Product Description

Produced at the height of the Vietnam War, Emile de Antonio’s Oscar®-nominated 1968 documentary chronicles the war’s historical roots. With palpable outrage, De Antonio (Point of Order, Underground) assembles period interviews with journalists, politicians, and key military personnel and international newsreel and archival footage to create a scathing chronicle of America’ escalating involvement in this divisive conflict. The savage and horrific images speak for themselves in perhaps the most controversial film of de Antonio’s career, and the film he cites as his personal favorite.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29478 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.com
Both sober and sobering, producer-director Emile de Antonio’s In the Year of the Pig is a powerful and, no doubt for many, controversial documentary about the Vietnam War. But although the 1968 film ultimately focuses on the United States' participation in that ill-fated venture, de Antonio provides a considerably broader historical perspective; indeed, a good portion of its 103 minutes traces the 20th Century history of Southeast Asia, including French colonialism and the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh (described by one U.S. Senator as "the George Washington of his country") as the Communist leader of North Vietnam. Combining extensive file footage with de Antonio's own interviews with a variety of political and military talking heads, In the Year of the Pig goes on to deliver a clear indictment of U.S. policy and tactics in Vietnam, beginning with America's purely "technical" role in 1954 ("We are sending planes, but no pilots," says one general) and continuing through its support of the corrupt Diem regime in the mid-'60s, President Lyndon Johnson's steady escalation of U.S. military involvement, and the growing opposition to the war effort here at home. Yet while De Antonio's doesn't hide his anti-war point of view, this will never be mistaken for a Michael Moore documentary; there's little in the way of sensationalism or humor, and rather than confront his targets in person and onscreen, a la Moore, de Antonio simply gives them enough rope with which to hang themselves. Still, the DVD release of In the Year of the Pig in 2005 makes it hard to ignore the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq. In fact, when one of the interviewees suggests that "maybe what we've been doing in Vietnam all along is an exercise in… the arrogance of power," some might wonder if things have changed at all in the last forty years. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Most interesting, a must have!
I was really surprised when I saw this documentary because I was expecting a newer film about Vietnam but I was very pleased with this purchase! I had to watch it twice just to take it all in. This is BY FAR one of the best, if not the best, documentaries concerning Vietnam that I have ever seen! It comes from a time when there was far less spin (euphemism for lies) in the media than there is today. This documentary will definitely take you back to the roots of that conflict and the pictures and film are incredible.

This video covers the history of that struggle from the end of WW 2, with Ho Chi Minh's first Hanoi press conference in 1945, until 1968 right before the Tet Offensive. What I liked most about it was that there were several original interviews from politicians from both sides of the Vietnam camp and it also had a lot of original war footage from both the French and VietCong spanning the fifties. They even talk about who and why that monk burned himself, which made international news and had incredible political consequences world-wide. The video was in fact made by a leftist, but any intelligent person knows to ignore the messenger and pay attention to the message. After all, it shouldn't be left vs. right but right vs. wrong in my book. I'll get off my soapbox here and get back to the review...

There was so much information covered in this film, much that I never knew and have since then read up on things covered like some of the older treaties, that the US re-nigged on for example in the fifties, and even touched on some Asian philosophy with interviews given by people who had lived there for years. You will definitely get a better understanding of what was in the minds of the Vietnamese people.

I also loved all the original footage of the US policy makers at the time which will definitely give you insight as to why we were really there. What struck me the most was how what the politicians said back then mirrors almost exactly what they are saying today concerning Iraq. Any student of contemporary politics will recognize that right away but I have to admit, I was not expecting to see that because I put Vietnam and Iraq in different perspectives but when you see what they say on the floors of Congress in the fifties and sixties, it will send chills through your spine!

This was by far the most interesting documentary I have seen in a long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing the complicated dynamics of the Vietnam War. You can really sense the truth in this video which is quite rare nowadays. There is a lot of information contained here that even the most ardent student may not have seen before. The only aspect of the film that I did not like was some of the music that they played between segments but then again, it is from the sixties. You will not regret this purchase.

They Didn't Know the Half of It
If by chance you've stumbled upon this documentary, count yourself lucky. This film helped change a nation without the benefit of the subsequently revealed Pentagon Papers or now known confirming documents. In retrospect it seems a cautious, subtle condemnation of the war. Nevertheless, the film remains important in various ways: cameras on location could accidentally reveal an unintended story; the truth could be discovered despite secrecy; and, careful storytelling can change the opinion of a nation.

Riveting
This may well be one of the finest documentaries ever made. Some of it is luck in that the time in which it was made allowed Antonio to speak with US polititions from a (sadly) bygone era and, yes, both sides of the aisle were interviewed. It could reasonably be viewed as well inside the anti-Vietnam War camp, as a warning for any of you who supported the war. But, in fairness, it seems to be more of a precocious examination of how and why the US lost (this is made before the Tet Offensive). I wouldn't dismiss it on ideological grounds.