The Hanoi Hilton (1987)

Director:

Lionel Chetwynd

Writer:

Lionel Chetwynd (writer)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A drama focusing on the suffering, torture, and brutal treatment the American P.O.W.s had to deal with daily while in North Vietnam's Hoa Lo Prison...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Torture | Nipple Clamp | Electrical Wire Attached To Testicles | Reference To Jane Fonda

Cast

Michael Moriarty	...	Williamson
John Edwin Shaw	...	Mason
Ken Wright	...	Kennedy
Paul Le Mat	...	Earl Hubman
David Soul	...	Oldham
Stephen Davies	...	Miles
Lawrence Pressman	...	Cathcart
Doug Savant	...	Ashby
David Anthony Smith	...	Gregory
Jeffrey Jones	...	Fischer
John Vargas	...	Oliviera
Rick Fitts	...	Turner
Scotty Sachs	...	Soles
John Diehl	...	Murphy
Jesse Dabson	...	Rasmussen

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Cannon Group

Movie Connections:

References Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Compelling look at POW life and effect of anti-war sentiment

Very compelling and realistic portrayal of life as a N.Vietnam POW and how opinion at home affected their situation. You can read Jane Fonda's own broadcasts to verify that the "portrayal" of her and Tom Hayden was not a caricature. Few Americans understood the impact their views and actions had on American soldiers and POWs. There are several standout performances, especially by Moriarity, Pressman, Jones and "Starsky and Hutch" star,David Soul. Although intentionally episodic and semi-documentary in style-the period covered was after all, 9 years -the film is nonetheless compelling. However it's main goal seems to tell the story and not make great "film".This is not Mallick's " The Thin Red Line"(a superb, introspective film). H. Hilton's view that the strength of US military training and code of honor, the value and support of religion in tough times and it's admiration of the "average guy" is more in line with Scott's "Blackhawk Down" and Stephen Ambrose's influenced Speilberg film, "Saving Private Ryan" Neither of these films are as artistic as Mallicks-but all are true to the reality of the specific event.An interesting film to view in conjunction with the H.Hilton is the fictional and quite propagandist " Coming Home" starring Jane Fonda.In that film only Vets who denounced the war(nothing wrong with that)are given credibility. Fonda's husband in the film, Bruce Dern, is not only a joke as a soldier (his metal is for being shot in the rear end)but as a man-he has never given his wife an orgasm-that's left to hero Jon Voight, a paraplegic who renounces the war. Dern ultimately drowns himself. Talk about a loaded deck. No recognition in that film that an American GI who supports his country might have the character of any of the POWs in the Hanoi Hilton. These men were the "forgotten men" of the 60's/early 70's- The Hanoi Hilton was not at all popular at the box office and vilified by many in the Hollywood community when it was made-but it was ahead of it's time content-wise and quite brave for it.