Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
On DVD...finally!, November 13, 2001
By A Customer
I've owned and treasured an incomplete VHS set of this marvelous series since the late 80's, and now I know where part of my tax refund is going. This fascinating documentary series from the late 70's walks a very fine line between scholarship and pure entertainment. Although the delivery is decidedly dry, representing well the less sensationalistic Cronkite-era jounalistic dignity, this very long series never ceases to inform and absorb you. Viewers who have come of age in the CNN/Oliver Stone era may have a tough time NOT being told who the villians are, but man oh man is it a blessed relief for sentient humans. Vietnam:The ten thousand day war, is as close to agenda-free as you will ever see these days. The roles and experiences of the 3 Presidential administrations, the Vietminh, and the anti-war demonstrators are studied in minute detail, never betraying for a moment any editorial slant at all. The day-long running time allows for an exhaustive look at all aspects of the conflict including several with which most of us are unfamiliar, the early stages of the conflict and the role of the French for example, spending almost 2 hours on Dien Bien Phu alone. The film spends a great deal of time following the enormous diplomatic complexities the conflict entailed, instantly making fools of all the pundits of any political stripe who nursed any number of pat, absurd "Why don't we just leave??" or "Why don't we just flatten them??" notions. The one thing I can promise the casual historian or political science major is this; you will walk away from the experience of this documentary series knowing a great deal more about the Vietnam war and era than you did before you sat down. It is, without a doubt the most scholarly and objective documentary on any subject I have ever seen, and yes, that includes Burns's The Civil War.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Truth About Vietnam, June 20, 2000
Produced at a time when the public's conception of the war was at an impass, Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War was not only a document of one of the darkest chapters in American History, but an indictment of war as a whole. This unflinching documentary will take places you never thought you'd see. The jungles, the cities, the back roads, the fields, even the mountains of what was once an idyllic paradise, all are the backdrop for a journey of horror. Combining news, military, and independent documentary footage, we are transported through the entire spectrum of the conflict. We see it all, from the end of French Occupation, through the arrival of military "advosors", Tet, and the fall of Saigon. You'll even examine the war at home. If you are still questioning why this tiny country in southeast asia was so crucial to our country's history, make this the first and last documentary you watch on the subject. You'll never be the same again.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "World at War" of Viet Nam, October 20, 2000
By A Customer
Undeniably, the best single series about America's involvement in the Viet Nam war. From the meager beginnings in Communist China through the fall of Saigon, this wonderfully accurate and detailed series covers the Viet Nam war in a style that will fascinate any historian, and captivate every viewer. The production quality is top notch, underscored by superb narration from Richard Basehart. In short, this series is to the Viet Nam war what the "World at War" series was to World War II. Buy it and watch it, so that we may never forget how it all happened, and help us prevent it from reoccurring in the future.
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