Hearts and Minds, a review by Antares
Hearts and Minds (1974)
82/100 - During this documentary an air force pilot talks about how everyone is either trying to forget the war or distancing themselves from it. When he spoke those lines it hit me that it was very true, and that I had put almost all of it behind me. I grew up as a child in the sixties, and the Vietnam War was news fodder every night on the national news. My two uncles fought in it and my best friend's brother was killed in it (They dedicated a little league field that we played on daily in his memory). I also had another friend, many years later, who was a few years older than me, who succumbed to throat cancer from being sprayed with Agent Orange. So although I never was really in jeopardy of actually going there, the war did touch me in many different ways. And as I watched this film, the memories started to creep back in, like the day one of my uncles left for the war. I distinctly remember my grandmother breaking down when his car pulled away, wondering if she'd ever see him alive again. The day that my friend's family got the knock on the door, telling them that their oldest boy was killed in action. I had forgotten so much of this because of how long ago it had all happened, but this brought it all back.
The documentary itself, is definitely a product of its time, in that, it is mostly told from the anti-war stance that many had at that time. While not completely balanced, it does also give insight into the pro-war side too. Unfortunately, it could have probably used a bit more of these people to help the viewer truly understand why this war was so divisive in the first place. I already knew that William Westmoreland was an arrogant, by the book marionette, and his appearance really doesn't shed any new light on why we fought. The only other pro-war proponent is a POW who was held in captivity for close to seven years and tows the propaganda line almost fanatically. In fact, it's his words and thoughts that actually dismayed me the most as you would think that he would be one of the voices of reason as to why this war was so unjust, not only to the sons of Americans who fought in it, but of the people of Vietnam who were sacrificed for the sake of halting the Communist domino theory.
What the color coding means...
Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is(From Antares' Short Summations on August 2nd, 2012)
Users: 0
May 18, 2024, 03:44:15 AM
