Hearts And Minds

I recently saw Hearts and Minds at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Ebisu. It was the 1974 winner for Best Documentary and is said to have inspired Michael Moore to become a filmmaker. I can see how he borrowed from this film in his own films by using interviews, news footage, pop music, and popular films to create the desired defense. But the film (and Moore) is also effective in the use of successive contrast in the way that director Peter Davis juxtaposes interviews and newsreel footage to demonstrate how high-level opinions (like those form General Westmoreland) were far removed from reality. Davis (Moore as well) also is selective in his interviewing and editing-the interviewees are mostly critical of American involvement in Vietnam save the footage from Lt. Fred Corker who was a POW and still believes in the war. It is full of powerful images and moving testimonies of people who have first hand knowledge of the war. It is a film classic.

Comments

[Eric]

I show the Westmoreland clip every semester in my film class. What great juxtaposition.

[MC]

Cool, I'd like to see your syllabus and see what other films you use in class. I just read and saw THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE-I think you'd like both. The film stars Mitchum and Peter Boyle. I'll blog about it later when I have more time.