Ken Burns' The Vietnam War (Documentary)

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Anyone watching the much buzzed ten-part 18-hour documentary from Ken Burns, this is an amazing in-depth doc with great footage and vintage photos.

Veterans call Ken Burns 'The Vietnam War' breathtaking, disheartening and 'like a dagger in my gut'


iPlayer

Discretion advised

Ep1
Deja Vu (1858-1961), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

2
Riding the Tiger (1961-1963), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

3
Hell Come to Earth (January 1964-December 1965), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

4
Doubt (January 1966-June 1967), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

5 not aired
This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

6 not aired
Things Fall Apart (January 1968-June 1968), Series 1, The Vietnam War - BBC Four

7
not aired

8
not aired

9
not aired

10
not aired

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I'm planing to watch it but you may find that the BBC bought the 10 part 10 hour cut, not the full 18 hours.
 
Just finished watching the 10 episode cut - immense!

I don't think i've ever been moved through such a broad range of emotion by one series before. The way in which it is done - a layering effect over time of puzzlement, bewilderment, incredulity, frustration, anger, anguish and then sorrow, whilst never outwardly approaching bias, agenda or the saccharine is documentary making at its finest.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the (dark and perplexing) times.
 
This was great. I never really new what started the war and why it was going on. This doc had everything I needed to know and was very detailed.
It was good hearing what the president was telling people and actually saying behind closed doors.
 
THis has been by far the best Vietnam doc series I have seen and I have seen many from the original Channel 4/PBS doc through many so called docs that highlight parts of the war. This doc has everything and more and seems entirely unbiased. By the way you must see the 18 hour version which has many more interviews with vets actually from the incidents mentioned which are cut from the 10 hour version of the series. For decades these vets would not talk about the experiences they had so to get their insight adds another thought provoking dimension to the previous Vietnam docs released since the war ended.
 
I've just watched the first 4 episodes. It is an absolutely outstanding documentary.

I'm already planning to watch it again from the start.

Hopefully they'll repeat it again from the beginning (this is at least the second run), so i can recommended it to friends.

Watching the BBC Four run, so that's the 10 hours. I couldn't see the 18h version on blu ray yet.

I like 20th century history and was pretty ignorant of this particular war.

MB
 
I have watched the first 4 episodes of this and it is amazing. Very detailed and covers both sides of the story.

Here is the 18 Hour version on DVD (why no Blu-Ray)
 
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I watched this last month, incredible. Quite a fan of Vietnam non-fiction and was nice to see Tim O’Brien (The things they carried; If I Die in a combat Zone) talking about his experiences. Mark Bowden’s Battle for Hue is also a great read. I tell you what I cried my eyes out at the bit where the family is bombed with Napalm and they emerge from the smoke..Kim Phuic was the girl and I think she now lives in Canada... will be rewatching soon..
 
Can someone please post when episode 1 pops up on the planner ? I'll do the same. I have told a lot people about this, so hopefully it will loop round again in the new year.

MB
 
^^ yes @SteveAWOL but it is on it's second run already on BBC Four. They started to show it again straight after the first complete run. So i'm hoping that they'll just run it again, as i want to watch it again from the start (have watched 6 so far).

MB
 
I started with the hour long episodes from iPlayer but then moved to the 1 hour 40 minutes episodes. If you can get the longer episodes they expand the story so much and are worth seeking out.
 
I've been following the repeats on BBC, it's excellent and also shows the depressing futility of this particular fight. I'll be following it up once it finishes with another viewing of "Fog of War", interviews with Robert McNamara.
 
This seems to have fallen out of the BBC 4 schedule.
 
The photo panning term "The Ken Burns effect" is named after this guy :cool:
 
Just finished the final episode from BBC Four run. Gripped from beginning to end and I’ve been wiping tears from my face just now.

Thanks to @Steve Withers for the recommendation via the AVF podcast.

MB
 
I sought out the full John Kerry testimony to the Senate committee, following episode 9. About 20 mins plus questions.



MB
 
Just finished episode 6 of the full version of this documentary absolutely outstanding, I’ve always been interested in the Vietnam war and this shows so much detail etc, the sad thing is I don’t think we’ve really learnt anything from the mistakes that people made then.
 
Just finished episode 6 of the full version of this documentary absolutely outstanding, I’ve always been interested in the Vietnam war and this shows so much detail etc, the sad thing is I don’t think we’ve really learnt anything from the mistakes that people made then.

Indeed. I have an army officer friend who i discussed this documentary with. I mentioned the approach of judging success by a death count and how as a civilian even i could see the obvious flaw in this. He confirmed he's been in meetings where this metric was seriously discussed for recent campaigns.

MB
 
I'm late to this (I recall watching the (ITV?) series The Ten Thousand Day War a few years ago).

I'd say I enjoyed that, but... well, I'm sure you know what I mean.

According to my Sky Planner, PBS America (Sky 534) are re-running this (Sunday 9.10pm), although from Episode 3. Think I'll catch it there and try to find the first 2 elsewhere...
 
he's been in meetings where this metric was seriously discussed
Years ago when I was in online advertising sales for a trade pub company on their 'vertical' platforms, was for a while pitching their "military technology" site - I recall discussing product features and 'benefits' including kill rates. Didn't really sit well with me, I preferred their medical/life science verticals talking with fellow scientists, didn't expect to be in the arms business. Moved on to the actual life science business not long after.
 

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