Day 48 - Hearts and Minds


Day 48              Hearts and Minds [1974 Documentary]
                          
Director                         Peter Davis
Cinematography            Richard Pearce
Subject                          The title ironically quotes LBJ’s aim for victory by winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Vietnamese people. This documentary uses news reel, interviews and war footage to take a strict anti-war stance.         
Production                      BBS Productions

IMDb                                  8.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes                100%

I thought I should make a move back to documentary as I’ve been heavy on films on this blog and it’s nice to have a change once in a while. As fun as watching a film a day is, it gets pretty tiring after a while as if I want to watch a TV series, for example, it’s a bit too much time in front of the screen for one day. On with the blog though.. I liked this. Mainly because I hate US pro-war sentiment, and this is completely the other side of the argument. It explores the reasons behind America being in Vietnam, as well as the feelings and opinions of soldiers, civilians and politicians from both sides. The best interviews are those with veterans who are anti the war. You realise that many US soldiers were fighting largely against what they believed in and simply had to follow orders or be accused of communism or desertion. Many of them knew that there was no real, physical enemy, thanks to the guerrilla tactics of the Vietnamese. It meant the lines were often blurred between villagers and Viet Cong, and many atrocities were committed. Yet no-one pays for those atrocities because it’s the Goddamn U.S. of A., the global policeman, team ‘murica. It’s an eye-opening documentary if you don’t know much about this period of history. Filmed while US were still at war in Vietnam, it’s a daring attempt to undermine US military views, and that’s where it fails a little bit. It’s so anti-war that those with potential rational reasons for the war don’t get interviewed, or their words are skewed. Either way I liked it because I hate those in power getting away with whatever the fuck they want. This goes a little way to expose the US and to raise awareness for the problems with US involvement in Vietnam.

Subject Matter               4 / 4
Shock Factor               3.5 / 4
Production                     3 / 4
Music                            2 / 4

HWF rating              3 / 4