In the Year of the Pig

starring: Daniel Berrigan, Joseph Buttinger, William R. Corson, Philippe Devillers, David Halberstam
directed by: Emile de Antonio

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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780780030404
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 0780030400
Label: Homevision
Manufacturer: Homevision
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Homevision
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 20, 2005
Running Time: 103 minutes
Sales Rank: 16730
Studio: Homevision
Theatrical Release Date: February 26, 1969

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Editorial Review:

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.

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

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- NOT COMBAT FOOTAGE!
One of the reviewers said that if you like combat footage then this is the documentary for you. THAT ... Read More

Rating:

- Not my first choice
I think the biggest flaw with this documentary is the gap between 1968, when the film was made, and now. ... Read More

Rating:

- Just another Propaganda flick.
For those who like to see some combat footage, this video has that. If you want a realistic appraisal of ... Read More

Rating:

- Comparisons between Then and Now
This film is very interesting in how it depicts the story of the Vietnam War. To see the politicians of the ... Read More

Rating:

- fine anthology of filmed vignettes
Who would ever have thought Senator Thruston Morton could be so interesting? Yet De Antonio got some great material ... Read More

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In the Year of the Pig