Hearts And Minds

In the interview (22min), Peter Davis discusses how his earlier controversial documentary The Selling Of The Pentagon (made for CBS) attracted the attention of producer Bert Schneider (The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider), who virtually gave him carte blanche for Hearts And Minds - the one million dollar budget was even more extravagant then than it would be for a documentary made today. He also discusses his changing perspectives on the relation between "factual" and "fictional" representations of reality and his strong sense of deja vu when covering the current war in Iraq.

The audio commentary is moderated by Nick Bradshaw, not that Davis, ever insightful and articulate, requires much moderation. Despite the director's stated concern that a commentary represents "a complete contradiction" of his original intentions, he gives a fascinating account of the film's production. He expresses sympathy for the returned POW Lieutenant George Coker, whom he characterises as a "Rip Van Winkle" figure; he comments with irony on America's revolutionary origins and counter-revolutionary strategies; he supplies background information and updates on many of his interviewees; he points out that the anti-communist hysteria that fuelled the Vietnam War has today been replaced by anti-terrorist hysteria; he registers his surprise that General William Westmoreland was happy to repeat openly bigoted and ill-informed views on "Orientals" without any self-censorship; and he expresses regret that Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara and Henry Kissinger refused to be interviewed for the documentary.