The Vietnam war BBC4
Discussion
Anyone catch the first two eps of this last night? Fascinating, as you would expect from a Ken Burns documentary, looking at the war & it's causes from both sides.
On reflection, I think it may be the first time I've heard in any depth from the Vietnamese perspective with some very insightful interviewing, one that stuck in my head, to paraphrase - We didn't wear uniforms, so the Americans couldn't know who they were killing. If they killed a soldier, there would be one less soldier. If they killed a civilian & they usually did, they would create ten more soldiers.
On reflection, I think it may be the first time I've heard in any depth from the Vietnamese perspective with some very insightful interviewing, one that stuck in my head, to paraphrase - We didn't wear uniforms, so the Americans couldn't know who they were killing. If they killed a soldier, there would be one less soldier. If they killed a civilian & they usually did, they would create ten more soldiers.
I've recorded it but not watched it yet. I nearly gave it a miss thinking it had already been on PBS, before I realised it was new.
By coincidence I finished this book last night:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eleven-Days-Christmas-Ame...
Fascinating and frightening in equal measures!
By coincidence I finished this book last night:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eleven-Days-Christmas-Ame...
Fascinating and frightening in equal measures!
Europa1 said:
I saw some of it, and it was really good. There were some mind boggling moments: one guy calmly recounting how he helped hack someone to death with machetes and the monk who torched himself particularly stood out.
I suspect anyone who torched themselves would stand out.
Have recorded and looking forward especially as it's a new series about the conflict.
Because I am watching America media a lot these days (for obvious reasons) I was aware that PBS were showing this new series. I hadn't realised that BBC 4 are showing it too. I'll have to catch up with it on iPlayer.
Back in the early 1980s, there was a very detailed TV history of the Vietnam War shown on Irish TV called "The 10,000 Day War". I remember that it was narrated by the actor Richard Basehart. It was very good but would probably look a bit dated now. The advantage of the older series is that many of the senior personnel involved in the war were still alive at the time the documentary was being filmed (1978/79).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam:_The_Ten_Tho...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vietn...
Back in the early 1980s, there was a very detailed TV history of the Vietnam War shown on Irish TV called "The 10,000 Day War". I remember that it was narrated by the actor Richard Basehart. It was very good but would probably look a bit dated now. The advantage of the older series is that many of the senior personnel involved in the war were still alive at the time the documentary was being filmed (1978/79).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam:_The_Ten_Tho...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vietn...
I watched this and hope to catch all 10 episodes.
My initial thinking was always that anything done closer to the time would be more accurate but
watching this you see the people wanted to forget all about it in the early days for their own
mental well being. More likely to give an honest account now.
Never really heard much from people involved in the 1st and 2nd world war when I was young and there were millions of people still alive to speak about it.
Establishment probably found they were all anti war and shut them down.
Now there are so few around we are all batsheet crazy about the military again lol.
Sadly doubt I will still be here in 30-40 years time to see the honest accounts of middle east conflicts.
My initial thinking was always that anything done closer to the time would be more accurate but
watching this you see the people wanted to forget all about it in the early days for their own
mental well being. More likely to give an honest account now.
Never really heard much from people involved in the 1st and 2nd world war when I was young and there were millions of people still alive to speak about it.
Establishment probably found they were all anti war and shut them down.
Now there are so few around we are all batsheet crazy about the military again lol.
Sadly doubt I will still be here in 30-40 years time to see the honest accounts of middle east conflicts.
Histories recorded closer to the events score over later ones because the main protagonists are still alive to be interviewed.
Later histories offer a better contextual perspective - sometimes.
There's a pros and cons for both. There is probably a sweet spot where you can catch both at the same time - probably somewhere around 20 to 35 years after the events covered.
Later histories offer a better contextual perspective - sometimes.
There's a pros and cons for both. There is probably a sweet spot where you can catch both at the same time - probably somewhere around 20 to 35 years after the events covered.
Just watched the second episode.
Excellent documentary so far.
It seems we never, ever learn though - it looks like a simple issue but with a million nuances for each and every action, reaction and thought.
Who thought it a good idea to put in a Catholic ruling elite minority puppet in a Buddhist country and De Gaulle/The French never fail to let you down - they really do have the capacity to be Class A w
kers.
Excellent documentary so far.
It seems we never, ever learn though - it looks like a simple issue but with a million nuances for each and every action, reaction and thought.
Who thought it a good idea to put in a Catholic ruling elite minority puppet in a Buddhist country and De Gaulle/The French never fail to let you down - they really do have the capacity to be Class A w
kers.Eric Mc said:
Histories recorded closer to the events score over later ones because the main protagonists are still alive to be interviewed.
Later histories offer a better contextual perspective - sometimes.
There's a pros and cons for both. There is probably a sweet spot where you can catch both at the same time - probably somewhere around 20 to 35 years after the events covered.
Like The World at War series, where they got to talk to the likes of Albert Speer, Lord Mountbatten & Hitler's private secretary, Traudl Junge. amongst many others.Later histories offer a better contextual perspective - sometimes.
There's a pros and cons for both. There is probably a sweet spot where you can catch both at the same time - probably somewhere around 20 to 35 years after the events covered.
Watched the first 2 - really interesting.
I had known the basics around stopping communism but the context of the bay of pigs failure and the political neccessity of JFK acting on the fear of communism sweeping the continent was new to me.
You can begin to see why the decisions were made, even if the logic was faulty. It wasnt simply American ego as I initially thought.
Also hadnt realised how bad a liar JFK was! Dreadful press conference where he stuttered along half truths.
I had known the basics around stopping communism but the context of the bay of pigs failure and the political neccessity of JFK acting on the fear of communism sweeping the continent was new to me.
You can begin to see why the decisions were made, even if the logic was faulty. It wasnt simply American ego as I initially thought.
Also hadnt realised how bad a liar JFK was! Dreadful press conference where he stuttered along half truths.
Really interesting so far, De Gaulle really was a massive cock. Those colonial powers really could get away with murder and treated the locals like 3rd class animals.
It's amazing how these Asian dictators all look the same, having massive stomachs and a batst crazy bh of a wife.
So many stupid mistakes at the start of what led to the war, its sad that this just didn't have to happen.
If you are into this kind of thing, there are some tapes of the USA Presidents talking on the phone in the white house that are released and on YouTube, listening to those you get a real sense of what slime balls some of these guys are. I think if JFK had lived, history would paint him in a very different light, he was certainly no angel.
It's amazing how these Asian dictators all look the same, having massive stomachs and a bats
t crazy bh of a wife.So many stupid mistakes at the start of what led to the war, its sad that this just didn't have to happen.
If you are into this kind of thing, there are some tapes of the USA Presidents talking on the phone in the white house that are released and on YouTube, listening to those you get a real sense of what slime balls some of these guys are. I think if JFK had lived, history would paint him in a very different light, he was certainly no angel.
Enjoying this. I knew very little about JFK's involvement -and how incompetent that new administration was. Didn't know that it was him that OK'd use of napalm and agent orange too.
Hard to be anything other than impressed by the resilience of the Vietnamese people given the st they went though.
Hard to be anything other than impressed by the resilience of the Vietnamese people given the s
t they went though.Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff