William fulbright, william marshall, khanh nguyen, walt rostow, william c. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the vietnam war depended upon the u. Released in 1974, when it could be considered part of a heated cultural conversation, hearts and minds is an activist documentary, making an emotional, impassioned plea against the war as emphatically and comprehensively as possible. When a film carries a title as heavy as hearts and minds, it is crucial not to overlook its importance in labeling the film and its significance to what happens within it. War in hearts and minds, peter daviss academy awardwinning 1974.
When they did appear, it was usually as onedimensional characters in a predetermined history. Using actual footage and interviews, hearts and minds makes the viewer question why america was involved in the war at all. A startling and courageous film, peter daviss landmark 1974 documentary hearts and minds unflinchingly confronted the united states involvement in vietnam at the height of. Hearts and minds, a film study of power the new york times.
This created quite a storm, pro and con, in the united states. Its mission is to foster civic engagement, using the media arts as tools for youth leadership development, community education and outreach. The urgency of hearts and minds, its anger and its articulation, its insistence that effects of war be visible, and its cogent analysis of connections among politics, media, and the military, all. The films title is based on a quote from president lyndon b. Cinematography richard pearce film editors lynzee klingman, susan martin. However, hearts and minds went on to win the 1974 academy award for best. The film s title is based on a quote from president lyndon b.
Herring and ngo vinh long in the excellent and updated liner notes that accompany its reissue. Hearts and minds is designed to be profoundly upsetting and shocking. It is a multifaceted initiative that includes the following programs. One of the most important contributions peter daviss hearts and minds makes to our national dialogue on the vietnam war is its portrayal of ordinary vietnamese. The episode sees boone carlyle ian somerhalder experience a vision quest, believing his stepsister shannon maggie grace to be dead.
If southern comfort sought to place the viewer on the ground in a vietnamese jungle, peter daviss 1974 documentary, hearts and minds, recently reissued by criterion in a new dualformat edition with two hours of unused material, provides an evocative, often gutwrenching sense of what it was like to be living in the united states during the vietnam war. Advocateobjectify hearts and minds hearts and minds 1974 shows the devastation of the vietnam war and discusses the antiwar sentiment that started to appear in the usa during the 1960s. Hearts and minds, however, is so various, so full of associations that go beyond the war, that the film does a lot more than preach to the committed. Hearts and minds criterion collection with dvd on tcm shop. Peter davis on his pivotal vietnam documentary, hearts and. An examination of the conflicting attitudes of the opponents of the vietnam war. It is a controversial film because it highlights the sentiments of war. Filmmaker peter davis uses johnsons phrase in an ironic context in this antiwar documentary, filmed and released while the vietnam war was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like u. The virulently antivietnam war documentary also is a prime example of feeblethinking vietnam veteran bashing, of what. Hearts and minds film the hearts and minds film initiative is the flagship program of serviam media. There are lessons aplenty about vietnam in hearts and mindsits a shame we still. Hearts and minds is an unapologetically partisan film and.
Pacification is the more formal term for winning hearts and minds. Military, political, economic, and social means were used to. The film is a searing indictment of the united states and its presence in vietnam, depicting the ghastly toll of pain and suffering inflicted on the vietnamese people by the american armed forces. Hearts and minds vietnam or winning hearts and minds refers to the strategy and programs used by the governments of vietnam and the united states during the vietnam war to win the popular support of the vietnamese people and to help defeat the viet cong insurgency. Newsweek had a fawning interview in its april 6 issue with peter davis, the director and coproducer of the 1975 documentary, hearts and minds, on the occasion of its recent dvd reissue. For years, the vietnamese had been conspicuous by their absence in american film and texts. Critics of this film argue that this film doesnt utilise hard political analysis.
Power is virtually the first word heard in peter daviss epic documentary, hearts and minds, and power, real and mythical, is what the film. The disjointed structure of the film leads the director to slowly reveal. Documentary is not truth, no retelling of an event ever is. The film starts with a basic outline of the issues. Through a series of flashbacks, it is revealed that boone is in love with shannon, and that they slept together prior to crashing on the island. Hearts and minds is a 1974 american documentary film about the vietnam war directed by peter davis.
Peter daviss hearts and minds is an archetypal important documentary about the war in vietnam. Hearts and minds a must to avoid vietnam veterans of. Throughout the film, you see various conversations with both a. Using a wealth of sourcesfrom interviews to newsreels to footage of the conflict and the upheaval it occasioned on the home frontdavis constructs a powerfully affecting picture. This revealing documentary about the vietnam war was made and released at a time when it was clear that the war would end in humiliating defeat for the us. For evidence of this, we need look no further than 1974s oscarwinning hearts and minds, a provocative look at the us involvement in the vietnam war. The late film critic judith crist, in her essay written for criterions 2002.
It is a potent film with many images that stick in the mind. Hearts and minds 1975 winner of the academy award for best documentary feature, peter daviss documentary on the american involvement in the war in vietnam debuted at the cannes film festival in 1974, just a year after the american withdrawal and months before the resignation of. It is a provocative film that is likely to generate strong feelings and reactions. Scenes from actual news footage is shown villages burned, dead bodies, and bloody injured soldiers as well as testimonials from american soldiers, some of whom are now paralyzed. Hearts and minds 1974 many times during his presidency, lyndon b.
The movie was chosen as the winner of the oscar for best documentary at the 47th academy awards presented in 1975. On the commentary track for peter davis hearts and minds, a landmark. Overviewintroduction hearts and minds is a gripping 112 minute documentary created in 1974 and directed by peter davis. Hearts and minds is a 1974 documentary about the vietnam war. Before viewing the film hearts and minds, please be warned. Hearts and minds is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the american television series lost. On the 40th anniversary of hearts and minds, vogue. Hearts and minds is a powerful documentary that was made by peter davis in 1974 to examine the vietnam war in its last days.
Parents need to know that hearts and minds is an intense 1974 academyaward winning documentary about the vietnam war. The editing, though often manipulative, seamlessly weaves actual footage with interviews, giving the film a firm narrative and. Directed by peter davis, minds doesnt really attempt to provide a history of the conflict, though it pays some lip service to that concept. Released in 1974, when it could be considered part of a heated cultural. Hearts and minds is a 1974 documentary film directed by peter davis it is a history of americas involvement in the vietnam war. Its very sympathetic to the vietnamese which i am not saying is a bad thing, damning the war and the government to the point where im surprised it wasnt somehow censored on release.
In the film, director peter davis combines archival. When the film first appeared here in 1974, its sympathetic and complicated treatment of average vietnamese created a. What do they reveal about the architecture of cinematic argument. And then it was shelved for a year because its original distributor, columbia, feared legal problems. Hearts and minds is a documentary about the vietnam. With tin chan, chau diem, ngo dinh diem, john foster dulles. Vietnams history as a french colony is discussed, as well as americas gradual and incremental involvement in the conflict from the 1950s into the 1970s. Using a wealth of sourcesfrom interviews to footage of the conflict and the upheaval it caused on the home frontdavis constructs a powerfully affecting picture of the disastrous impacts of war. I can not say that i have ever seen the 1974 award winning documentary hearts and minds, directed by peter davis, before but after watching the trailer. The documentary hearts and minds 1974 directed by peter davis is a. When the issue of hearts and minds arises in the film, it is not only concerned about the emotions towards the war at home, but also. Hearts and minds postviewing guide trinity university.
A startling and courageous film, peter daviss landmark 1974 documentary hearts and minds unflinchingly confronted the united states involvement in vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it. Hearts and minds is a powerful indictment against the vietnam war. It is also rated r, which accurately reflects some of the disturbing. Its one of many scenes that capture the complexities of the vietnam war in hearts and minds, peter daviss academy awardwinning 1974 documentary, just. The film is being revived and re released thirtyfive years after it was made. Analysis of hearts and minds and harlan county, usa. Hearts and minds, a sentimental and intellectual film as its title suggests. This was a controversial film when it was released, and it is still a controversial film. Hearts and minds, a film study of power power is virtually the first word heard in peter daviss epic documentary, hearts and minds, and power, real and mythical, is what the film contemplates in as many tones and moods as you might expect in superior fiction. A startling and courageous film, peter daviss landmark 1974 documentary unflinchingly confronted the united states involvement in vietnam at the height of the controversy surrounding it. Rent hearts and minds 1974 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. In this case, however, it was also defined as the process of. The award winning documentary, hearts and minds, portrays the attitudes of the opposing sides in the vietnam war. The movie was chosen as best feature documentary at the 47th academy awards presented in 1975.
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