On a technical level, the scene’s cinematography reinforces the prejudice against the Vietnamese, as the camera seems to side with the hostile Americans. When directed at the U.S. vessel, the camera is at eye level with the characters, implying equality or familiarity. It is as if the camera is another member of the crew.  All shots of the Vietnamese, on the other hand, are angled downward in a disdainful manner.  Placing the camera above the Vietnamese suggests they are the inferior subjects. Inversely, because the soldiers hold the high ground, they are in a position of power. These cinematographic elements effectively convey the Americans’ superiority complex.

The space the cinematography creates between the Vietnamese and the Americans is not only physical, but also metaphorical. There is an aloofness generated by the bias of the camera. While shots of the Americans are primarily medium close-ups of faces, shots of the Vietnamese are mostly from behind and/or at a distance, and their faces are only seen briefly. The camera seems to be avoiding interaction with the so-called enemy.  Without the connection that is established through the eyes and face , there is less empathy for the Vietnamese’ suffering (again, thinking of the camera as a third-person onlooker). This disconnect is most evident with the dying woman: the hair strewn across her eyes conceals her facial expressions, and she becomes no more than an unidentifiable body.  Thus, the deprival of emotion – as dictated by cinematography – enhances the separation between the Americans and the Vietnamese.

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