https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3080793.html

I saw the Oscar-winning film when I was a teenager, and was somewhat confused by it, knowing a bit about the Vietnam war but much less about the blue-collar culture which turns out to be the main theme of the story. It's a very effective film, in sound and vision, and some of it has lingered with me for three decades. It will be some time before I reach it in my current viewing sequence, however. The novelisation is a poor substitute, reminiscent of the least energetic Doctor Who novelisations; it feels like a direct transcription from the screenplay, with very limited authorial insight into the thinking or experiences of the characters. I guess that back in the ancient days of the late 1970s, before there were easily available video tapes, this was the most accessible way for fans of the film to re-experience it. ( )