I quite fancy watching a good Vietnam War documentary because I know very little about what went on out there.
Can anyone recommend a good one that I can watch on Netflicks/YouTube /catchup TV?
Many thanks.
The Vietnam War.
It's on Netflix.
Platoon
Yeah the Ken Burns one is on Netflix. Worth a watch but not a quick summary. Fascinating and absolutely insane. It charts the story from the French war through to the bitter end.
The Vietman War on Netflix is brilliant. Its a 12 parter that goes into immense detail from the French occupation right through to the fall of Saigon. The footage is incredible.
What makes it so good is that it puts it into the context of the time. Kennedy, Nixon, Watergate and the politics, plus the civil rights movement, the music and the cultural changes in American society. I watched it when it first came out and have just watched it again, having read this bloody brilliant book...
Well worth watching the complete Ken Burns documentary. A study on how the "slide into war" is, almost, irresistible in most cases. For a generation brought up on Hollywood action films, where the goody with the machine gun shoots all the badies without so much as a scratch, the footage from what really happens when two (or more) people with machine guns use them is sobering.
Good book. As is Despatches.
As others have said, the one on Netflix. It's great.
That's a great recommendation.
Will start watching them today.
Just reading the new Max Hastings book about Vietnam at the mo.
Storyville:Last Days of Saigon is on iplayer for another 2 days.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b062mbng
Unbelievable ^^^
BBC4 also recently showed a highly rated American series called 'The Vietnam War' that gave a detailed account - it isn't currently on iPlayer but is worth looking out for.
the bbc4 one is the same as the Netflix (actually PBS) one, but condensed.
Bright shining lie is a good book on the whole thing. Rubbish film though...
I keep meaning to watch the ken burns doc as I was a nam obsessive when I was a kid (platoon and full metal jacket were out and as Ricky Gervais said it's my favourite war cos it's got the best soundtrack). It's a 'kids and wife have gone to bed' doc which is when my time is most precious
Afghan not Vietnam but 'Restrepo' was one my favourite war documentaries.
I am glad others have seen the Ken Burns series Netflix. It is immense. I was particularly taken by the accounts of John Musgrave in the series.
I'm about half way through the second episode of the Netflix documentary.
Really enjoying (not sure that's the right word) it, so thanks for the recommendation.
Not a history of the war as such, but recall watching a docu of that war in the 90's called Letters to America ( I think?) which was readings of Letters home from GI's over film of the war. Long time ago, but I recall it was worth watching. The Ken Burns series shown on BBC4 was very good.
The Storyville film is excellent. A narrow timespan, but a superb film all the same.
+1 the PBS one, narrated by Peter Coyote.
Saw it on BBC4 & caught a few.episodes on PBS, there's definitely a bit extra in the PBS one, that makes it worthwhile.
I think what's most depressing is that our politicians seem to make the same mistakes over & over.
Oliver Stone's "Untold History of the United States" is worth a watch too for context, it covers WW2 to Bush & Obama era including plenty of Vietnam. Not much "untold" about it but lots of good archive footage and well presented.
I'm sure it has been on Netflix but can't find it on there now - DVDs are about a fiver on amazon though.
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Afghan not Vietnam but ‘Restrepo’ was one my favourite war documentaries.
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Ah, if you like that, you have to watch "Which Way is the Frontline from Here". One of the best documentaries I've seen (It's a Storville).
Bitter Lake & Hypernormalisation should be compulsory viewing too
Black Cat 2-1 is also worth a read if you enjoyed Chickenhawk - not quite as good but not far off