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

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Peter Werner Peter H. Werner (January 17, 1947 – March 21, 2023) was an American film and television director. His 1976 film, '' In the Region of Ice'', won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Biography Werner was born to a Jewish family, ...

and written by Paul G. Hensler, set in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Synopsis

The story centers around Brian Anderson (played by actor

Dennis Christopher Dennis Christopher Carrelli (born December 2, 1950) is a retired American actor whose film credits include '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' Fade to Black'' (1980), ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' It'' (1990), and '' Django Unchained'' (2012). Ear ...

), a U.S. Army soldier serving in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

, 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. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise. Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, incl ...

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

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' horror film franchise. Created by Wes Craven, he made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a ...

) played the role of Tripper.

Susan Saint James Susan Saint James (born 1946) is an American former 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 the sitcom '' Kate & A ...

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, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. 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 English-language war drama films {{war-drama-film-stub