La section Anderson

THE ANDERSON PLATOON is an Oscar winning documentary made by film maker and veteran of the French Indo-China War Pierre Schoendoerffer who made the earlier French feature film 317TH PLATOON in 1965 and the later epic DIEN BIEN PHU in 1992 . In short Scoendoerffer is a man obsessed with the various conflicts in South East Asia which is hardly surprising . A cameraman during the battle of Dien Bien Phu he spent four months in a Viet Minh prisoner of war camp . Here he documents the early stages of the American experience of fighting the Vietnamese in 1966 before Vietnam became a metonym for spectacular defeat

You have to be aware of the context of the setting . Nowadays you can switch on the television and see frontline action taken on Iphones by soldiers in Afghanistan via documentaries like the BBC's excellent THIS IS OUR WAR . Production logistics were entirely different in 1966 were a camera crew would have to carry bulky equipment through swamps and jungles and with it came all the dangers of the soldiers on the other side mistaking them as combatants in the distance

Likwise you also have to remember the socio-political context of 1966 . At this stage in the conflict there was little anti-war sentiment . Back home the war was perceived as a crusade against communism with the Viet Cong being communist stooges of the USSR and Red China . The fact that they were nationalists merely fighting to unify the country under a nationalist government didn't enter the minds of Americans . This possibly leads to an element of the documentary being under regarded by an average IMDb rating of 6.9 . If there's a lack of anti-war angst that's because it didn't exist until a couple of years later . That said it is refreshing to watch a war documentary devoid of anti-war statement ala Michael Moore

The director seems fascinated by the helicopter . Again in 1966 the helicopter was a new innovation in warfare and no other war in history has been so reliant on the machine . Indeed if you watch 317TH PLATOON you might find yourself questioning why the platoon didn't get evacuated by copter until you realise battlefield strategists hadn't thought of utilizing this new invention to its greatest potential until the 1960s . How reliant were the Americans on helicopters ? In ten years of conflict in Afghanistan in the 1980s the Soviet Union lost over 300 helicopters . In ten years of conflict in Vietnam the Americans lost almost 5,000

Some documentary purists may dislike THE ANDERSON PLATOON down to the soundtrack featuring a musical score and the soundtrack is noticeable . It does feature music way ahead of its time so much so I often found myself wondering if it was in fact the original score . But apart from that I was very impressed by the grunts eye view of the early stages of the Vietnam war and can testify to the misery caused by the constant driving rain of an Asian monsoon

It so happened that in 1968 I was asked to escort Major and Mrs Anderson around prior to the showing of the film that evening. I hated the war (and still do) but I liked Anderson a lot and found that his college-educated wife (UKansas) was opposed to the war. One fact came out in the discussion after the film. One of the U.S. soldiers killed was killed by a grenade tossed by one of his own men. The narrator began the film by saying "The Vietnam War is a tragedy." It remains so. The audience that evening was entirely male college students, with the exception of an occasional veteran like me. The film gave its audience a better sense of what it was like to fight and die in that faroff jungle than any experience other than being there. I recall being very sad that we were doing this to our young men and to a country that posed only a fictional threat to our well-being. But I also recall having great respect and even love for the kids we'd sent there. I've often wondered what happened to Major Anderson and his lovely wife. Anyone know?

Highlights include: soldiers marching through a rank jungle to the tune of Nancy Sinatra's "Boots" (sound familiar?); entertaining and poignant footage of a very young infantryman on leave in Saigon rapidly blowing his pay on prostitutes; scenes of grunts throwing dice in a torn cardboard box full of cash and then receiving communion from a duded-up priest shortly before going on patrol.

If there is a DVD version, I have not seen it; the picture quality on my VHS is rather low quality but tolerable.

The Anderson Platoon was a stunning doc in its day presenting us with the war in Viet Nam from a slogging platoon's point of view. Led by a West Point Black American grad Lieut. Robert Anderson it was an unrelenting portrait of the quagmire in South East Asia that would only get worse in the years ahead. This was one of the first indications all was not well and it is vividly brought out by director Pierre Scoendorrfer who must have felt he was experiencing deja vu after his Indochina tour with the French.

Narration is sparse and while that may be a drawback to some Schoendorffer lets his camera do the talking with more than its share of incredible scenes and images depicting the violence, chaos, confusion and heartbreak of a bunch of American GIs following orders and trying to get home in one piece. Whether covering a chilling firefight, down time in the field or an Rand R of a GI with a prostitute in Saigon, Schoendorrfer paints his visual picture with an unavoidable lugubriousness that this conflict was not about to get any easier.

This is not Capra's Why We Fight, but a cold unflinching look at the war from the boots on the ground where the courage, sacrifice and humanity of the platoon comes across loud and clear in their faces and the predicament that surrounds them soberly and powerfully captured by Schoendorrfer.

A "must see" movie for anyone truly interested in the Vietnam War. The photography, although black and white, shows the scenes in VN that the grunts saw. It even includes an R and R period in Saigon. However, the narrative was disappointing. Considering the director was a French Indochina veteran, I expected more insight and comparisons with the way the French fought. All he does is add a basic description of the scene. At times, it's not too clear what he's referring to, and he doesn't give any operational details. That said, it is definitely worth seeing. It just could have been even better.