Film directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer in 1991, celebrating the tragic heroism of forsaken French soldiers fighting the lost battle at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Although he had vowed he would never go back to Vietnam following his own capture there in 1954, with the 40th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu upon him Schoendoerffer returned to communist Vietnam to make this Franco-Vietnamese production. He dedicated his film to the French Union soldiers who had fought against all odds for France at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. As in his earlier films, Schoendoeffer celebrates the heroism of the “forgotten” soldiers and portrays the war through the eyes of those who fought it for the French side. See also 317ème SECTION; CINEMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM; CINEMA, FRANCE; CRABE TAMBOUR, LE; DIEN BIEN PHU, BATTLE OF; DIEN BIEN PHU, BATTLE PREPARATION AND CONTEXT; DIEN BIEN PHU, CANCELLATION OF FIRST ATTACK; DIEN BIEN PHU, EXPERIENCE OF BATTLE; DIEN BIEN PHU, SIGNIFICANCE OF; MYTH OF WAR; PRISONERS OF WAR.