The Vietnam War -SBS

[Damp Squarie]

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides-Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations.

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Anyone else engrossed in this doco?
I'm up to episode 7 and its amazing.
I have so much respect for the North Vietnamese.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Thanks for posting. I watched Part 1 last night and will be watching the rest over the weekend. The battle of Dien Bien Phu was an amazing feat.

 

[Gasometer]

Smashed through all 18 hours with the flu a few months ago.

One...if not certainly the best doco on Vietnam

 

[TigerCraig]

Thanks for posting. I watched Part 1 last night and will be watching the rest over the weekend. The battle of Dien Bien Phu was an amazing feat.

If you haven't read Bernard Fall's "Hell in a Very Small Place", I recommend it

 

[Nostradumbass]

If you haven't read Bernard Fall's "Hell in a Very Small Place", I recommend it

Just ordered it, thanks for that.

 

[Tuco]

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides-Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations.

.................................................................................

Anyone else engrossed in this doco?
I'm up to episode 7 and its amazing.
I have so much respect for the North Vietnamese.

Just started it. Very good.

Haven't watched a Burns doco for a while...but they're all so brilliantly and delicately assembled.

 

[Nostradumbass]

Getting right into this now, it's enthralling. I'll be up late tonight.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Is it a well rounded documentary or just more of the hollywood-isation of the war that's been going on since the 70s? I'm interested in watching but not if it's going to be just more whitewashing of a war crime.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-killing-of-history

 

[Gasometer]

Is it a well rounded documentary or just more of the hollywood-isation of the war that's been going on since the 70s? I'm interested in watching but not if it's going to be just more whitewashing of a war crime.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-killing-of-history

I think it was balanced from the perspectives of all three sides...VC, South Viet and USA.

The politics of failure is explored across consecutive Presidents.

Explores the Anti War complexities in the USA.

The personal stories from all sides is the most heartbreaking. The suffering that the survivor's live with.

No, this is up there with 'The World at War' in terms of unpacking a war.

 

[Frank Bunn]

Is it a well rounded documentary or just more of the hollywood-isation of the war that's been going on since the 70s? I'm interested in watching but not if it's going to be just more whitewashing of a war crime.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-killing-of-history

It has had criticism from both sides of politics so maybe they got it about right.

https://www.city-journal.org/html/warped-mirror-15531.html

The last one I watched highlighted then vice-president Nixon secretly sabotaging peace talks to prolong the war and improve his chances of becoming president. What a campaigner.

 

[Tallest]

The last one I watched highlighted then vice-president Nixon secretly sabotaging peace talks to prolong the war and improve his chances of becoming president. What a campaigner.

US politics 101

 

[Nostradumbass]

My SBS app only shows 7 episodes? I thought there were more?

 

[Gasometer]

My SBS app only shows 7 episodes? I thought there were more?

Next weeks is a double episode finale i read in todays paper.

 

[Gasometer]

It is fascinating as well how they unpack the events around three of the most iconic pics of the 20th century.

The Napalm girl.
The execution.
The self immolation of the Monk.

 

[2006_Eagles]

I watched a couple parts

Makes me feel guilty how good we have it when I watch war stuff

 

[Nostradumbass]

I watched a couple parts

Makes me feel guilty how good we have it when I watch war stuff

Made me think as well, the Vietnamese kids who I went to school with in the 80s, their parents would have lived through this.

 

[Gasometer]

Made me think as well, the Vietnamese kids who I went to school with in the 80s, their parents would have lived through this.

And like the Post Ww2 immigrants I bet those parents insisted that the kids go on and build better lives through study and hard work?

 

[Vader]

It has had criticism from both sides of politics so maybe they got it about right.

https://www.city-journal.org/html/warped-mirror-15531.html

The last one I watched highlighted then vice-president Nixon secretly sabotaging peace talks to prolong the war and improve his chances of becoming president. What a campaigner.

That's not just a "campaigner". That's treason.

 

[Vader]

My SBS app only shows 7 episodes? I thought there were more?

They're showing 2 episodes per week. Eps 9 & 10 tonight.

 

[Nostradumbass]

You'd hardly think we were involved in this war except for one line in the doco.

 

[Tuco]

You'd hardly think we were involved in this war except for one line in the doco.

True. Although in fairness our 500 dead doesn't really rate a mention versus the USA'S 58,000

 

[Nostradumbass]

True. Although in fairness our 500 dead doesn't really rate a mention versus the USA'S 58,000

True, but we did have 61k troops over there, I don't know if that was over the course of the war or what though. That's a significant contribution. I recall reading somewhere that the Viet Cong said our special forces were the best fighters they fought during that war.

 

[Tuco]

True, but we did have 61k troops over there, I don't know if that was over the course of the war or what though. That's a significant contribution. I recall reading somewhere that the Viet Cong said our special forces were the best fighters they fought during that war.

Sure. Not to discount our invovlement.

I think we might have had that number serve over there over the course of the entire war. But pretty much our peak deployment was less than 8k.


By comparison the Americans deployed 2.7m with a peak of half a million or more at any one time

 

[Vader]

True, but we did have 61k troops over there, I don't know if that was over the course of the war or what though. That's a significant contribution. I recall reading somewhere that the Viet Cong said our special forces were the best fighters they fought during that war.

Australia's maximum deployment was one brigade, plus supporting units (including the SAS). Australian forces were responsible for one province, and the province we were given was one of the least active even before Australian forces took over. Australia was actually the 3rd biggest army in the south, behind the ARVN and the US. Our contribution wasn't trivial, but our forces still only made up around 1-2% of the overall coalition.

Long Tan was the largest engagement involving Australian forces in the entire war. Australian casualties were 18 killed and 24 wounded. That probably wouldn't rate in the biggest 500 engagements of the war overall.

None of our engagements were of a strategic nature (Khe Sanh is an example of a strategic engagement). Nor were we involved in any of the controversial moments - My Lai, the monk's immolation, the execution by the brother of South Vietnam's President. We weren't involved in any of the major Tet Offensive battles (Saigon, Hue), or major offensives (e.g. the incursion into Cambodia).

The documentary didn't really focus at the tactical or operational level. It told the tale of several individuals, but the main focus was at the political and strategic level. Australia's contribution really didn't have a place in that narrative, other than the brief mention as one of only 4 countries to send forces to support the US & ARVN.

 

[Nostradumbass]

How about that woman who lost 8 brothers and both her sons. Terrible.