Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 20, 2014

Peter Davis' "Hearts and Minds" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with the American director; a collection of over two hours of unused footage, including excerpts from interviews with presidential adviser George Ball, broadcast journalist David Brinkley, French journalist and historian Philippe Devillers, and political activist Tony Russo; additional excerpts from General William Westmoreland's interviwew; additional audio excerpts from presidential adviser Walt Rostow's interview; and scenes from a funeral and a military hospital in South Vietnam. The release also arrives with a 44-page illustrated booklet featuring: "Vietnam and Memory" by Peter Davis; "The Right Side of History" by Judith Crist; "The Human Connection" by Robert K. Brigham; "A Historical Context" by George C. Herring; "Moving the People" by Ngo Vinh Long; and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

On a mission

Completed in 1974, Peter Davis’ documentary film Hearts and Minds attempts to summarize the different attitudes of those who supported and those who opposed the war in Vietnam.

The documentary is broken into multiple episodes in which Davis and his colleagues interview prominent political activists, military leaders, soldiers, deserters, veterans, and ordinary people who were affected by the war in different ways. Between the interviews there are various clips from footage which Davis shot on location in Vietnam, military operations, and public events held at different cities across the United States.

All of the interviewees are allowed to freely express their opinions – Davis never interrupts them with provocative questions or annoying remarks – but the documentary is very carefully edited to create contrasts that slowly yet effectively undermine the arguments of the pro-war supporters. Especially during the second half, where there is an abundance of graphic footage, the strategy becomes painfully obvious.

Both sides address different what-if scenarios and the possible role the United States could have had in them. Some of the most interesting comments are produced by J.W. Fulbright (Chairman Foreign Relations Committee), who explains how the United States missed a great opportunity to engage Ho Chi Minh and possibly avoid the war.

A good portion of the documentary is dedicated to the different interrogation methods the Americans used to obtain important information from their enemies. Some of the descriptions are quite graphic and clearly meant to create the impression that just about anything was allowed so long as the crucial information the army needed was delivered.

Davis frequently interviews ordinary soldiers – a few look pleased to be in Vietnam and insist that they enjoy what they do, but many look jaded and even upset that they are stuck fighting someone else’s war. Later on there are a series of clips with veterans who have lost arms or legs and are clearly overwhelmed by the fact that their lives will never be the same.

Undoubtedly the most controversial comments in the entire documentary are produced by General William Westmoreland, who became the commander of United States forces in Vietnam in 1964. While discussing different strategies and military operations, the man quickly compromises himself and the cause he defends.

The archival interviews and raw footage are fascinating to behold (General William Westmoreland’s racist remarks, for instance, are truly shocking), but the careful editing and the very specific political messages quickly transform Hearts and Minds into a flawed propaganda film. There is too much finger-pointing in it and dangerous half-truths about a war in which the United States was clearly facing multiple enemies.

Note: In 1975, Hearts and Minds won an Oscar Award for Best Documentary, Features (Peter Davis, Bert Schneider).

Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Davis' Hearts and Minds arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit DataCine from the Academy Film Archive's restored 35mm interpositive, which was produced under the supervision of director Peter Davis and cinematographer Richard Pearce. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, and splices were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the restored magnetic DME tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using iZotope RX 3.

Transfer supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern VideoFilm, Burbank, CA."

Depth, clarity, and sharpness and contrast levels fluctuate throughout the entire film, but this should not be surprising considering the fact that there are large chunks of documentary footage from different sources. This being said, overall image balance is undoubtedly improved -- directed comparisons with Criterion's DVD release of Hearts and Minds immediately reveal that close-ups (such as screencapture #13) boast better detail while many group shots (such as screencapture #2) benefit from improved color reproduction. Overall image stability is excellent, but keep in mind that there are fluctuations that are present on the original documentary footage (see the areal bombings). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Lastly, there are no serious encoding or compressions anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a strong technical presentation of Hearts and Minds which will most likely remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. (There are printed English subtitles for portions of the film where French and Vietnamese are spoken).

There are minor dynamic fluctuations, but clarity is consistently pleasing. Generally speaking depth is pleasing, but there are parts of the film where the archival footage that is used has some limitations. Rather predictably, the range of nuanced dynamics is very limited.There are no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Outtakes - presented here is footage which was shot by director Peter Davis and his colleagues but was not used in Hearts in Minds.
  
  1. Introduction - in text-format.
  
  2. Philippe Devillers - French political scientist, historian, and journalist Philippe Devillers was a war correspondent for Le monde during the First Indochina War. In this archival video piece, Philippe Devillers recalls his initial impressions of the French colonialists and the Vietnamese revolutionaries, and discusses the French and American involvement in the Indochina and Vietnam wars. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).
  
  3. George Ball - George Ball was named undersecretary of state during John F. Kennedy's presidency. He also held the same position in Lyndon B. Johnson's administration. Presented here are clips from archival interviews in which George Ball discusses the war in Vietnam and his work for the two presidents. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).
  
  4. Tony Russo - in 1968, Tony Russo and Daniel Ellsberg copied top-secret documents while working at the RAND Corporation, a think tank which was closely associated with U.S. intelligence and counterinteligence agencies. Portions of the documents, which became known as "The Pentagon Papers", were consequently leaked in the New York Times. On December 29, 1971, the two men were charged with conspiracy, theft, misuse of government property, and espionage. After the trial, Tony Russo became an antiwar activist. In this archival video interview, Tony Russo discusses his work in Vietnam after the U.S. started bombing North Vietnam, and explains why he decided to leak the top-secret documents. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).
  
  5. David Brinkley - from 1956 to 1970, broadcast journalist and political commentator David Brinkley cohosted The Huntley-Brinkley Report, with Chet Huntley. Later on, David Brinkley narrated various documentaries and worked as a political commentator at ABC. In this archival video interview, he discusses the Vietnam War and his career. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).
  
  6. General William Westmoreland - General William Westmoreland became the commander of United States forces in Vietnam in 1964. During and after the Vietnam war, he was frequently targeted by antiwar activists. Presented here are excerpts from an archival interview with General William Westmoreland, portions of which are included in Hearts and Minds. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080p).
  
  7. Walt Rostow - Walt Rostow was an American economist and political theorist who served in the State Department and as a presidential adviser to both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Presented here are excerpts from an archival audio interview with Walt Rostow in which he discusses the U.S. policy during the Vietnam war. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080p).
  
  8. Quang Nam Funeral - presented here is raw footage (from a funeral ceremony) which was shot in a South Vietnamese village in the province of Quang Nam that had been bombed accidentally by Americans. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).
  
  9. Cong Hoa Hospital - presented here is raw footage which was shot in a South Vietnamese military hospital in Saigon showing badly injured Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldiers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary by director Peter Davis was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2001. It first appeared on the R1 DVD release of Hearts and Minds.

• Booklet - a 44-page illustrated booklet featuring: "Vietnam and Memory" by Peter Davis; "The Right Side of History" by Judith Crist; "The Human Connection" by Robert K. Brigham; "A Historical Context" by George C. Herring; "Moving the People" by Ngo Vinh Long; and technical credits.

Hearts and Minds Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Peter Davis' Hearts and Minds is a carefully constructed propaganda film which should appeal primarily to folks whose political views are identical to those of its creator. Indeed, there is too much finger-pointing in it and dangerous half-truths about America's presence in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975. As expected, Criterion's technical presentation of Hearts and Minds is excellent. RECOMMENDED with reservations.