The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam

The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam

  • Overview
  • Crew

Status

Released

Release Date

Dec 5, 1965

Runtime

0h 56m

Genres

Documentary

Original Title

The Mills of the Gods: Viet Nam

Production Companies

CBC

Director

Beryl Fox

Description

A documentary on the war in South Vietnam shot entirely on location. There is no narration and no use of archive footage. The participants speak for themselves. The filmmakers spend time with units from many services: army, tanks, marines, ARVN, air cavalry. They accompany an air force napalm and strafing attack on a Viet Cong bunker complex. There are many scenes both of Saigon streets and of peasant village life. Soldiers speak of their experiences and their mission to fight Communism in Vietnam. One American informant says that the Vietnamese peasant is not interested in ideology, but in social justice, a piece of land, fair taxation, and to be left alone. Some interviews are used as voice-over. Participants, American and Vietnamese, are very natural, with little or no posturing for the camera. There are scenes of dead Viet Cong, and one showing a VC suspect being drowned to aid interrogation.