Link to Vietnam, the 10000 day war: 10- The trail documentary
Documentary Description
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.
