502. In the Year of the Pig (1969)

Running Time: 103 minutes
Directed By: Emile de Antonio
Main Cast: Ho Chi Minh, Harry S. Ashmore, Lyndon B. Johnson, David Halberstam, Joseph McCarthy

401 DOWN, 600 TO GO!

Well this is it folks, the 401st film watched and when my fingers stop clacking at the end of this review, I'll be ready to present, yet another, TOP 20 list. "In the Year of the Pig" is a documentary film about the Vietnam War and more specifically the involvement of the United States.

I have a difficult time trying to write plot summaries for documentaries, so lets try keeping this short and sweet, shall we. Really, I might as well have been watching "Landscape in the Mist" with the subtitles off, because most of the subject matter that the interviewees talked about was Greek to me. It starts by detailing the origins of the Vietnam conflict, the differences of opinion, politics and policy between North and South Vietnam and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, in which the French occupation of Vietnam came to an end. Then the film chronicles the political and social escalations that lead to the Vietnam War and the American involvement. From there, it's basically a film that attacks the United States' involvement in Vietnam.

I'm not one for airing my personal opinions about this or any other nation on this blog. I avoided it when reviewing "Fahrenheit 9/11" and I plan to avoid it now. In fact, my opinions on this film and it's subject matter are nearly nil, as I have absolutely no or very little knowledge of communism, war, politics or any other piece of material covered in the confines of this picture. Therefore, my opinions aren't many. In my opinion, it is the goal of any documentary filmmaker to present to an audience a subject that we may know little about, fill us in on the details and then make a statement about the subject. Michael Moore has been doing it for years. Despite the fact that I had little knowledge of the subject matter in both "Roger & Me" and "Fahrenheit 9/11", Moore did his job in informing me of what I needed to know and then subsequently making his points. In my opinion, this film failed there, because they get right into the meat & potatoes of the film, without filling us in on the necessary details. Of course, you could argue that this is a documentary for people who are aware of the conflict in Vietnam and have an interest in it, and that's just not me.

One thing this film did make me realize though, is how intricate wars can be. How many years they take to escalate, sometimes and how, in reality, there could be a potential war brewing as I type this. It also makes you realize how much hatred exists in the world and how much emphasis certain people put on the importance of race.

I can't really recommend the documentary, as I can't say I had a good time watching it. I do enjoy listening to people simply speak to a camera, but I have no interest or knowledge of what they were talking about and therefore I often times found my mind wandering. However, if you're a Vietnam War buff or have an interest in being one, then this is the film for you.

RATING: 4/10 I appreciated the attempt that this film made to educate me, but ultimately I just wasn't interested. That about wraps 'er all up for this 100 folks. I'll be back either later tonight, or sometime tomorrow with the 4th TOP 20 list.

MOVIES WATCHED: 401
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 600

January 15, 2012 5:47pm