Discussing ‘The Vietnam War’

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/opinion/discussing-the-vietnam-war.html

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On Sunday, PBS debuted “The Vietnam War,” Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s long-awaited, 18-hour documentary on the conflict and its legacy. As engrossing as the film is, just as noteworthy has been the commentary about it, both critical and in praise. And this, I am sure, is one of the filmmakers’ goals: to jumpstart a conversation about a conflict that deepened divisions within America, opened new ones and redefined the country’s role in the world — with repercussions that are still felt today.

What do you think of the documentary? Discuss it by clicking here and going to the comments section.

Here are just a few of the articles about the film that I’ve found interesting:

Christian Appy, “Déjà Vu,” at the history blog Process. This Vietnam historian breaks down the first episode of the documentary.

Phil Klay, “Ken Burns Never Knew How Wrong He Was About the Vietnam War,” in Mother Jones. Klay, a novelist and Iraq War veteran, interviews Burns about the film.

Jerry Lembcke, “Burns and Novick, Masters of False Balancing,” on the website Public Books. This historian suggests further reading on topics he felt were under covered in the film.

Ian Parker, “Ken Burns’s American Canon,” in The New Yorker. An in-depth, critical look at Burns’s career.

James Poniewozik, “Ken Burns’s ‘Vietnam War’ Will Break Your Heart and Win Your Mind,” in The New York Times. Of course I have to plug our own review – but Poniewozik also happens to give a nuanced, balanced assessment of the project.

Maurice Isserman, “Give Peace a Chance,” in Dissent. A thorough, critical assessment of the documentary by a leading historian of the 1960s.