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In a generation accustomed to living amidst continuous war, it is unsurprising to see war films dominate as a blockbuster staple. Varying in intensity from comedies like War Dogs to stark dramas like Zero Dark Thirty, war films have come to encompass a broad range of modern issues that reflect not only the struggles of returning veterans but also the sociopolitical tensions of the era. Frank Sobchak, a retired military officer of twenty-six years and a current PhD candidate in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, shares his experience through film as an exploration into how art can be indicative of the politics and public discourse surrounding war at the time.
Having taught previously at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Sobchak embraces the opportunity to provide his individual take on war in film. “At West Point, your textbook is picked for you—issued to you. Your syllabus is issued to you. The readings and the discussion questions for each class are issued to you. It was very structured,” Sobchak reflected.
“There is some rationality to it in that it levels the playing field and ensures quality, but at the same time you want some enjoyment in making the class yours. That’s where the ExCollege comes in—I created my course from scratch so it's truly mine.”
Beginning with the Civil War, the course progresses chronologically from films like Glory or Green Berets, in which war is glorified, to films like Black Hawk Down or Eye in the Sky, in which demarcations between enemy and ally degrade as part of strong anti-war messages. Despite the inclusion of film classics like Saving Private Ryan, Sobchak intentionally assigned films that are less critically acclaimed. “I included films that I think are good films, but also some bad films as well,” Sobchak mentioned. “I think it’s important to watch the bad films because they offer insight into what things were like even twenty-five or thirty years ago, to show that, though we have far to go, we’ve had some progress.”
Such progress is reflected in films like Zero Dark Thirty and Amira & Sam, in which issues of gender and PTSD are treated in more realistic terms. Perhaps surprisingly, Amira & Sam approaches the matter of PTSD through the lens of a romantic comedy, a medley of genres that reflects the fragmented experiences of the title characters, an Iraqi immigrant and an Iraq war veteran, in their struggles to assimilate into American culture. In its juxtaposition of finding love and rediscovering home, the film pushes back against the Hollywood trope of the “crazy veteran,” an image that many veterans, including Sobchak, strive to combat. “Hollywood doesn’t portray us accurately,” Sobchak said. “It shows us always two steps away from going postal, but that’s not accurate at all. War changes you, but very few of us end up unhinged, and having that conversation is important. I chose this film because it captures the challenges of returning home from a real perspective that a lot of us who have come back can connect with.”
Though many of the films listed in the course syllabus rank among Sobchak’s favorites, it takes an extraordinary war film to catch the attention of the Academy Awards, which are often influenced by politics apart from the film itself. For example, the film Zero Dark Thirty failed to obtain Best Picture largely because some people thought director Kathryn Bigelow’s depictions of torture were an attempt at justification. However, more accurate depictions of wartime is precisely where Sobchak finds war films can be educational. “I’m glad that students in my class have little connection to the military,” Sobchak said, “because part of the reason I wanted to teach this class was to serve as an ambassador to the public, to talk about the military, and to offer the opportunity for non-military people to ask questions about what it’s like to serve.”
While no traditional war film featured in this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, Sobchak hopes that people will continue to reflect on the ways in which television and film can influence our ideas surrounding military life. “Modern war films like Zero Dark Thirty reflect an overall change in politics where, with something like gender, there is still an imbalance, but there is also a visible change,” Sobchak said. “I think there is utility in tracking these changes just to see where we’ve come from, because sometimes if you don’t look back, you will never gain perspective.”
Editor’s Note:
Frank Sobchak was selected as a Robyn Gittleman Graduate Teaching Fellow and will return to teach an ExCollege course in Fall 2019, titled SEALs, Snake Eaters, and Air Commandos: The Secret History of U.S. Special Operations Forces (EXP-0025).
Sobchak served twenty-six-years in the U.S. Army, including in various Special Forces assignments (the “Green Berets”), leading teams and companies in 5th Special Forces Group, and representing U.S. Special Operations Command as a congressional liaison. In addition to many training exercises, he deployed on combat and operational missions to Iraq, Kuwait, Kosovo, Jordan, and as part of a counter-narcotics task force. His final assignments included garrison command (akin to being a mayor or city manager of an Army base) and leading the Army effort to publish an official history of the Iraq War.
About the Author
Emma Hodgdon is a senior studying English literature. Apart from reading Gothic fiction, she can be found practicing cello for the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, or dancing with the university’s ballroom dance team. She spends her free time experimenting with calligraphy, learning to speak Chinese, and caring for her succulents, Verotchka and Geraldine.
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