Product Details

• Actors: Everett Alvarez, Ron Bliss, Fred Cherry, George Day, Jeremiah Denton
• Directors: Freida Lee Mock, Terry Sanders
• Writers: Freida Lee Mock, Terry Sanders, Christine Z. Wiser
• Producers: Freida Lee Mock, Terry Sanders, Christine Z. Wiser
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS Home Video
• DVD Release Date: April 24, 2001
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005AAEF
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,692 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Documentary > Military & War > Vietnam War

• For more information about "Return with Honor" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Men who piloted the hottest fighter planes in the world found themselves suddenly transformed from hotshots to humiliated prisoners during the Vietnam War. The story of how American prisoners survived in North Vietnam's notorious prison camps is dramatically told in this documentary, an installment of the American Experience series on PBS. The men, who survived appalling treatment, relate their experiences, and vintage footage, including propaganda films shot by their captors, portrays what they endured. A former POW describes how he was coached before being put on public display, yet he spelled out the word "torture" in Morse code by blinking his eyes, a defiant action that can clearly be seen in footage that the North Vietnamese provided to the world's media. Another former prisoner, who somehow survived massive injuries despite being denied medical care, describes how he had to lie on the concrete floor of his cell for nearly a year, just trying to get his arms and legs to function again. These inspirational stories lead up to an emotional climax as the prisoners, including Arizona Senator John McCain, describe what it was like to be freed after their long captivity. This is a deeply moving and inspiring story told by men who overcame great depths of human suffering. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Story of the Hanoi Hilton, April 15, 2000

By	Ellen Chris Fanizzi (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

The definitive documentary about life inside the notoriously brutal POW camps of North Vietnam - told by the American servicemen who lived it. Extraordinary historical footage combined with the reflections of the men some 25 years later makes this a compelling film. You will be inspired by their courage, touched by their humanity and confessions of weakness and fear, and then re-inspired by their enduring loyalty to each other. Kept in solitary, tortured, and forbidden to communicate with each other, it is a wonder they survived. Amazingly you learn how they did develop ways to cope and communicate, such as by using a "tap code" on the walls to communicate with men in adjoining cells. As one ex-prisoner puts it, some nights we had the Hanoi Hilton "sounding like a den of runaway woodpeckers." This remark is typical of the reflections you hear from the ex-prisoners. The men are never bitter, despite the fact they've been through a living hell. They are never pedantic and anxious to tell what great life lessons they've learned from the experience. They simply tell their story. Their wit and humor keeps Return With Honor from ever becoming akin to a depressing war move. Regardless of political opinion about the Vietnam conflict, almost every viewer will come away with an admiration for these Air Force and Navy officers who scarified so much in service to their country.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptionally good documentary...., May 3, 2003

By	Kyle Tolle (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

In what is probably the most revealing documentary ever created on ex-POW's from Vietnam, Return With Honor is an outstanding testament to absolute courage, honor, bravery, camaraderie, and survival.

Individual interviews woven with footage from United States and Vietnamese archives paint a very vivid and oftentimes emotional picture of the brutal experience suffered by our U.S. servicemen held captive in Hanoi.

Leaving very little to the imagination, this documentary explores the many facets of captivity to include barbaric torture, communication processes between prisoners, coping with solitary confinement, demoralizing loneliness, and inhuman living conditions. Additional interviews with the spouses of POW's reveal their pain and emotion they dealt with on the home front while not knowing the fates of their husbands.

Finishing off with their triumphant return home, it is truly inspirational and heartwarming to see the footage of these heroic men reunited with their families.

This DVD itself has superb sound and video qualities and offers good additional features such as 26 biographies of POW's and interviews with the producers on the making of Return With Honor.

This documentary comes very highly recommended to everyone and leaves you with a resounding message of patriotism and a deep respect for America and her U.S. servicemen.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing film!, July 20, 2000

By	Michael T. Bennett "mike" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The American Experience - Tom Hanks presents Return with Honor [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie does an excellent job at telling the story of the brutality the American prisoners suffered in the hands of the North Vietnamese during their captivity in the Vietnam War. The interviews of many of the more well-known prisoners is a great first hand account of their daily lives, and the actual footage and photos shown of them is very interesting. This is a very very well-made film and I think it's great for anyone interested in the topic, or anyone who has not known much about it. The Americans there made huge sacrifices and faced death. They truly deserve the highest honor for their struggle, and this film is a testament to that.