''Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder'' (also known in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as ''Vietnam: Hell or Glory'') is a 1982 American

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Peter Werner Peter H. Werner (born January 17, 1947, in New York City, New York (state), New York) is an American film director, film and television director. Biography Werner was born to a American Jews, Jewish family, in New York City, New York, one of t ...

and written by Paul G. Hensler, set in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Synopsis

The story centers around Brian Anderson (played by actor

Dennis Christopher Dennis Christopher (born Dennis Carrelli; December 2, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Breaking Away'' (1979), '' Fade to Black'' (1980), ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' It'' (1990) and ''Django Unchained'' (2012) ...

), a U.S. Army soldier serving in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, who is only out for his own neck, who ends up drawn into taking care of orphans in a nearby orphanage, keeping a promise to a friend who was killed in action. At first, he views the task with a degree of annoyance, then slowly begins to warm up to the orphans, risking his life and his career to protect them.

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Class ...

(pre-dating his more-well-known role of

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...

) played the role of Tripper.

Susan Saint James Susan Saint James (born Susan Jane Miller; August 14, 1946) is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, especially the detective series ''McMillan & Wife'' (1971–1976) and ...

played a doctor and the love interest to Brian Anderson.

Background and reception

Paul G. Hensler, the film's screenwriter, was a Vietnam veteran who wanted a film that showed both the "humanitarians" among Americans sent to Vietnam as well as the victims and corruption in war. Although the film portrayed military corruption and the war's victims, the Defense Department supported it. The Army was reported as mixed to positive about the film. Despite the film's mixed view of the military, and its intended criticism of war, the military approved of the main character being a person who matured due to the war, becoming a person who loved and tried to save orphans. The writer indicated he did not mean to show war as necessary for his maturing, indicating that the Peace Corps or something else would be as good or better. Still, the maturing of the character and showing a humanitarian side to Americans in Vietnam pleased the military, which at that time was dealing with films on Vietnam focusing on soldiers who were destructive or even nightmarish people. The film was shot in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was criticized for sentimentality, but overall received good critical reviews. Nevertheless, it was a commercial failure. This has been blamed on its relatively poor production values and its reportedly having a complicated, rather than simply positive or negative, view of the war.Guts & Glory: The Making of the American Military Image in Film by Lawrence H. Suid, pgs 464-467
/ref>

References

External links

* * 1982 films Vietnam War films 1982 independent films 1980s war drama films American independent films American war drama films Films directed by Peter Werner Films scored by Maurice Jarre Films shot in the Philippines 1982 drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language independent films {{war-drama-film-stub