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| Daniel Ellsberg, Randy Floyd, George Coker,
Clark Clifford, William Westmoreland, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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interviewer:
Do you think we've learned anything from all of this?
Randy Floyd: I think we're trying not to.
Oscar-winning documentary about US
involvement in Vietnam.
 There's
quite a story behind the production that ended up an Oscar-winning
documentary about American involvement in the war in Vietnam. Bert
Schneider, who was the hottest producer working in Hollywood following
the immense popular success and critical acclaim of films like Easy
Rider, Head, Five Easy Pieces and The Last Picture Show
secured financing for the film from Columbia without ever telling
the studio anything about the project but the title. When the studio
executives found out the project was not only a documentary rather
than a feature film, and one that takes an outspoken, anti-governmental
stance, Columbia balked at the prospect of releasing such a controversial
project and ended up selling it back to Schneider, who ultimately
secured a distribution deal from Warner Bros. When it was finally
released to American theaters, it garnered critical acclaim and
became a financial success thanks to the counterculture movement
that was still in full swing. It even won the Best Documentary Oscar
at the 1976 Academy Awards, but was also heavily criticized for
allegedly presenting a one-sided, manipulative perspective on US
involvement in the war.
Viewing the film today, it takes some historical context to imagine
what the huge controversy surrounding the film was all about. The
facts and viewpoints presented here and the film's outspoken criticism
of American policies are pretty much common knowledge by now. But
much of American society was still living in denial in 1975, reeling
from the effects of a war nobody could yet fully understand and
that would leave a permanent scar. Truth be told, the film is more
of a thesis statement than an objective documentary on the war,
including rhetorical flourishes and some clever editing tricks to
give the filmmaker's central point the greatest possible impact.
The film develops its points carefully and powerfully, working towards
a shattering climax that is meant to enrage, impassion and stimulate
further thought on the matter. I for one can't see what can possibly
be wrong with that. |
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Only available on DVD as a Region 1
release from the Criterion Collection.
The anamorphic widescreen image
is framed at an aspect ratio of approx. 1.85:1. The film has a rather
grainy look and the image looks fuzzy and soft at times. But the
source print is in excellent shape, with hardly any noticeable damage
or debris visible, and colors seem natural and full.
The mono sound mix is rendered in Dolby Digital 1.0 from the center
speaker. It sounds a bit thin and has the expected limitations in
dynamics and fidelity, but is clearly intelligible without much
distortion.
The sole extra on the disc itself
is a scene-specific audio commentary track from director
Peter Davis. The soft-spoken filmmaker offers an abundance of insight
into the production and the historical background for this controversial
documentary. He defends his film eloquently and convincingly from
many of the attacks originally leveled at it by its detractors.
As there is no voice-over narration in the film itself, quite a
bit of historical context is lacking when watching the film today,
and his newly recorded commentary track is very helpful in illuminating
numerous points of inquiry.
Special mention must again go to the booklet included with
this new Criterion Collection release. Not only is it immaculately
designed, but its rich contents add significantly to the film. After
an introductory statement from Bobby Muller - one of the Vietnam
vets seen in the movie - we find five separate essays. Film critic
Judith Christ offers up a general look at the film, while historian
Robert K. Brigham discusses the way the movie depicts the Vietnamese.
Historian George C. Herring provides a quick but tight history of
the war, while historian Ngo Ving Long covers the influence it had
on the indigenous population. Director Davis himself looks back
on the conflict and its later effects on American society from today's
perspective. An outstanding companion to an excellent release.A nicely designed main menu screen
reflects the artwork on the box. Navigation is once again gorgeously
designed.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: September
3, 2002
Click
here for IMDB info on Hearts
and Minds.
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