The Anderson Platoon (1967)
"La section Anderson" (original title)

The director, a French veteran of the Indochina war (La 317e Section), returned to follow a platoon of American soldiers for six weeks at the height of fighting in Vietnam in 1966. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre Schoendoerffer

Writer:

Pierre Schoendoerffer

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Storyline

The director, a French veteran of the Indochina war (La 317e Section), returned to follow a platoon of American soldiers for six weeks at the height of fighting in Vietnam in 1966. The documentary discusses the background and fate of the soldiers and emphasizes how much American culture pervades the soldiers' behaviors in the midst of jungle life and fighting.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | american soldier | vietnam | platoon | military officer | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Anderson Platoon

Company Credits

Production Co:

French Broadcasting System

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

User Reviews

solid documentary

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.