The Green Berets (film)

The Green Berets
Theatrical release poster by Frank McCarthy
Directed by	John Wayne Ray Kellogg
Screenplay by	James Lee Barrett
Based on	The Green Berets 1965 novel by Robin Moore
Produced by	Michael Wayne
Starring	John Wayne David Janssen Jim Hutton Aldo Ray Raymond St. Jacques Bruce Cabot Patrick Wayne Luke Askew George Takei
Cinematography	Winton C. Hoch
Edited by	Otho Lovering
Music by	Miklós Rózsa
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Batjac Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
Release date	June 19, 1968 (1968-06-19) (New York City)
Running time	142 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Vietnamese
Budget	$7 million
Box office	$32 million[1]

The Green Berets is a 1968 American war film directed by John Wayne and Ray Kellogg, and starring Wayne, David Janssen and Jim Hutton, based on the 1965 novel by Robin Moore. Much of the film was shot in the summer of 1967. Parts of the screenplay bear little relation to the novel, although the portion in which a woman seduces a North Vietnamese communist general and sets him up to be kidnapped by Americans is from the book.

The Green Berets is strongly anti-communist and pro-South Vietnam. It was released at the height of American involvement in the Vietnam War, the same year as the Tet Offensive against the largest cities in South Vietnam. John Wayne was so concerned by the anti-war sentiment in the United States, he wanted to make this film to present the pro-military position. He requested and obtained full military cooperation and materiel from 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson and the United States Department of Defense. John Wayne bought the film rights to Robin Moore's book for $35,000 and 5% of undefined profits of the film.^[2]

The film was a financial success at the box office, but received almost universally negative reviews from critics.^[3][4]