I agree with David that you can exploit the unpleasent side of any war with the retelling of such incidents. Any that is what it is, exploitation. No War is ever totally pure and devoid of unseemly incidents, nor is any one side as blameless and holy as they would like to believe that they are. Nor is man ever incapable of preforming such incidents.

For example we would have a different perspective of our World War II veterans if a film were made of the factual incidents of the U.S, Army airman, B-25 crews, during World War II, machinegunning helpless Japanese soldiers struggling in the waters around the sinking Japanese transport ships in The Bismarck Sea. Now we will make a film of a German u-boat crew doing the same thing to the crew of a cargo ship they had just sunk in the Atlantic.

Or Japanese prisoners of war that were shot by Marines in the Pacific theater while trying to excape. But we will make one of the Nazi SS shooting American P.O.W.'s in the Battle of the Bulge. It fact that has been depicted in several movies. I am surprised that Hollywood, as anti-american military as most seem to be, haven't made such as film. But if the Japanese or German film industry were to make such a film, what would we say to that?

I wonder if the feelings would be reversed if a film, depicting the "Factual" nature of Sherman's exploits in Georgia and South Carolina, or Sheridans exploits in the valley, or Kansas troops in the Trans-Mississippi Dept. were made from a southern perspective?

It is just my thoughts but none of the films like "Cold Mountain", and the book is even worst, gets to the heart of understanding the War, and really serves no legitimate purpose other than shock value entertainment.