Movie Review: Sir! No Sir!

I couldn't wait until tonight to watch it - I finally got a chance to see all of Sir! No Sir! over the weekend.

This film is a powerful, in-your-face statement about the anti-war movement in the 1960s. As someone who did not live through those times, I was very surprised to learn that there was such a large movement within the U.S. Military to refuse service in Vietnam.

Having grown up in a family with people who served in the military, including my father (a Vietnam-era veteran who was not deployed to Southeast Asia) and an uncle who was in Da Nang during the Tet Offensive, I was always of the belief that draft dodgers were the scum of the Earth. "If you're called, you go," was (and still is, for the most part) the mantra of my family.

And I shared that view, until I became educated and formed opinions of my own. The more I read about Vietnam, along with many important wars and political events since that war, I'm convinced that if I were drafted in the 1960s I would not have served. And that's not out of a lack of patriotism or love for my country. I feel that way because the war was unjust, brutal, and it needlessly and tragically ended or altered hundreds of thousands of American lives, including over 58,000 dead. Only sheep do what they're told without thinking about the wisdom of that action, at least to themselves.

Sir! No Sir! tracks a similar point of view. What's most powerful about this film is not so much the theme (which is indeed quite powerful), but the source - soldiers. This film is not about a bunch of peace protesters who chanted, stomped and shouted to end the war (although soldiers and veterans of the war joined the peace movement, beginning as soon as the first wave of soldiers began coming home).

The cast of this film is powerful, credible and moving.

Donald Duncan, a former green beret, talks about atrocities in South Vietnam that should revolt all Americans, no matter their political persuasion. One of this potent quotes from the movie is from Duncan -- "I was really proud of what I thought I was doing. The problem I had was realizing that what I was doing was not good. I was doing it right, but I wasn't doing right."

These are the words of a green beret - the best of the best of our military.

Equally as startling is the story of Howard Levy, a dermatologist who was training members of the U.S. Army to cure very basic skin ailments of Vietnamese children. While that seems noble enough at first blush, the motive behind it was not. The reason for doing this was so the Army would leave a good impression on the Vietnamese people. As Levy states in the film, Winning of Hearts and Minds, the old slogan that every G.I. was trained to abide by while serving in Southeast Asia.

It's almost comical - the military was curing Vietnamese of simple dermatological conditions to win the support of the South Vietnamese, yet proceeded to bomb and defoliate the country, killing hundreds of thousands.

Levy soon became disenchanted with the military and what it was doing, and before long he refused to train military personnel, leading to his court martial. It was during his trail that he realized the wisdom of his ways:

"I think the most startling thing to me occurred as the court martial began," said Levy. "It was the most remarkable thing when hundreds, hundreds of GIs would hang out of windows, out of the barracks and give me the V-sign or give me the clenched fist. This was mind boggling to me. This was a revelation, and at that point it really became crystal clear to me that something had changed here and that something very, very important was happening."

Another powerful soldier in the film is Susan Schnall, a lieutenant in the Navy who was arrested for wearing her uniform to a protest rally. Her reason for wearing it was simple - If General [William] Westmoreland can go on TV every day and say how great the war is going, I should be able to wear my uniform to tell how poorly its going, she said.

The military didn't see it that way - Schnall was court martialled and dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

Sir! No Sir! lays out in stunning detail the lengths our government went to put down dissent and protests, both in and out of the military, from the government considering use of the National Guard during the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968, to the military's arrest of black soldiers for doing a special handshake that was popular among African-American soldiers.

I'd by lying if I didn't write that this film makes me fear and distrust my government now, especially since we are at war. Things have not changed all that much since the early 1970s, especially with President Bush in office, whose administration mirrors President Nixon's in a number of disturbing ways, including some of the former players.

Just how extensive the soldier protests were during the Vietnam War is mind-boggling- By the Pentagon’s own figures, 503,926 "incidents of desertion" took place between 1966 and 1971; officers were being "fragged" (killed with fragmentation grenades by their own troops) at an unprecedented rate; and by 1971 entire units were refusing to go into battle in truly astonishing numbers.

Another fascinating thing during the protest movement was the underground press; papers delivered to GIs. Any soldier found in possession of an underground paper suffered severe punishment, so merely reading one was a risk, and delivering an underground paper was a count martial offense. In the course of a few short years, over 100 underground papers were published by soldiers around the world, including The Last Harass and Fatigue Press. (Read more about those Here and Here.)

Perhaps most powerful of all is the story of an American G.I. who took the life of a North Vietnamese soldier in a firefight. After the battle was over, the G.I.'s Sargent took him over to the dead enemy, and said to him, "Good job - here is this gook you killed."

While telling the story, the G.I. looked into the camera and said, "I began to think, what was his mom thinking? How would she find out? I wonder if he had a girlfriend?"

That emotional segment in the movie really puts the human face on war, and breaks down killing into its very basic form - it's one human taking the life of another human.

The film is by David Ziegler, who has a background stepped in the anti-war movement of the 1960s. From the film's Website:

The film does four things: 1) Brings to life the history of the GI movement through the stories of those who were part of it; 2) Reveals the explosion of defiance that the movement gave birth to with never-before-seen archival material; 3) Explores the profound impact that movement had on the military and the war itself; and 4) The feature, 90 minute version, also tells the story of how and why the GI Movement has been erased from the public memory.

I was part of that movement during the 60’s, and have an intimate connection with it. For two years I worked as a civilian at the Oleo Strut in Killeen, Texas–one of dozens of coffeehouses that were opened near military bases to support the efforts of antiwar soldiers. I helped organize demonstrations of over 1,000 soldiers against the war and the military; I worked with guys from small towns and urban ghettos who had joined the military and gone to Vietnam out of a deep sense of duty and now risked their lives and futures to end the war; and I helped defend them when they were jailed for their antiwar activities. My deep connection with the GI movement has given me unprecedented access to those involved, along with a tremendous amount of archival material including photographs, underground papers, local news coverage and personal 8mm footage.

Sir! No Sir! is an incredibly educational and informative movie, and it's a must-see for anyone who wants to learn what our government is capable of in a time of war. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend you check it out. For more information, go to the film's Website Here.

It airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on the Sundance Channel.

After all these years, the following poem by Bertolt Brecht, which became an anthem of the G.I. Movement, still resonates, and in a small way, makes me think of our brave soldiers serving in the Middle East:

General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect: He can think.



Even who the film is dedicated to is moving. Zeigler has dedicated the film to these two men: Jeff Sharlet (1942-1969), founder of Vietnam GI, one of the first GI underground papers; and John Kniffin (1940-2002), leader of Texas Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Both died of cancers caused by Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used by the U.S. military in Vietnam.

Sir! No Sir! & The Ground Truth - two must-see movies on Sundance

I received the following e-mail from the Director of Sir! No Sir!, Director David Zeiger, yesterday afternoon and I found it thought-provoking, to say the least. Zeiger's film will be broadcast on the Sundance Channel this coming Monday at 9 p.m. (eastern and pacific), followed by another very interesting film, The Ground Truth, at 10:30 p.m. (Check TV listings for mountain and central times.)

Sir! No Sir! is a documentary about soldiers in the American military who refused to go to Vietnam when ordered. Many went to prison and were dishonorably discharged. I can't wait to finally see this movie.

The letter from Zeiger...

It's a unique experience to feel that you are part of making history.

So says Dr. Howard Levy who, as an army doctor in 1966, spent 3 years in federal prison for refusing to train Green Beret troops heading to Vietnam. His comments come at the end of my film about the GI Movement against the Vietnam War, Sir! No Sir!

In a sadly ironic twist, 40 years later Dr. Levy and the thousands of active duty soldiers who openly organized against the Vietnam War while in the military are once again part of making history-because their story is sparking a new and significant movement in the military today.

Sir! No Sir! tells a story that has literally been erased from history. Hundreds of films, both fiction and non-fiction, have been made about Vietnam. But this story-the rebellion of thousands of American soldiers-has never been told in film. This is certainly not for lack of evidence. By the Pentagon's own figures, 503,926 ">

Sir! No Sir! opened in theaters last Spring and got a good deal of attention. L.A. Times critic Kenneth Turan called it "A powerful documentary that uncovers half-forgotten history, history that is still relevant but not in ways you might be expecting," and another critic only half-jokingly called it "A film that threatens the war movement with every showing, the Bush administration should outlaw it from all theatres within fifty miles of an armed forces recruiting station."

It turns out he had a point. Since its release last spring, my little film about events that happened 40 years ago has had quite an impact inside the military. Kind of like giving a motorboat to prisoners abandoned on a remote Island. The organization Iraq Veterans Against the War has distributed hundreds of DVDs soldiers for free, and the film has been cited by several who have publicly refused deployment to Iraq on the grounds that the war is immoral and a clear violation of international law.

Navy Seaman Jonathon Hutto and Marine Sergeant Liam Madden met at a screening in Norfolk last fall and, inspired by the film and David Cortright's seminal book on the GI Movement, Soldiers in Revolt, decided to start the Appeal for Redress. Cleverly using the military's own whistleblower protection policy, the Appeal is a petition to congress calling for an immediate end to the war. Almost instantly they had 1,600 signatures (it has since risen to over 2,000). If the number seems small, consider this: There are currently about 140,00 troops in Iraq. In November 1969, with over 3.5 million GIs in Vietnam, 1,366 signed a New York Times ad calling for an end to the war-and the effect was electrifying. Numbers only take on their true meaning when understood in context.

True, Iraq is not Vietnam, and 2007 is not 1969. But something very profound is happening here. The world is full of moments when history intertwines with the present in dynamic and unexpected ways. The civil rights movement of the 1960s was fueled by the hundred-year-old stories of Harriet Tubman, John Brown, and the slave rebellions we never learned about in school. This is another one of those moments.

My film doesn't tell anyone what to do. But it does tell an incendiary story of thousands of soldiers who helped end a war 40 years ago. As the Bush administration plans only escalation of this horrendous war, the 200-pound gorilla blocking his way may well be the troops themselves.

David Zeiger

***

The Ground Truth also looks like a spectacular film as well. The movie details what ordinary men and women experienced during recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with their families and everyday life.

This Monday on the Sundance Channel.

To view trailers of both movies, scroll down the right side of this page and click directly on the image of the movie, which will take you to a larger version on YouTube's page.

Set your TiVo now for two fantastic movies on Sundance next Monday

I've been pimping the movie Sir! No Sir! for quite a while now - I even have the DVD at home, but we just haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

The Sundance Channel is showing Sir! No Sir! on Monday, May 7 at 9 p.m., followed by The Ground Truth. Both movies are apropos in many ways to our situation in Iraq. Click on both links to go to the movies' Websites.

Sir! No Sir! has been getting a lot of attention, but The Ground Truth a bit less so, but the latter is getting fantastic reviews.

Next Monday is your chance to see both movies for free - set your recording devices.

Here are the trailers...

Sir! No Sir!

The Ground Truth

Three noteworthy films premiering soon...

When I went to see An Inconvient Truth this past weekend, the trailers were very interesting. Three stuck out in my mind:

Who Killed the Electric Car?,

Sir No Sir and

The Road to Guantanamo. I'm definitely seeing all three. (Scroll down the right side of this page to see all three trailers.)



Who Killed the Electric Car looks excellent. It's a behind-the-scenes account of why the electric car is effectively dead in the American market. Of course, this is all the more interesting since gas is topping $3 a gallon. An American public should want answers, and I'm hoping this film provides many. I had no idea before seeing this trailer that the electric car was dead; I was under the impression it was still around and selling. I guess not, save a few hybrids. Let's hope it makes a comeback, and that this film kickstarts such a movement.



Sir No Sir is definitely going to kick up plenty of dust. Just look at the trailer and come back. ... I'll wait. Okay, see what I mean? Just the presence of "Hanoi Jane" is bound to piss off plenty of veterans, and with good reason. As a child of this generation, I can honestly see both sides of the debate. Having said that, there never has been and never will be any excuse for what Fonda did, so she can shove her apology straight up her ass. But, the government also fucked with her for having an opinion. Ahh, Richard Nixon - the good old days. He made abuse of power chic. But, I also feel (with the benefit of hindsight) that the protestors had a point. Vietnam was a tragic mistake - 58,000+ lives, and for what? A country that did not want us there.

It's also personal to me - when I think of returning Vietnam Vets, I think of my uncle, who has told me stories of being spit on when he got home. Any protestor who did that was and is a grade A motherfucker. Regardless of whether a war is just or not, our soldiers will always be heroes in my book - many/most didn't ask to go, but they are doing their duty. Got a problem with the war? Take it out on the politicans who made the decision to fight it. (Much like I feel now toward our president and the ill-conceived war in Iraq.)

I'll get into this a whole lot more in the coming days, and definitely in my review of this film after I see it. A great deal of this debate is apropos today with our fighting in the Middle East.

This is a good segue into the next film...



The Road to Guantanamo - a movie about the Tipton Three, who wree detained at Guantanamo Bay without being charged, and were later released. This movie poster above was banned by the Motion Picture Association of America. God, I just love censorship. This has got to easily the most sanitized and censored war in history. What's that? You've never heard of the Tipton Three, either? Well, most of you probably haven't - I hadn't before reading a few articles long after it happened. It's lack of media coverage is hardly an accident. Want to know what's really going on? Go to Google News and read some overseas papers. We get only one side of the story, and an incomplete one at that. This leads me into the whole Haditha and Abu Ghraib scandals by members of our military. But, that's a discussion for another time, and I will blog on it soon. So much to blog about, so little time!

Anyway, these look like three very thought provoking movies coming out this summer. Screw Tom Cruise and the blockbuster - I'd rather see films that mean something. These three, along with An Inconvenient Truth, are a good place to start.