon fodder instead of the WWII being withheld from combat because racist didn't think they were up to it in the movies the Korean War only became indistinguishable from WWII if jet fighters were a big part of the story.
Back in the 70s characters of TV series were often veterans of Korea instead of WWII. Like today where they are veterans of Afghanistan instead of Iraq so you can squeeze a few more years into the character bio before they aged out of your story.
You have no idea how many persons think M*A*S*H (both television series and film) are set in WWII rather than the Korean war. And yes there were plenty of shows on television featuring cast members who served in Korea. The M*A*S*H series was one of them including a head nurse nicknamed "Sarge".
It wasn't some glorious victory with a clear-cut ending that marked victory. Think of the surrenders of Germany and Japan. The objective - liberating South Korea and keeping it out of the hands of the communists - was met. But there was nothing like the Battle of Berlin or the surrender aboard the USS Missouri to mark this.
A crappy antagonist. Kim Il-Sung? He's like the villain in one of the lesser James Bond films. No Hitler, no Tojo, no Mussolini.
A crappy protagonist. Syngman Rhee? The 'good guy' was a dictator. Sure, Stalin - on our side in World War II - was similarly bad. But he was more than balanced out by Churchill and De Gaulle. And even in his badness, Stalin was more talented and interesting that Rhee.
It wasn't even a tragedy, a la Vietnam. That could have saved it, as an object of fascination. Say what you will about Vietnam, it's Shakespearean on many levels. Exceptional amounts of social angst have been squeezed out of it. Korea? It's a boring dime-store novella.
Heck, most people don't know Korea used to be a Japanese colony.
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