History Assignment

Students will write a 3-to-5-page essay, double-spaced, on the  following topic. 

The movie Rescue Dawn portrays the harrowing events of  Dieter Dengler’s capture and escape during the Vietnam War.  While there  are numerous conflicts that reveal underlying societal and political  issues related to the treatment of war combatants, this assignment asks  you to consider the moral implications of portraying real persons within  a fictional film.

A 2007 VICE interview with Director Werner Herzog briefly  outlines Werner’s portrayal of fellow American captive Eugene Debruin as  a crazed and cowardly man.  Individuals close to Debruin, including  family members, have critiqued this portrayal.

To complete this assignment, please review the brief interview at this link ( https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwg5b9/werner-herzog-interview ) and write your essay to the following prompt.

Your essay must consider the ethical dilemma involved with the  portrayal of real-life persons on screen.  Using the specific dilemma  posed by Werner Herzog’s portrayal of Eugene Debruin, would you argue  that Werner Herzog’s portrayal is morally justified?

That is, does the state of historical films as fictional commodities  created for entertainment and profits allow for the creative license of  the real?  In answering this question, think about how the impact of the  portrayal of real-life individuals may have at both the individual and  societal level.  In addition, think about the potential ramifications of  the ethical decision from all sides. The key is to debate the ethical  positions and why they matter as you come to a decision for one or the other.