Hearts and Minds
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Provocative Vietnam War docu with violence, racial slurs.
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What's the Story?
HEARTS AND MINDS is a 1974 documentary about the Vietnam War. Vietnam's history as a French colony is discussed, as well as America's gradual and incremental involvement in the conflict from the 1950s into the 1970s. The opinions of American policy makers, veterans, anti-war activists, and average citizens in the United States and Vietnam combine with news footage to show a well-rounded, if left-skewing picture of the turmoil of wartime. What emerges from this documentary is a debate on the costs of the Vietnam War -- in lives, in pride, in the sheer divisiveness it engendered between Americans -- and an attempt to understand how the Vietnamese themselves understood the war.
Is It Any Good?
Hearts and Minds is a frank discussion about the price paid by so many on all sides for this divisive military conflict. Whether you believe the Vietnam War was a battle the Vietnamese waged against colonialism, or a battle Americans (and before them, the French) waged against the spread of international communism -- or if you don't know what you think -- it is impossible to finish watching Hearts and Minds without having a strong opinion on the war, and this documentary's bold efforts to understand the war. Nearly 40 years after its controversial release, many of the issues raised -- about war, American foreign policy, patriotism, and America's role in the world as a super power -- remain in the forefront of a still-divided nation.
What has changed since that time -- publicly, anyway -- are some of the shocking expressions of racism in the documentary; for instance, a recently returned American prisoner of war freely uses the word "gooks" when discussing his experiences as a soldier with a women's club in his hometown. The racial slurs, coupled with the intense scenes of war, will make this a difficult experience for younger and more sensitive viewers. It's a documentary that shows war in all its complexities and outright ugliness (and a welcome contrast to the typical Hollywood glamorization of battle).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Vietnam War is presented in this documentary? Do you think it includes all sides? What did you learn about Vietnam and the Vietnam War that you did not know before watching this documentary?
How does this documentary compare to Hollywood movies about Vietnam?
How have things changed since the Vietnam War? What is the U.S.'s relationship with Vietnam now? How have attitudes toward different cultures and races shifted over time?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 25, 2002
- Cast: Clark Clifford, George Coker, Georges Bidault
- Director: Peter Davis
- Studio: Criterion Collection
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: History
- Run time: 112 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- Award: Academy Award
- Last updated: October 8, 2022
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