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: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS
• DVD Release Date: May 17, 2005
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007Y08JM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,416 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Return With Honor: The American Experience" 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

Product Description

This tells the powerful & moving story of american pilots shot down over north vietnam & the challenge to survive with honor as pows for up to 8 1/2 years. More than 20 veterans describe their captivity & struggle to survive - mentally physically & spiritually - and to return with honor. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/17/2005 Run time: 113 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 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
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Return with Honor (DVD)

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.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serving with an Honorable Man, August 30, 2000

By 

Panther sends (Hanoi, Vietnam) - See all my reviews

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

I am definitely a priviledged service member. I work at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. I serve with Pete Peterson, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. Having walked through the doors of Hoa Lo Prison and viewed what is left of the infamous compound, I must say that the video truly puts into perspective the trials and tribulations of what those servicemembers went through. I have read the propaganda under photos of my Ambassador and of Everett Alvarez commenting of their humane treatment. The video gives some insight into how those activities came about. After viewing this documentary, I must say that we should all be proud of the ones who stand on that wall because all of us won't have the opportunity and those of us who will may not respond the same as these men did. I am honored to serve with just one of them! I am a privledged Marine who is living in one of the most famous landmarks in Marine history. This video is outstanding! Anyone who is interested in the history should view this video and I am here to tell you that it is the closest you can get to walking through that dark archway and feeling those walls and shackles. It is a must see for all veterans and civilians alike. I am appreciative of their sacrifices and praise their will to survive.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A testament to the human spirit, May 9, 2001

By 

J. F Malysiak "macafferty" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Return with Honor (DVD)

A film that should be watched by everyone. Words cannot describe the horrors and humiliations these men faced while in captivity, but this film effectively manages to convey the POWs' plight, their suffering, and their triumphant 'return with honor'.

Particularly compelling are their accounts of torture, their various methods of communication (the "tap code" in particular) and how a cough, a sneeze, or a blink was able to communicate a thousand words.

The newsreel images further bring these stories to life.

I cannot fathom how these men managed to endure for three, four, some six and seven years, and still maintain a belief in tomorrow and a will to endure.

This film is truly a testament to the human spirit.