Cultural impact of the Falklands War

The cultural impact of the Falklands War spanned several media in both Britain and Argentina. A number of films and television productions emerged from the conflict. The first Argentine film about the war was '' Los chicos de la guerra'' (''The Boys of the War'') in 1984. The BBC drama ''Tumbledown'' (1988) tells the story of a British officer paralysed from a bullet wound. The computer game ''Harrier Attack'' (1983) and the naval strategy game '' Strike Fleet'' (1987) are two examples of Falklands-related games. A number of fictional works were set during the Falklands War, including in Stephen King's novella '' The Langoliers'' (1990), in which the character Nick Hopewell is a Falklands veteran. The war provided a wealth of material for non-fiction writers; in the United Kingdom (UK) an important account became Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins' ''The Battle for the Falklands''.

On 4 May, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun ran the controversial headline "Gotcha" in reference to the sinking of the General Belgrano. It has since been said that this contributed to the cultural impact that the war would have, as well as that it was an encapsulation‬ of the British nation's mood at the time, and has formed a significant part of Britain's front page history.

The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges wrote a short poem, called ''Juan López y John Ward'' (1985), about two fictional soldiers (one from each side), who died in the Falklands, in which he refers to "islands that were too famous". Another Argentine example is "Elegy for the Argentine Dead Boys, in the South Atlantic" by Salvador Oria. Music referencing the war includes songs by Captain Sensible, the Argentine punk-rock band Los Violadores' song "Comunicado #166", and British heavy metal band Iron Maiden's song called "Como Estais Amigos".

Arts, entertainment, and electronic media

Films and television

A number of films and television productions emerged from the conflict. Notable examples include:

*In the Episode '' Burns' Heir'' on The Simpsons, Krusty the Clown accidentally placed a rerun from his show, thinking it would blend in with the year of the show (1994), instead having him explain the Falkland war.
*Simon Weston, a Welsh Guardsman who had suffered serious burns during the bombing of ''Sir Galahad'', became a popular figure due to British media coverage. A series of television documentaries followed the progress of rehabilitation and eventual recovery from his injuries, the first being '' Simon's War'' (6 April 1983) in BBC One's '' QED'' series.
*The 1983 British film ''The Ploughman's Lunch'' is set in the media and political world at the time of the war, which it compares to the 1956 Suez War.
*The first Argentine film about the war was ''Los chicos de la guerra'' (''The Boys of the War''), directed by Bebe Kamin in 1984.
*The film version of ''Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986) features a conflict very similar to the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and the fictional Caribbean country of Maguadora over the equally fictional Santa Maya.
*The BBC drama ''Tumbledown'' (31 May 1988) told the story of Robert Lawrence MC, a junior officer in the Scots Guards (Colin Firth) left paralysed down his left side by a gunshot wound to the head inflicted by an Argentine soldier on Mount Tumbledown, during the final push for Stanley, and his adjustment to disabled life after the war.
*Harley Cokeliss' horror film '' Dream Demon'' (1988) depicts a planned marriage between the main character and a Falklands War veteran.
*The 1989 British film '' Resurrected'', directed by Paul Greengrass, had David Thewlis as a British soldier previously presumed dead in the war reappearing alive weeks after the end of the conflict.
*In the American/British film ''For Queen and Country'' (1989) starring Denzel Washington, Reuben is a St. Lucia-born British ex-para finding it difficult to adjust to civilian life some years after the war. The film deals with the poverty and crime that Reuben encounters back home and how he is ignored by both society and government despite his service.
*The BBC film ''An Ungentlemanly Act'' (13 June 1992) depicts the events leading up to and during the initial occupation of the Islands by the Argentine Army. Based on true events, the film was produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict and starred actors Ian Richardson as Governor Rex Hunt and Bob Peck as Major Mike Norman.
* The '' Cracker'' episode "Brotherly Love" (1995) features a psychologically damaged veteran from the Falklands War, Barney (Ron Donachie), who gets into a brief argument with DS Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch) and flies into an insane rage when Beck shows no interest in Barney's exploits in the war.
*Although the drama by Ian Curteis that became known simply as ''The Falklands Play'' was originally commissioned by the BBC
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