Should be Required for Americans to Watch For a historical perspective of the Vietnam War, this is a great starting point for those too young to remember or watch the nightly news while this revolution in America occurred where the war was stopped by protests and disillusion in the states. Some of the images here are graphic and a great statement about how horrible war is. Watching children with napalm still burning their body and seeing the famous execution photograph at point blank on tape is disturbing and I had to turn away. But by far the most touching is watching the young girl lay on the grave of her father as they bury him followed closely by the angry farmer who talks of his children killed in bombing.
These images are interspersed with discussions by Ellsworth, Westmoreland and Clark Clifford. Clifford is the most significant as he discusses how listening to the answers of officers convinced him there was no clear plan and it was not going near as well as they suggested.
Many people have attempted to connect Iraq's invasion with this story and I do believe there are parallels. But the message of this documentary is the pure tragedy of war and the atrocities committed on both sides. War is hell. Let's stay out of them at all costs. Yes, this is one sided. But the message should not be right or wrong. It should be the damage done to both sides and the human costs.
****** Hearts and Minds ***** This is one of the most striking documentaries I have had the pleasure of watching related to an international conflict in the modern world - the Vietnam War. It is hard to imagine that this was filmed in 1974 yet conveys such a significant message to the world as it is 33 years later. It holds true to the idea that a great piece of art can stand the test of time for generations to come.. it also points so elegantly that mankind is doomed to repeat his/her mistakes over and over again.
As some previous reviewers protest this documentary does hold an anti-war stance and defends its case vehementally using some stunning imagery and at times visually disturbing scenes. There is no doubt that the intended impact to the viewer is one of 'shock and awe'. This is especially poignant in the testimony delivered by the veterans interviewed who give an intimate and personal portrayal of what the reality of the conflict is on the ground. It is hard to genuinely imagine how polarized the World and the US public were in light of historical events that take place in this film. It is my personal opinion that the viewer can gain a valuable insight to the conflict through 'Hearts and minds'. 5 stars!!!!
Powerful today as it was when it was filmed It's hard to reflect on the Vietnam era after watching this film, but the comparison is astounding after viewing this award-winning film about America's involvement in Vietnam made in 1974 when U.S. forces were still in southeast Asia. Nothing about this film is easy. And everything about it is timely. Presenting the people of that age is second to none and Michael Moore couldn't have made a better film today.
This documentary is graphic and revealing. Anyone interested in American foreign policy over the past few decades would do well to see this. General Westmoreland's comments about the Vietnamese are as revealing of a problem as to why we are in Iraq today. "Hearts and Minds" surpasses all expectations and I highly recommend it.
A compelling and enlightening look at why we fought in SE Asia An incredibly revealing documentary not only condemning (thru footage of what took place) the horrible violence inflicted on the Vietnamese but the inculcation of making an "enemy" in a nation far from the United States. American culture sees war as a football game.
Nothing, and I do mean nothing, has changed between then, and now. The same comparisons to the "enemy" to "fighting for freedom" are made in this film by the same people you hear say it today, some soldiers and some politicians. And then, as today, you can hear even more voices speaking out against it, and I wonder if those voices were as muted then by the media as they are today. However, they are not muted in this documentary.
At times graphic images of death are included with footage of sorties against cities and villages. At times we hear from the surivivors of these raids, and we also see them. Particularly upsetting is a North Vietnamese man describing how his daughter was killed in a bombing raid that clearly was simply a village, this man only a grieving father. Crying out "Take her shirt back to Nixon" in Vietnamese was terrible to watch. If only U.S. Presidents could understand how innocents die in these aggressive military actions against other nations but U.S. governments seem impervious to this reality.
This is an excellent film in its own right but if you've been paying attention to whats happening in Iraq, you will watch this film and all the clips from every politician of this era (and before) and realize that, yes, what we are hearing today is the same recycled pattern of lying that proves history repeats itself.
Sad, tragic, and seemingly inevitable is war to our government.
Hearts and Minds An ideal companion piece to Errol Morris's recent "The Fog of War," Davis's shattering, controversial film intercuts newsreel footage of the war's horrific impact with the ill-informed or misleading comments of its official supporters in the Pentagon and Congress. When the hard-hitting film won an Oscar for Best Documentary, producer Bert Schneider angered many at the ceremony with his overtly political acceptance speech. A devastating chronicle of a still-healing national wound, "Hearts and Minds" remains a powerful cautionary tale for any era.
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