Hearts and Minds

"The Forever War. Goes On"

Nov 17 1975 R 1h 52m
Documentary, History, War

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

Plot

This film recounts the history and attitudes of the opposing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage as well as its own film and interviews. A key theme is how attitudes of American racism and self-righteous militarism helped create and prolong this bloody conflict. The film also endeavors to give voice to the Vietnamese people themselves as to how the war has affected them and their reasons why they fight the United States and other western powers while showing the basic humanity of the people that US propaganda tried to dismiss.

Written by

N/A

Directed by

Peter Davis

Cast

Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

BBS Productions

Languages

Français, English

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 1 nomination total

Trailers
Hearts and Minds trailer
Scores
# of Votes
6,578
Average Rating
8.2 out of 10
Metascore
68
Popularity
NA