Editors' Pick
Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Premieres Sunday night, September 17, on PBS
The Vietnam War was a brutal, ugly, and protracted struggle which tested the identity and the ideals of Americans and Vietnamese alike. Ten years in the making, this 18-hour, 10-part documentary features 80 witnesses: Americans who fought, Vietnamese combatants, and civilians from both sides. The directors use re-mastered archival footage from photographs, historic television broadcasts, home movies, and revealing audio recordings from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidential administrations. Equally impressive is their emotionally enriching use of more than 120 songs by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Wilson Pickett, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. The impact of the Vietnam War persists. This immersive masterpiece will help you understand why.
