The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam

I just saw this (short) documentary about the Vietnam war and I kept thinking of parallels to today. One thing that always strikes me about old documentaries is how eloquent people are, even the so called "grunts" can string a sentence together better than most people today. But anyway, that's a whole other topic.

This is a very good look at Vietnam from all perspectives, and highlights aspects that rarely get discussed, namely the effects on the average peasant, who really has no political affiliation or goals other than to plant his rice and till his fields. There are interviews with clearly well intentioned but delusional soldiers, trying to "stop communism before it comes to us". Gee, sound familiar? Makes me think about the whole terrorism threat just substitute communism for terrorism, also makes me think that the only thing these war mongerers learned from Vietnam was that you have to make the threat seem more reel and you have to control the media. But here they are in Iraq doing the exact same thing, stuck in a civil war trying to use a massive military to fight guerilla warfare. Sadly, this lesson they did not seem to learn, you CANNOT fight such a war. You will lose, it's only a matter of time.

Anyway, this movie is a very plain look at what has been described as the "banality of war". We have been so conditioned with years of war films that when real war is presented it seems too horrible, yet so plain, there's no fanfare no dramatic music, just sad people dying. The scene with the pilot gleefully talking about napalming what he thinks are VC, but who are mostly like just villagers is truly disturbing. In any other circumstance this pilot would be considered pathological and a murderer, yet here he is just doing is job and he's quite happy to do it. He will go home to his wife and kids and live a normal life.

But in the end it's all insane, yet we convince ourselves otherwise. We convince ourselves that we are doing good, we are doing justice, but it's all death, all murder, you cannot hide from that.

'Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam' was created just as the conflict was beginning to reach its most intensive phase, with the full involvement of US and allied ground troops superseding their previously advisory role. The film (originally made for Canadian TV) captures the moment of transition between these roles, and it does so with no narration and in stark raving black-and-white.

There is no sugar-coating here, and the movie fits into contemporary context all too well. The soldiers could have belonged to any age in history. What is especially clear, even at this early stage of the Viet-Nam conflict, is that the strategies of strategic hamlets & small-scale temporary occupations to disrupt and disperse Viet Cong operations were flawed from their design at the highest levels, and not from the efforts or intentions of the US troops themselves.

The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam is an anti-war oriented documentary made during the Vietnam war. It was shot entirely on location by female director Beryl Fox, for the Canadian television station CBC. And it has since become one of few timeless accounts of this extremely controversial war (alongside films like Year of the Pig).

Fox and her crew traveled to Vietnam themselves, where they objectively witnessed, recorded and documented the things they saw.

The film does not use archival footage (it IS archival footage) or narration. All the dialogue comes directly from the mouths of the soldiers, less a few questions you hear Ms. Fox asking the men.

While clearly an early example of "embedded reporting", the film takes a very middle-of-the-road approach. The soldiers interviewed for the film- some conscripts, others volunteers- convey a diversity of perspectives(that you will probably never hear again, from an army made entirely of volunteers). Though many have gone willingly- to snuff out Communism- others are critical of the role they are playing and about the war in general.

Some discuss how they would rather be home. Some discuss their duty to protect their homeland and future generations. Others, however, reflect on the situation they've been thrown into: the nice people they've met; their antagonism toward killing; questioning why they are even there.

It's quite evident that Fox and her crew immersed themselves in the entire Vietnam experience. Much of the footage focuses on what another commentator has termed "the banalities of war": hanging out with your friends; enjoying the nightlife; meeting women; lounging around when not fighting. But they also go out into the field with the men: on patrols; on fly-alongs during napalm raids; a short stint with a Northern Vietnamese unit; and even into the forests to witness the aftermath of aerial warfare.

While I did interpret the whole film to exhibit an anti-war angle, the way it is compiled and fashioned really allows you to judge the images for yourself (depending on what perspective you are coming from). Though, with that being said, it does seem clear (to me, at least) that Fox was critical of the war. And it does show through with the tone and nature of her questions.

This is a very interesting and informative documentary that offers a privileged glimpse into the Vietnam war, along with the diverse mentality of those who were sent to fight it. Certainly a Canadian Classic of it's kind.

7 out of 10.