JustWatch

Hearts and Minds

1974 Directed by Peter Davis

The Forever War. Goes On

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

Clark Clifford John Foster Dulles Georges Bidault Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Richard Nixon Lyndon B. Johnson George Coker Walt Rostow J. William Fulbright Randy Floyd Charles Hoey Jerry Holter J. Edgar Hoover Joseph McCarthy Stan Holder Bobby Muller Daniel Ellsberg William C. Westmoreland Nguyen Van Tai Vo Thi Tu Vo Thi Hue Father Chan Tin Diem Chau Hồ Chí Minh David Emerson Mui Duc Giang Edward Sowders Show All…

Alternative Titles

心灵与智慧, Corações & Mentes, לבבות ומחשבות, Corações e Mentes, Le cœur et l'esprit, 하트 앤 마인드, I frihetens namn

Genres

War Documentary

Themes

Politics and human rights War and historical adventure Military combat and heroic soldiers Politics, propaganda, and political documentaries Riveting political and presidential drama Political drama, patriotism, and war Bravery in War Show All…

Premiere

16 May 1974

France Cannes International Critics' Week

17 Oct 1974

USAR San Francisco Film Festival

Theatrical limited

20 Dec 1974

Theatrical

17 Jul 2006

Brazil14

Physical

17 Aug 2010

Netherlands12

Brazil

17 Jul 2006

Theatrical14 mj.gov.br - Cine Clube Pau Brasil

France

16 May 1974

Premiere Cannes International Critics' Week

Netherlands

17 Aug 2010

Physical12 DVD

USA

17 Oct 1974

PremiereR San Francisco Film Festival

20 Dec 1974

Theatrical limited

112 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Will Steele ★★★★

“We weren’t on the wrong side – we were the wrong side.” - Daniel Ellsberg
You don’t find many documentaries more committed to reckoning with the ugly truth like than Hearts and Minds. The release of this film came whilst the war was still so raw, yet Peter Davis unflinchingly presents just how flawed US hegemony is and how ruinous it’s impact was on Vietnam. It still stands as a potent reminder of how misguided the righteous can be.
Review by Timcop ★★★★½

"Do you think we've learned anything from all this?"
"I think we're trying not to."
Should probably be shown to all American schoolchildren in a double feature with THE FOG OF WAR, just so that every person learns to grow up with a questioning mind and a healthy distrust of authority figures.
Review by James ★★★★

"We weren't on the wrong side. We were the wrong side."
An unflinching, infuriating polemic—once you accept the fact that Hearts and Minds is a one-sided affair with manipulative intent it becomes easier to discern Peter Davis' film with a critical eye. It's unquestionably a documentary that appeals to strong emotions rather than to intellect and uses filmmaking techniques to form an argument, but it never conceals its subjectivity and emerges as a truly awe-inspiring piece of cinema where the images it presents speak for themselves and some light is shed onto this controversial period in US history.
This was certainly a brave film to make back in 1974, before the fall of Saigon and without the benefit of hindsight…
Review by aidan ★★★★★

Fuck this goddamn country
Review by máte vargas 🇵🇸 ★★★★★

The United States is the biggest terrorist organization in the world
Review by teamgal ★★★★½

Seen so many years after its original release, Peter Davis' HEARTS AND MINDS is somewhat liberated from the Vietnam War. It's now seen with the knowledge of all the American-backed wars and genocides that have occurred in the interim — including the one it's currently supporting. Davis' film is a potent piece of propaganda and the footage that it utilizes, and the manner in which juxtapositions are made through editing, is incendiary. Davis is not interested in losing his argument and you'd be foolish to think he's giving you the whole picture. What the film does is show the ugly face of modern warfare and the chicanery that governments utilize to get their citizenry to back these conflicts unquestioningly.
1974, best of
Review by Will McGrew ★★★★½

"The Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as does the Westerner. Life is cheap in the Orient."
I am always wary of issue documentaries, that is to say documentaries that are more interested only in educating the audience. So I approached Hearts and Minds warily, fully expecting to be treated to a didactic sermon. What I found instead was a film of such power and vitality, that it is just as moving now as when it was created, forty years ago. Davis constructs the film in such a way that it plays as high tragedy rather than reportage.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the film is the sheer scale of the ignorance that is revealed about…
Review by Jordan Rowe ★★★★

Far from an easy film to watch, "Hearts and Minds" is an engrossing, frustrating, gruesome documentary.
Review by Louis ★★★★

Hearts and Minds is the first fully-fledged Vietnam war documentary that I've seen, and it was one that had been on my mental watchlist for a while. I'd heard various things about it, both negative and positive (mostly positive), and learning more about the Vietnam war is always interesting.
The documentary itself is very well made, with some brilliant juxtapositioning between official rhetoric on the war and the reality on the ground. This formula is effective and the director clearly knew it. It also makes for an emotive experience, which is always a plus in my book. For someone looking for a more holistic view of the war there are probably better options, but to be fair no 2 hour…
Review by sprizzle ★★★★½

First off, to clarify, I wasn't alive at this time so I really have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm about to make a lot of assumptions about the war in Vietnam and the climate in the United States at the time.
I have a feeling that the 70s, specifically around the time this film was released brought about a change in the the discussion about the war. I think the 60s were still about being a good American. Asking not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. By the end of the conflict, that tune had changed. People started asking what our country was doing TO us. The anti-war movement…
Review by wilf 3

a bunch of old american imperialists pathetically make attempts to (either subconsciously or otherwise) justify (or selfishly apologise) for acts anyone with half a brain cell would deem inhumane and futile. USA USA
Review by AnimeBachelor btw ★★★★½ 1

Nothing turns my stomach more than "Patriotic Americans" dismissing the views and experiences of fatigued soldiers and protesters. This country was built on rebellion. And nowadays it's treated like such persons with qualms are traitors.
This country was never great.

Where to watch

Hearts and Minds

Synopsis

The Forever War. Goes On

Cast

Director Director

Producers Producers

Editors Editors

Cinematography Cinematography

Lighting Lighting

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Sound Sound

Studio

Country

Primary Language

Spoken Languages

Alternative Titles

Genres

Themes

Premiere

16 May 1974

17 Oct 1974

Theatrical limited

20 Dec 1974

Theatrical

17 Jul 2006

Physical

17 Aug 2010

Brazil

17 Jul 2006

France

16 May 1974

Netherlands

17 Aug 2010

USA

17 Oct 1974

20 Dec 1974

Popular reviews

Similar Films

Director

Producers

Editors

Cinematography

Lighting

Camera Operator

Additional Photography

Sound