MovieChat Forums > The Swarm (1978) Discussion > Vietnam War analogies?

Vietnam War analogies?

posted 17 years ago by rudeboy8080
4 replies | jump to latest

In 'The Swarm', the killer bees are a low tech enemy that manage to kick human behind, even though humans are more technologically advanced. This theme also happens in 'Aliens'. Stock footage of fighter jets, in Vietnam, flying over a jungle appears on a monitor when Slater orders the jets to use neutracide. As James Cameron claimed in an interview, the US fought a high tech war against a low tech enemy in Vietnam...and still lost. 'The Swarm' was made a few years after the war ended.

As history books claim, the USA lost the Vietnam War.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't think too critically about it. 'The Swarm' is a hokey film. Baloney, yet entertaining baloney.

[–] paul-capaldi 14 years ago

Hmmm that's actually quite interesting given the period when it was shot. Also, a few years earlier there was the far superior Phase IV which had ants instead of bees. If you haven't seen it I would highly recommend it.

[–] joekiddlouischama 9 years ago

... an intriguing idea, with the analogy to fighting a guerilla or insurgent opponent. But this film also might as well have been set in the 1950s, with the exception of Katherine Ross' pseudo-feminist doctor, who gave The Swarm a hair of sociological awareness.

[–] bluedionysus 7 years ago

Interesting stuff, guys. And I'd almost buy it... were this not such a silly disaster movie. I think any parallels to the Vietnam War may have been subconscious, at best - but that doesn't necessarily discount such a reading.

[–] ddc300 9 years ago

Yes, I think the producer/director was showing how the 'by-the-book' military types had no clue how to battle the bees and were hard-nosed about it. This I think was an analogy to the way the military was perceived as screwing up toward the end of the Vietnam war. The Military is clearly viewed as arrogant pricks and only civilian scientists are level-headed in "The Swarm".