There are no Michael Moore narratives in this documentary. Players from all sides speak for themselves, and you have to see it to believe it.
A Vietnamese carpenter, who makes caskets for children, recounts stories of children killed by American bombs. A Vietnamese woman is so grief-stricken that she climbs into the grave of a loved one as it is being covered with dirt. Viatnamese children run naked through the streets, skin dripping from their bodies, from recently dropped napalm.
An American soldier executes a handcuffed Vietnamese man in the middle of the street. A former CIA official coldly recounts the story of a Viatnamese POW who was thrown from a helicopter because he would not answer questions.
Back at home, a former American bomber pilot cries as he imagines his own children being exposed to the same incendiary devices he dropped on the children of Vietnam. An American mother and father describe the son they lost and eerily repeat the jingoistic phrases of the government they continue to fully support, while another American mother says, "All these people holding their heads up high because they lost a son in Vietnam or some place, well, I don't think that's much to be proud of. They've lost more than they'll ever gain for the rest of their life."
But Gen. Westmoreland sums it up best: "The Oriental does not put the same high price on life as the Westerner. Life is plentiful, life is cheap in the orient."
Hearts and Minds is a great documentary. It speaks for itself.
A Vietnamese carpenter, who makes caskets for children, recounts stories of children killed by American bombs. A Vietnamese woman is so grief-stricken that she climbs into the grave of a loved one as it is being covered with dirt. Viatnamese children run naked through the streets, skin dripping from their bodies, from recently dropped napalm.
An American soldier executes a handcuffed Vietnamese man in the middle of the street. A former CIA official coldly recounts the story of a Viatnamese POW who was thrown from a helicopter because he would not answer questions.
Back at home, a former American bomber pilot cries as he imagines his own children being exposed to the same incendiary devices he dropped on the children of Vietnam. An American mother and father describe the son they lost and eerily repeat the jingoistic phrases of the government they continue to fully support, while another American mother says, "All these people holding their heads up high because they lost a son in Vietnam or some place, well, I don't think that's much to be proud of. They've lost more than they'll ever gain for the rest of their life."
But Gen. Westmoreland sums it up best: "The Oriental does not put the same high price on life as the Westerner. Life is plentiful, life is cheap in the orient."
Hearts and Minds is a great documentary. It speaks for itself.