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Kay Dvorshock,
George Coker
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Peter Davis,
Peter Davis
see all cast/crew...
: Criterion
: Documentary, Politics and Social Issues, Political & Social Issues, Military, Vietnam War, Criterion Collection
: 112 min.
: English
: English
see additional details...
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The title of this documentary was inspired by the mantra recited by those in charge of the Vietnam War: "In order to win the war, we must win the hearts and minds of the people." The failure to achieve this, coupled with the disastrous no-win policies of the higher-ups, is the nucleus of this film, put together by director Peter Davis in the same manner as Marcel Ophuls' The Sorrow and the Pity. Like the Ophuls film, Davis juxtaposes news footage of the Vietnam war with interviews conducted with its observers and participants, interspersing vignettes of the fatuous comments made by the generals and politicians. The film was briefly withdrawn from distribution when Walter Rostow, one-time advisor to President Johnson, insisted that his reputation had been damaged and demanded that the two minutes featuring Rostow on-camera be deleted. More controversy arose when Hearts and Minds won the Best Documentary Oscar, whereupon the Academy issued a statement--read during the awards ceremony by Frank Sinatra--that it did not condone or advocate the volatile statements made by the producers during their acceptance speech. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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| Good, but not what I'd been hoping for.
by emdoub
September 19, 2009 - 8:38 PM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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A pretty solid anti-war documentary, which does a passable job of allowing the presentation of the point of view of the war supporters - showing that there are, indeed, many facets to be considered. That war is horrid is a pretty easy idea to present - what we were trying to accomplish in fighting this particularly horrid war, and why we thought these tactics would further that strategy, would have been wonderful.
Disappointing was the complete whitewash of North Vietnam's role in the war - they are presented, universally, as people fighting for freedom and unification, never as people trying to force Communism and 'unification' upon a populace that didn't want it.
Some professional reviews had led me to hope that this documentary delved into the policies and strategy behind the tactics that were so grievously useless, but this is brushed upon so lightly that one should expect nothing, and enjoy the few bits that do turn up.
I'll give it a 6 - plus 2 points for showing different sides of the question in the US, minus 3 points for being so monotone in examination of the politics and goals in Vietnam. It could have been a lot better - but I've seen many worse. |
| Thought I knew enough...
by MbDooley
July 8, 2006 - 12:35 AM PDT
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3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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| I think most Americans think they know enough about what happened and won't watch any of these kind of documentaries. But this and WINTER SOLDIER are edifying and harrowing. It's a bitter pill to swallow to try and learn from history but be condemned to repeat it collectively with and by all the administration bastards. |
| Powerful Reality Check
by rancimo
March 18, 2005 - 5:02 PM PST
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3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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| A powerful documentary. I often look at the news of current affairs and wonder how much propaganda we're surrounded by. How much of what's going on is hidden for different reason. Did we really learn a lesson from the mistakes we've made in the past? A "must see" for everyone so that we don't continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 8.29)
185 Votes
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