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Hearts and Minds (1974),
Director: Peter Davis, rated R for real war
gore/violence, language, some nudity
"Excruciatingly
Brilliant" - Paul Zimmerman, Newsweek
  Noted
Interviewees: Tin Chan,
Clifford Clark, John Foster Dulles, Georges Bidault, Lt. George Coker, Daniel
Ellsberg, Walt Rostow, Sen. J.W. Fulbright, 1st. Lt. Bobby Muller, Gen. William
Westmoreland, Robert F. Kennedy, Gen. Dinh Diem, Gen. Nguyen Khanh
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"The question used to
be: might it be possible that we were on the wrong side in the
Vietnamese War? But, we weren't on the wrong side. We are the
wrong side."
- Daniel Ellsberg
Why watch this? This
helps explain the mess that was Vietnam, and our faults
regarding it.
Plot Summary:
This documentary examines the United States' involvement in the
Vietnam War through a montage of archival footage, newsreels,
and interviews with politicians, soldiers, and civilians. It
juxtaposes the perspectives of American policy-makers and
soldiers with the human impact of the conflict on the Vietnamese
people, highlighting themes of militarism, racism, and
suffering.
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Dad's Preview:
This stellar documentary burns like the gaseous flames from a
napalm bombing raid. Using select news clips and interviews, the
filmmakers show the reasons for such a division of opinion
regarding the Vietnam War. At first, we see a pro-military push
at home, the honoring of soldiers and an almost ignorant
perception of that Vietnam thing over there. It
juxtaposes a high school football game to war, like it's just
another game to win. As the film digs deeper, things become
cloudier and the war becomes a costly mess that is losing
support in the States, especially when video images surface
showing the brutality of our military's actions. Conservative
critics and the military hated this film, calling it propaganda.
Does this sound familiar to life in the USA in 2026? In both
1974 and 2026, it is appropriate to be wary of what our
government is indoctrinating into our hearts and minds.
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Rainbow
Pictures Corp., BBS Productions; Warner Bros. |
