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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 9786305873464 Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Box set, NTSC ISBN: 6305873461 Label: Image Entertainment Languages: Manufacturer: Image Entertainment Number Of Items: 2 Picture Format: Pan & Scan Publisher: Image Entertainment Region Code: 1 Release Date: June 20, 2000 Running Time: 624 minutes Studio: Image Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 1980 Editorial Review: Amazon.com: The military, political, and social repercussions of the Vietnam War continue to be felt, in the ways in which it altered the landscape of American life forever. Written by CNN correspondent Peter Arnett, the 13 episodes of Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War trace the entire course of the conflict, from the closing days of World War II when Ho Chi Minh first began to assemble his revolutionary army, to the fall of Saigon in 1975. Documentary filmmaking simply doesn't get much better than this. With extensive archival footage shot by both sides and interviews with participants ranging from infantry soldiers to diplomats, Vietnam has a detached, journalistic objectivity and fairness throughout. It would be much easier to understand the war if it were possible to lay the blame at the feet of the French, or Kennedy, Johnson, or Nixon, but the war's progress was never that clear-cut. Rather, it was a slippery slope that inexorably led to thousands of deaths and laid waste to the country of Vietnam. Unlike WWII, there were no heroes' welcomes for Vietnam's returning GI's; more often than not, they were met with silence or outright contempt. The series' final chapter explores their struggles in readjusting to normal life in society. The somber tone of Richard Basehart's narration is a perfect match for the gravity of the subject matter. This two-DVD boxed set is essential watching for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Vietnam War and all its ramifications, and should be required viewing for history classes. --Jerry Renshaw Description: The real story behind the longest, most controversial war in modern history. Known as history's first "living room war," the Vietnam conflict is presented in this nearly 10-hour documentary with clarity, authority, and insight, complete on 2 DVDs. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Peter Arnett and narrated by Richard Basehart (Moby Dick, La Strada), Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War covers the entire conflict, examining the shifting attitudes of the United States toward Vietnam from 1945, when the battleground was known as French Indochina, to 1975, when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese. This superb award-winning series of programs re-examines without blame or judgment the rise and fall of America's 20-year commitment to the war in Vietnam. Forceful and evocative, with film clips shot by both sides, it revisits the time and place that molded a generation and changed the course of American politics forever. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - THE documentary on Vietnam WarThis is a magnificent series. If you could only see one film about the war, this would be it. Great archive footage and remarkably candid interviews with leading players from both sides: eg Lucien Conien, William Colby, MacNamara (I think, it's years since I've seen it) as well as Vietnamese generals and diplomats, north and south. As for the other comments that it's biased, a good friend who is Vietnamese (whose father was Viet Minh) regards it as the best documentary on the war. Pity the DVD isn't ... Read More Rating: - One of the Best Documentaries Ever Produced!What John Facenda's voice-over did for the NFL Highlights series, and Boris Karloff's voice-over did for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Richard Basehart's does the same for "Vietnam: The Ten-thousand Day War." Basehart's sonorous, melancholy-tinged narration captures the grim disillusionment that came to characterize the Vietnam debacle. There is a palable sense of deep-seated weariness in Basehart's voice that parallels the weariness of the soliders featured throughout the documentary. Read More Rating: - wustyWhile this series is very good - very similar to the later "Vietnam the television war" it is insanely overpriced. I just borrowed it from the local library [in Australia] and watched it. I will probably borrow it again some time, but it is not worth any more than the normal retail price of $79 US, even that is somewhat extravagant. At the time of this posting the price was $1300 US. Rating: - One of the Best Documentaries of the WarThis documentary is very thoughtful, balanced, well writtten and narrated account of America's misadventure in Vietnam. It was made when many of the participants were still alive and within just a few years of the end of the war. Not only do Americans tell their side of the story but NVA soldiers, politicians and Generals. It comes across as a much more balanced view of the war than the PBS "Vietnam A Television History." The narration by Richard Basehart is interesting and dispassionate. The ... Read More Rating: - A Historical DocumentaryThis is by far the most accurate accounting of the history and US involvement in Vietnam that I've seen. This series has far more detail than "Vietnam A Television History" and the facts are verifiable. Whether John Carlson (review below) agrees or not, the US was indeed trying to force it's will upon the people of Vietnam. The US instigated the separation of the country of Indochina (Vietnam) as an attempt to keep a presence at China's and the USSR's back door. Excellent documentary. |
