DVD Review: Hearts and Minds (B+)

Hearts and Minds (1974)
Directed by Peter Davis
MPAA: R
Grade: B+

Review by Scott Standish

It seems like America has been trying to forget the Vietnam war ever since it happened. But of course it did happen and it was a nightmare for this country. Much can be learned by looking back at the circumstances surrounding America's long battle in Vietnam. For those of us that are too young to really remember Vietnam, a film like Hearts and Minds is all the more potent.

Hearts and Minds is an amazing documentary originally released in 1974. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary and its easy to see why. Combining footage of actual soldiers in the field, Vietnamese citizens and politicians all explaining their viewpoints, it paints a pretty bleak picture of a brutal time in America's history. Many of the soldiers featured in the film either were clueless as to who and what they were fighting for. The politicians interviewed in Hearts and Minds seemed to have vague or contradictory reasons for fighting this war. Ultimately Hearts and Minds shows the result of this poorly planned military operation: a tragic toll on American and Vietnamese families.

Hearts and Minds was an extremely controversial film on its release, due to its penchant for sympathizing with the Vietnamese people. The viewpoints of the Vietnamese villagers in Hearts and Minds were that they're a proud people and have done nothing to deserve being invaded by the U.S. This viewpoint, being espoused in a US made film (especially back in 1974) certainly struck some nerves especially with veterans who just went through such a terrible ordeal.

I didn't have any problems with the movie's liberal leanings or its inclusion of the Vietnamese viewpoint. However I do think that some properly placed differences of opinion (articulately spoken) would have brought the film more balance. The pro-war viewpoints that do make it into this film are pretty ludicrous and they often degenerate into obvious racism. But, on the other hand, 30 minutes into the movie it becomes clear that Hearts and Minds is a documentary with a very precise point of view. There is an opinion behind this documentary and nothing will stand in its way.

Moving, disturbing, and always fascinating, Hearts and Minds is a strong anti-war documentary. Despite its lack of balance it remains a shocking look back at a period of time that this country should never forget.

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