Vietnam! Vietnam! (1971)
Produced for overseas audiences by the U.S. Information Agency and narrated by Charlton Heston, the film surveys the Vietnam War through 1968 combat, homefront, and refugee footage, framing America's military role as support for South Vietnamese self-determination against Communist insurgency.
Vietnam! Vietnam! was produced by Bruce Herschensohn for the USIA, with John Ford credited as executive producer and reworking its script; barred, like other USIA films, from domestic distribution under the Smith-Mundt Act, it was made for foreign audiences and, on release, satisfied few observers on either side of the war’s growing divide.
Background
Vietnam! Vietnam! is a 1971 documentary produced for the U.S. Information Agency, with Charlton Heston as narrator. It was produced by Bruce Herschensohn and directed by Sherman Beck, and John Ford is credited as executive producer, reworking its script. Because USIA films were barred from domestic distribution under the Smith-Mundt Act, it was made for audiences overseas rather than for American cinemas. The film surveys the Vietnam War through 1968, using combat, homefront and refugee footage. It runs about fifty-eight minutes, and its reception was divided on both sides of the war’s growing debate.
What to watch for
Look for the film’s combination of combat and homefront footage, which it uses to present the American military role as support for South Vietnamese self-determination against a communist insurgency. Heston’s narration frames the images, and the film’s political argument is stated directly rather than left implicit. The refugee and combat scenes are among the most affecting material. Viewers should evaluate the film as a government information piece with a clear position, not as a neutral history of the war. Notice how the editing and narration work together to shape the audience’s understanding of events, which was the purpose of USIA films of this kind.
