Loin du Vietnam (1967) ***

Uneven, but fascinating French film about the Vietnam War. The most memorable segment has Jean-Luc Godard trying to explain to himself why the North Vietnamese government refused to let him enter their country. Alain Resnais' segment is by far the best, offering a different, and unexpected, perspective on that war. The other segments vary wildly in quality: everything from crude (and simplistic) Communist propaganda (especially the segment dealing with anti-war demonstrations in United States), to excellent (and very informative) Communist propaganda (particularly the segment shot by Joris Ivens in Hanoi about small anti-bomb shelters). The opening segment is surprisingly objective and even-handed.