The Anderson Platoon
Encyclopedia
The Anderson Platoon is a documentary feature by Pierre Schoendoerffer
about the Vietnam War
. Two decades later, a sequel was released as Reminiscence.
news magazine director and French public channel ORTF producer Pierre Lazareff proposed that war reporter and director Pierre Schoendoerffer complete his "unachieved" war documentary he did in 1954.
Back in May 1954, Schoendoerffer was covering the First Indochina War for the French army's cinematographic service SCA. At the siege of Dien Bien Phu he filmed the battle between the French Union
forces and the Viet Minh
but his reels were captured when he surrendered to the enemy.
After the departure of the French forces from Vietnam in 1956 the U.S. Army replaced it and fighting soon flared again, the beginning of the Vietnam War
(known in France as the Second Indochina War).
Arguing that "the war was the same, the French only switching with the Americans", Lazareff convinced the French veteran to return to Vietnam as a kind of second chance to complete his war documentary.
war cameraman and First Indochina War
veteran Schoendoerffer (38), already famous for his celebrated masterpiece The 317th Platoon
, returns to Vietnam
.
On 1 August 1965, the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division is sent to South Vietnam
. The following year in September, Schoendoerffer joins it and follows a 33-man platoon of GIs led by Black West Pointer Lieutenant Joseph B. Anderson
(24) until October 1966.
.
The English dub version was premiered on television in the United States on July 4, 1967 by CBS
. Shortly after its 1968 Academy Award, it was broadcast a second time in France's ORTF.
In West Germany
, the 62mn version was broadcast on July 17, 1968 on NDR
, SFB
and Bremen III. After the Berlin wall
's fall it was broadcast in Germany, on WDR, on January 15, 1995.
A 60mn VHS
re-edited uncensored video edition was released in December 1987 by Hollywood Select Video. It was re-released by Timeless Video in May 1990. Timeless released a second print in June 1999.
By June 2000, Homevision released the original 65mn French version subtitled in English.
pay per view service through the National Audiovisual Institute
's website hosting the ORTF archives.
Pierre Schoendoerffer
Pierre Schoendoerffer is a French film director, a screenwriter, a writer, a war reporter, a war cameraman, a renowned First Indochina War veteran, a cinema academician and since 2001 the President of the Académie des Beaux-Arts.-Family:...
about the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Two decades later, a sequel was released as Reminiscence.
Background
In summer 1966, France SoirFrance Soir
France Soir is a French daily newspaper that prospered during the 1950s and 1960s, but it has declined since then under various owners. It was re-launched as a populist tabloid in 2006.-History:...
news magazine director and French public channel ORTF producer Pierre Lazareff proposed that war reporter and director Pierre Schoendoerffer complete his "unachieved" war documentary he did in 1954.
Back in May 1954, Schoendoerffer was covering the First Indochina War for the French army's cinematographic service SCA. At the siege of Dien Bien Phu he filmed the battle between the French Union
French Union
The French Union was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" and to abolish its "indigenous" status.-History:...
forces and the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
but his reels were captured when he surrendered to the enemy.
After the departure of the French forces from Vietnam in 1956 the U.S. Army replaced it and fighting soon flared again, the beginning of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(known in France as the Second Indochina War).
Arguing that "the war was the same, the French only switching with the Americans", Lazareff convinced the French veteran to return to Vietnam as a kind of second chance to complete his war documentary.
Plot
The FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
war cameraman and First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
veteran Schoendoerffer (38), already famous for his celebrated masterpiece The 317th Platoon
The 317th Platoon
The 317th Platoon is a 1965 French war film during the French Vietnam war directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer. It was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Screenplay.-Cast:...
, returns to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
On 1 August 1965, the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division is sent to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. The following year in September, Schoendoerffer joins it and follows a 33-man platoon of GIs led by Black West Pointer Lieutenant Joseph B. Anderson
Joseph B. Anderson
Joseph B. Anderson, Jr. is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of TAG Holdings, LLC.-Early years:Mr. Anderson was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1943. He attended the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1965 with a degree in math and engineering.-Military service:After...
(24) until October 1966.
Reception
The Anderson Platoon has been shown in more than 20 countries and won several prizes including an Oscar on April 10, 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic AuditoriumSanta Monica Civic Auditorium
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket....
.
- 1967:
Prix Italia for Original Dramatic ProgramPrix ItaliaThe Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri... - 1968:
Emmy Award for the Best Documentary Film of 1967 - 1967: Academy Award for Documentary FeatureAcademy Award for Documentary FeatureThe Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
- 1968: Merit Award (BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
)
Releases
Television
The Anderson Platoon was broadcast on the French public channel ORTF's monthly show Cinq colonnes à la une on February 3, 1967.The English dub version was premiered on television in the United States on July 4, 1967 by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. Shortly after its 1968 Academy Award, it was broadcast a second time in France's ORTF.
In West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, the 62mn version was broadcast on July 17, 1968 on NDR
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
, SFB
Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003...
and Bremen III. After the Berlin wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
's fall it was broadcast in Germany, on WDR, on January 15, 1995.
Theater
This documentary was originally made for a French TV show and was released in theaters in the United States only.Home video
The Anderson Platoon was made available on VHS tapes in the United States only.A 60mn VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
re-edited uncensored video edition was released in December 1987 by Hollywood Select Video. It was re-released by Timeless Video in May 1990. Timeless released a second print in June 1999.
By June 2000, Homevision released the original 65mn French version subtitled in English.
Video on demand
In France it is available online since April 26, 2006 as a VODVideo on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
pay per view service through the National Audiovisual Institute
Institut national de l'audiovisuel
The Institut national de l'audiovisuel , is a repository of all French radio and television audiovisual archives. Additionally it provides customers with a free and immediate access to archives of countries such as Afghanistan and Cambodia...
's website hosting the ORTF archives.
Reminiscence
A sequel to The Anderson Platoon entitled Reminiscence was released in 1989. Twenty years after the events, Schoendoerffer met the platoon's survivors.Alternate titles
- La Section Anderson: original title
- The Anderson Platoon: English re-edited uncensored version title. This is the only accurate account for this title.
- 2. Kompanie, 1. Zug, Vietnam 1966 ("2nd Company, 1st Platoon, Vietnam 1966"): West German title. The "Anderson Platoon"'s actual name is "1st Platoon" belonging to the "B" for "Bravo" Company and the documentary was shot in South Vietnam in 1966, hence the German title.
- Abteilung Anderson ("Detachment Anderson"): German title after the reunification. This is a translation of the original title, "DetachmentDetachment (military)A detachment is a military unit. It can either be detached from a larger unit for a specific function or be a permanent unit smaller than a battalion. The term is often used to refer to a unit that is assigned to a different base from the parent unit...
" being a synonym for "Platoon" in French.
See also
- 1st Cavalry Division (United States)
- Vietnam warVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
- The 317th PlatoonThe 317th PlatoonThe 317th Platoon is a 1965 French war film during the French Vietnam war directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer. It was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best Screenplay.-Cast:...
(1965) - PlatoonPlatoon (film)Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and stars Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first of Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, followed by 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1993's Heaven & Earth....
(1986)
Media links
La Section Anderson on the ORTF in 1968, 10mn sample (National Audiovisual Institute)External links
- Men at War: A French View (Time magazine, February 17, 1967)