In the Year of the Pig

Emile de Antonio's 1969 documentary addresses the Vietnam War while the war was still going on. The film uses no narrator; the material is assembled from news footage, official statements, interviews and archive recordings. De Antonio's method is the editing itself. A general's sentence is followed immediately by an image that contradicts it; the official account is refuted with its own material. That approach influenced most of the political documentaries that came after. The film traces the origin of the war back to French colonialism and presents American intervention as a continuation. At the time of its release some cinemas were picketed and it drew threats. It was nominated in the documentary category at the Academy Awards. Who it's for: those interested in the political documentary tradition and the history of the Vietnam War. Who it's not for: viewers expecting neutral relay; the film speaks openly from an anti-war position and shows combat footage uncensored.