ustxtxb_obs_1975_07_04_50_00016-00000_000.pdf

view of the film is that he would have you believe that this film is pure emotional outrage, with no intellectual critique of the war or of the men who got us into it. To read the review you would think the makers of the film spliced together all the gory footage they could find in a way designed to incite the wrath of an emotionally vulnerable audience. This is simply not the case. Now the bloody scenes are there, but they are mostly the films we’ve all seen before: General Loan shooting his prisoner in the head, the naked burned girl running down the road. I can’t deny they have great emotional impact, but a fair film portrait of the war could hardly have left them out. What Mr. Davis’s review failed to mention were the extensive interviews with political figures: Clark Clifford, William Westmoreland, General Kanh, and Walt Rostow. There is Clifford, the latecomer to the war discovering the generals had no idea how long or how many men the war would take. Westmoreland, a limited man of conventional military views and a startlingly wrong view of the Vietnamese people. Kanh, the former premier showing how deeply the American Embassy meddled in the politics of South Vietnam. Finally there is Rostow pushing his machismo view of world politics and securing his niche as the G. Gordon Liddy of the Sixties. . . . In assembling this material the way they did the producers of Hearts and Minds were making several points. First, that this country has had a history of jingoism; that we are in many ways a violent people; that we are arrogantly pro-Western and feel the missionary urge to remake the world in our image; and our leaders blindly walked us into the quagmire, hoping without reason that all would turn out all right. More than anything else, Hearts and Minds shows American self-delusion and selfishness: the blind faith and determination that we had to win because we’d never lost yet, because God was on our side, and because after all, weren’t we still Number One? Hearts and Minds is an intensely personal film. And rightly so. If any one of the thousands of us who lived through and closely followed the war had set out to make this documentary we would have done it differently. Each of us has his own idea of how we came to the disaster. Mr. Davis may argue with the film’s analysis of the war but he ought to concede it is an honest enough position, and a fairly stated one, too. It hardly deserves being dismissed as “mindless.” Joe Torn Easley, 1179 Rosewood Dr., N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30306. Fortnight… green along the way and sharing concert stage with Eagles, Trapeze, and Montrose \(it’ll cost you JULY 8 COTTON CANDY TIME The circus is coming the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey, that is, in these days of corporate mergers with lions and tigers and your usual sword-swallowers and aerialists; through July 16, Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston. JULY 10 SPANISH GUITARISTS The Romero Family, Spain’s first family of classical guitar, perform Vivaldi and Rodrigo works on Houston Symphony Pops concert; Jones Hall, Houston. JULY II EVERYTHING BUT THE SINK Rick Casual and the Kitchen Band tune up for progressive country sound; 8:30 p.m., Texas Tavern, University of Texas, Austin. HISTORIC HOMES A chance to ogle San Marcos’ oldie goldies at close range, tour of historic homes, mission site, and hillside garden on Bicentennial schedule of events; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Historical Plaza, San Marcos. JULY 13 POP MUSIC BENEFIT Continuing series of concerts, with pop musicians’ talents donated to benefit Fort Worth Art Museum, Camp & Co. performs music with Andrews Sisters-upbeat, with Silverlode presenting progressive country sound, including songs by former Texan Dave Hickey; 8 p.m., Scott Theater, Fort Worth. JULY 14 CREATIVITY EXPLORED Summer workshop on “The Creative Process” includes films, lectures, classes in music, drama, fabric design, writing, dance, and ceramics; through July 18, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin. JULY 15 PASS THE SACCHARINE Debbie Reynolds returns to Dallas Summer Musicals stage in repeat of her Las Vegas musical variety show; through July 27, Music Hall, Dallas. JULY 16 ETHNIC THEATRE Afro-American Players share double-bill with Carnales e Espiritu, chicano theatre groups; 8 p.m., Texas Tavern, University of Texas, Austin. Information for Historians, Researchers, Nostalgia Ruins, dk Observer Fans Bound Volumes: The 1974 bound issues of the Texas Observer are now ready. In maroon washable binding, the price is $15. Also available at $15 each year are volumes for the years 1963 through 1973. Cumulative Index: The cloth-bound cumulative edition of the Texas Observer Index covering the years 19541970 may be obtained for $10. Index Supplements: The 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974 paperback supplements are provided at no additional charge to those who purchase the cumulative index at $10. Subscribers who do not want the cumulative index may purchase any of the supplements separately. The cost is 50c for each year. Back Issues: Issues dated January 10, 1963 to the present are available at 50c per issue. Earlier issues are out of stock, but photocopies of articles from issues dated December 13, 1954 through December 27, 1962 will be provided at 50c per article. Microfilm: The complete backfile scription to the microfilm edition is $12. To order, or to obtain additional information regarding the microfilm editions, please write to Microfilming Corporation of America, 21 Harristown Road, Glen Rock, N.J. 07452. Address your order \(except for Business Office. Texas residents please add the 5% sales tax to your remittance. Materials will be sent postpaid. THE TEXAS OBSERVER 600 W 7 AUSTIN 78701 Postmaster: If undeliverable, send Form 3579 to The Texas Observer, 600 West 7, Austin, TX 78701.