A Face of War

Francis Ford Coppola and John Milius saw this documentary when at Film school. They intended to produce a Drama in Vietnam during the war, but decided it was too dangerous. Later Coppola made "Apocalypse Now" based on this, and accounts for the "puppy dog" scene, which is in "A Face of War".

It is not available on DVD probably due to its graphic violence and exposing US war crimes, but is viewable on youtube.

This is an exceptionatly well made film about the Vietnam war during 1966, during a time when we as Marines thought we were doing something that was helping the people of Vietnam. We set up on hill ten which was between two villes, Phuli3 and no name village. Phuli3 was very friendly and after the area was secure, which was no easy task, we were allowed to walk there in pairs and get haircuts, buy soft drinks, Vietnamese beer and other creature comforts and play with the kids. The film showed how a few hundred meters would change things drasticly. On other side of the hill was no name village. Going out on a patrol on that side of hill 10 was a different world. The ville its self was loaded with booby traps and more often than not we would have one or two Marines wounded or killed as the Viet Cong would change the locations of the booby traps almost nightly. In the film it showed us relocating the people and leveling it and using a flame throwing tank burning the entire area to the ground. The film makers were a very brave lot as they were right with us during most of the intense fire fights and ambushes. Everyone in Mike Co. had the utmost respect for these unarmed brave men, armed only with their camera and sound equipment. Anyone who would like to see how a Marine rifle company operates would not be dissapointed watching A FACE OF WAR. For the most part it centered around one squad which spent their nights in Phuli3 protecting the people from the VC. There is quite a bit of other action involving the entire company. People who want to see what it was all about before the war became unpopular will see that the Vietnam vets were not a bunch of lowlife drug addicted "baby killers" as we were portrayed by the protesters in the latter years, and why,'til this day, the combat vets of the Army and the Marines suffer from PTSD and other problems coping with every day life.

I was an Army Infantryman in 1971. These 1966 Jirenes are the real deal. The sights and sounds are crudely reproduced on my IHF VHS copy but terribly authentic. Some of the Marines who survived are alive to this day, 2018. Find one and thank him. I wonder if the baby born on camera is still with us at an Age of 52?

This is the most accurate depiction of what Marines did in Viet Nam on a day to day basis that I have seen. The closest "commercial" dipection of America's involvement in Southeast Asia was, "Platoon". The U.S. Marines Christmas in "A Face of War" was not only surreal but absolutely real. I know, because I was there in 1967.

This gritty B&W early footage of a Marine company is some of the most intense war footage I've ever seen. The sometimes dark and erratic footage conveys the confusion of war far better than the overproduced documentaries that followed.

Following a Marine company into an ambush, complete with hectic radio transmissions calling for medivac, there are scenes showing medics treating sick and wounded Vietnamese civilians and helping a young woman give birth. A great dichotomy.

This was filmed when there was still hope for victory, militarily, as well as in the "hearts and minds" of the civilian population.

The film has a genuine surrealistic quality to it; e.g., a flame throwing tank torching an empty village seems not of this world.

This film is an absolute must for anyone interested in the Vietnam War.