Film Still

Hearts and Minds

Peter Davis

United States

1974

112 minutes

Color

1.85:1

English

156

Synopsis

A courageous and startling film, Peter Davis’s landmark documentary Hearts and Minds unflinchingly confronts the United States’ involvement in Vietnam. Using a wealth of sources—from interviews to newsreels to documentary footage of the conflict at home and abroad—Davis constructs a powerfully affecting portrait of the disastrous effects of war. Explosive, persuasive, and shocking, Hearts and Minds is an overwhelming emotional experience and the controversial winner of the 1974 Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Cast

Georges Bidault
Clark Clifford
George Coker
Kay Dvorshock
Daniel Ellsburg
Randy Floyd
J. William Fulbright
Robert Muller
Khanh Nguyen
Walt Rostow
William C. Westmoreland

Credits

DirectorPeter Davis
CinematographyRichard Pearce
ProducerBert Schneider and Henry Lange
EditingLynzee Klingman and Susan Martin
SoundTom Cohen and Clara Noto
Editorial departmentCharles Musser

Disc Features

  • New digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Audio commentary by director Peter Davis
  • Accompanying booklet containing multiple printed essays on the film
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

From the Current

Hearts and Minds 3

by Ngo Vinh Long Jun 24, 2002

The American war in Vietnam was officially divided into two halves: The military war and “The Other War: The War to Win Hearts and Minds of the People,” which gives this documentary its title. Whereas the aim of the military war was to kill large numbers of the enemy through “search...

Hearts and Minds

by Robert K. Brigham Jun 24, 2002

One of the most important contributions Hearts and Minds makes to our national dialogue on the Vietnam war is it portrayal of ordinary Vietnamese. For years, the Vietnamese had been conspicuous by their absence in film and texts. When they did appear, it was usually as one...

Hearts and Minds

by Judith Crist Jun 24, 2002

Peter Davis’ provocative Oscar-winning Hearts and Minds, released to the American public in 1975, is that rare documentary whose truths and relevance have been underlined and amplified by the passage of time. The title is derived from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s noting, as he escalated...

Hearts and Minds 2

by George Herring Jun 24, 2002

Hearts and Minds is the classic documentary antiwar film of the Vietnam era. It was released in 1974, one year after the United States withdrew its military forces from Vietnam, a year before North Vietnamese and National Liberation Front (NLF) forces toppled the American-sponsored...

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Available Editions

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DVD

1 Disc

SRP: $39.95

Criterion Store price

$31.96