| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Nominated | Oscar | Best Documentary, Features Emile de Antonio |
Pathe Contemporary Films
Directed by Emile de Antonio
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Home Vision Entertainment)
The tragedy of Vietnam and American hypocrisy are exposed in this documentary by French filmmaker Emile de Antonio. The conflict is given historical context, showing how French colonialism laid the foundation to a long history of resistance to foreign intervention in Vietnam. Meanwhile, McCarthyism runs rampant in America in the 1950s, a paranoia which would fuel its escalating involvement in a country painted as being the key to stopping the spread of Communism. In its most effective scenes, we witness prisoners being tortured by American soldiers, with a voice over by politicians back home claiming they were being treated humanely. While watching this sad display of "the arrogance of power", I can't help but think of Iraq or Afghanistan, and that the politicians of today have learned nothing from recent history.
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