Hearts and Minds (film)

Hearts and Minds
Criterion Collection DVD Cover (first edition)
Directed byPeter Davis
Produced byBert Schneider
Peter Davis
CinematographyRichard Pearce
Edited byLynzee Klingman
Susan Martin
Production
company
Distributed byRainbow Releasing
Release date
  • 1974 (1974)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million

Hearts and Minds is a 1974 American documentary film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis. The film's title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: "the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there".[1] The movie was chosen as the winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 47th Academy Awards presented in 1975.[2]

The film premiered at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. Commercial distribution was delayed in the United States due to legal issues, including a temporary restraining order obtained by one of the interviewees, former National Security Advisor Walt Rostow, who had claimed through his attorney that the film was "somewhat misleading" and "not representative" and that he had not been given the opportunity to approve the results of his interview.[3] Columbia Pictures refused to distribute the picture, which forced the producers to purchase back the rights and release it by other means. The film was shown in Los Angeles for the one week it needed to be eligible for consideration in the 1974 Academy Awards.

In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[4][5][6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference TheAge was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "NY Times: Hearts and Minds". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  3. ^ Dugas, David via United Press International. "Viet War Film Late, Or Maybe Just in Time"[permanent dead link], Pacific Stars and Stripes via Newspaper Archive, February 25, 1975. Accessed August 15, 2008.
  4. ^ "'Jurassic Park,' 'The Shining,' and 23 Other Movies Added to National Film Registry". NPR.
  5. ^ "National Film Registry Turns 30". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  6. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-10-13.