Hearts & Minds
Unrated
1974, Criterion
Years before Vietnam War dramas like Apocalypse Now, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter and Platoon hit theaters, director Peter Davis captured the emotional heartache of the 10-year Vietnam War with Hearts & Minds, his humanistic documentary that emphasizes the lives of the Vietnamese people who suffered through the war. Hearts & Minds won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1975, and it's easy to see why. it remains powerful and poignant.
The film's title is taken from a speech delivered by President Lyndon Johnson announcing his decision to escalate America's involvement in the Vietnam War: "So we must be ready to fight in Vietnam," Johnson said. "But our ultimate victory depends on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there."
The early, quiet scenes of rural Vietnamese life do not prepare you for the impending horrors in Hearts & Minds. Everything is tranquil until the American soldiers arrive. In Davis' persuasive anti-war documentary, these foreboding soldiers hint at the devastation to come.
Davis, director of the TV documentaries The Selling of the Pentagon and Hunger in America, edits his footage carefully. Scenes about Vietnam's desire for independence shift quickly to a Revolutionary War reenactment in suburban New York.
"Oriental politics?" one make-believe Revolutionary War soldier asks Davis' crew. "Don't put me on!"
Davis chooses his interview subjects purposefully. Former Presidential advisor Clark Clifford explains how he came to withdraw his support for American forces in Vietnam. An argumentative interview between Davis and U.S. military advisor Walt Rostow is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. During their heated exchange, Rostow accuses Davis of asking "goddamn silly questions."
Images of military hardware and explosions precede footage of Vietnamese peasants and their rural life. Hearts & Minds captures the hustle and bustle of Saigon's streets. There are street kids selling watches and young women selling themselves. Navigating the chaos are American soldiers who just want to have a good time.
Hearts & Minds does lose momentum whenever Davis inserts images of old combat movies. Davis wants to poke fun at the pro-war propaganda, but his use of archival footage is more clumsy than comical. Later in the film, he makes an unconvincing attempt to show a connection between gung-ho soldiers and win-at-all-costs high school football players.
Hearts & Minds has its share of grisly war footage, but its best moments occur on a more human level. A Native American soldier talks to Davis about his experiences with racism in the military. Later, a soldier describes the Vietnamese as "backward people that make a mess out of everything."
While one soldier compares aerial assaults to the childhood thrill of exploding firecrackers, a Vietnamese pig farmer shows the ruins of his bombed-out home. "First they bomb us, then they film," the Vietnamese farmer says, pointing to the Hearts & Minds crew.
Hearts & Minds is beautifully restored, thanks to a high-definition digital transfer that returns the film to its original condition. As a bonus, Davis provides audio commentary.
With Hearts & Minds, Davis does a good job questioning the idealism and anti-Communist propaganda surrounding the Vietnam War. His anti-Vietnam War argument is as heartfelt as ever. Can you imagine a filmmaker taking a critical stance regarding today's war on terrorism? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding no. Grade: A
And the rest
The First 24 Hours (Docurama), free of commentary and music, is a powerful witness to the "ground zero" aftermath immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Out of the many cinematic responses that have emerged from Sept. 11, director Etienne Sauret's powerful documentary relies on real-time images and natural sound to make a visceral impact.
Printer-friendly version
