This 1967 color and very medically graphic film shows closeups of wounds, many on children. Viet Nam, Spring, 1967 is produced by The Committee of Responsibility, Inc., and filmed and narrated by Henry Mayer, M.D. It opens with men, women, boys, and girls with facial burns (:16-1:20). The narrator is on a plane to Viet Nam to choose war-injured children who needed highly specialized treatment in the U.S. Footage of Viet Nam is shown from the plane. They arrive by helicopter, with a view of the landing strip (1:22-2:33). At Saigon, Vietnamese get produce out of a boat and carry it by poles. Many people crowd an outdoor market, many wearing coolie hats. Motorbikes and rickshaws pass the camera. People walk among the rubble at the market (2:34-3:50). A little boy is fed rice. Families are shown living on the streets in makeshift housing. Many children and babies are shown among the ruins of poverty (3:51-5:30). Soup is spooned into a cup (5:47). A dead rat lies on the road (6:10). Bananas and produce are sold at a roadside stand (6:15). A woman carries two containers hanging from a pole across her shoulders (6:42). A Pan America helicopter takes off (6:48). The camera pans the rundown houses and tent communities along the water’s edge as the doctors travel by boat (7:12-7:40). A sea of coolie hats bob as people mingle (7:47). A large net is thrown from a sampan (7:53). The wounded lie in metal hospital beds placed next to each other. Metal cribs hold babies. Some wounded lie on stretchers on the floor (8:02-8:54). Closeups of decaying and burned skin is shown (8:55-9:06). Wounded children and adults are shown with napalm burns; some are gruesome (9:26-10:35). The people in the hospital fan themselves and patients (10:37-10:57). A badly burned and bandaged toddler eats (10:59). More injured children are shown (11:00-12:14). A bandage on a face is bloody (12:16). More injured are shown of every age (12:17-12:52). Young boys are shown missing hands, feet, and fingers (12:53-13:35). Amputees walk on crutches on the uneven street (13:38-13:53). A wounded man sits in a wheelchair and a woman wrapped in bandages lies in a bed. A child missing fingers has his hand wrapped in bandages and other children amputees are shown (13:58-14:25). A child with both legs amputated at the knees tries to walk on artificial limbs (14:27-14:35). Children selected for treatment in the U.S. are shown. These include a girl with an inflamed and infected foot from machine gun bullets (14:51-15:06). A five-year old has a shattered skull with a herniated brain (15:07-15:15). A boy has burns and contracture of the neck (15:16-15:30). A 16-year old is blinded and lost both hands (15:40-15:45). A young boy in a wheelchair is paralyzed from the waist down (15:47-16:05).
The Committee of Responsibility (COR) was formed in 1966. COR was comprised of medical personnel, scientists, clergymen, and concerned citizens who sought avenues for helping Vietnamese children under the age of 16. COR organizers provided direct medical aid by bringing children to the U.S. for treatment and rehabilitation. Approximately 100 children were treated in the U.S. most of whom lived with American families while undergoing medical treatment. Almost all of these children returned to Vietnam once their treatment had been completed.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
