The Anderson Platoon is a documentary feature by Pierre Schoendoerffer about the Vietnam War, named after the leader of the platoon - Lieutenant Joseph B. Anderson - with which Schoendeorffer was embedded. Two decades later, a sequel was released as Reminiscence.
Background
In summer 1966, France Soir news magazine director and French public channel ORTF producer Pierre Lazareff proposed that war reporter and director Pierre Schoendoerffer complete the "unachieved" war documentary Schoendoerffer began 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 French forces departed from Vietnam in 1956, the United States increased their support for the south, culminating in full scale military intervention and the Vietnam 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.
Premise
The French war cameraman and First Indochina War veteran Schoendoerffer, already famous for his celebrated masterpiece The 317th Platoon, returns to Vietnam. On 1 August 1965, the 1st 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 until October 1966.
Some time after the film was released, Captain Joseph B. Anderson, Jr., the leader of the unit of the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division after whom the film is named, commented on the film in Wallace Terry's book Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans. He observed, on page 227: On page 230, Captain Anderson discuses the death from friendly fire of a white soldier named Shannon, from California, who is introduced in the film at approximately 6'50". Anderson states: "I did write a letter to his folks, telling them he did an exceptionally good job. I did not describe the circumstances under which he was killed, because we were directed not to put those kinds of details in letters whatever the case may be." He continues: "The film describes the grenade as an enemy grenade. Which is not the real circumstances." On page 233, Captain Anderson notes: "I spent my last months in the base camp at An Khe, an aide to the commanding general. Being featured in The Anderson Platoon had obviously helped my career."
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. CBS premiered the English dub version on television in the United States on July 4, 1967. Shortly after its 1968 Academy Award, it was broadcast a second time in France's ORTF. In West Germany, the 62 min. 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.
Theater
This documentary was originally made for a French TV show and was released in theaters in the United States only.
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 : West German title. The "Anderson Platoon"'s actual name is "1st Platoon". The platoon belongs to the "B" for "Bravo" Company, and the documentary was shot in South Vietnam in 1966, hence the German title.
Abteilung Anderson : German title after the reunification. This is a translation of the original title; "Detachment" is a synonym for "Platoon" in French.
Home video
The Anderson Platoon was made available on VHS tapes in the United States only. A 60 min. 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 65 min. French version subtitled in English.
In France it was available online April 26, 2006 as a VODpay-per-view service through the National Audiovisual Institute's website hosting the ORTF archives.
''Reminiscence''
A sequel to The Anderson Platoon, entitled Reminiscence, was released in 1989. It depicts Schoendoerffer's meeting the platoon survivors 20 years after the events.
