Lan Chaney development of the Drill Seargent Sterotype in Film

A reoccurring and important theme arises out of art and in particular film because of it proximity to reality, does life imitate art or vice versa? Film dealing with war is no different and indeed is confronted with more scrutiny because of the subject matters relevance to life. Since humanity uses war as defining moments for countries and generations; so too, the media that captures it is used and is gauged by later generations as a device for grasping reality at the time. So, the question posed earlier is used widely now to determine a films worth to the audience in this specific genre. More specifically are certain stereotypes of thematic roles in war films derived from true accounts of military life or the perceived characterizations of an actor’s portrayal. In Tell it to the Marines (1926), the great Lon Chaney defined the role of the Drill Sergeant for his and many generations’ afterward . His portrayal dictated the way that role would be approached and preformed by the major...