First, that's the best film ever made about Dien Bien Phu battle and defeat for French Army. It is far far better than the US movie JUMP INTO HELL, an anti red American film made in 1953; they used the pretext of this battle to criticize the communist army, but we can understand and forgive them. Second, this terrific , so accurate and above all FACTUAL story is told by the main known, the leader of the military concerned directors that French movie industry have ever had in its rank; besides him there were Raoul Coutard and Claude Bernard Aubert; also war specialists who also fought in Indochina war, and not only. Pierre Schoendoerffer gives here an awesome movie destined to them who want to know what exactly happened in 1954, during this gruesome battle, this tragedy. It is very brave from the French military authorities to collaborate for this feature showing all the errors from the big headquarters, from the high rank military staff. Remember Stanley Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY, which the topic was not so far from this one, and which was forbidden in France for twenty years after its making.... Yes, thanks to the French army to have permitted this movie enhancing the bravery of French soldiers but not at the glory of general officers !!!! It was a repeat of May 1940 defeat too, for the more or less same reasons, and also on another scale, I admit. The main link being, military staff. Always in France. The trademark: good soldiers but jerks officers for most of them, prefering parties with buffets to the awful reality of war, sending the troops to death because of lousy, stupid, brainless decisions. FRANCE.... Pierre Schoendoerffer was also the maker of LA 317 ème SECTION, a famous French war film about war in Indochina, the most know made about this conflict.
Review of Diên Biên Phú
