Far from Vietnam

In 1967 seven directors came together to make a joint film against the Vietnam War: Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker and Alain Resnais. Each produced a separate section and Marker held them together, while also producing. The title is the subject. The directors are not in the war; they speak from Paris, from a distance, and rather than conceal that distance they make it the film's question. Godard's section argues it outright. It runs 115 minutes. Godard, Marker and Jacques Sternberg are credited on the script, and it was photographed by several cinematographers including Jean Boffety and Denys Clerval. Sofradis distributed it. Scenes with professional actors are interleaved with archive footage, including images of Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro. Who it is for: viewers interested in political cinema and in French filmmaking of the sixties gathered in one place. Who it is not for: anyone expecting balanced reportage. The film is openly partisan and presents that not as a flaw but as a position.