BBC documentary - The Vietnam War

Sunbed · 5 Oct 2017 at 12:17

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b096k7q7

I started watching this the other night, half expecting a fairly routine documentary but was immediately impressed. Apparently the programme took 10 years to make, and you can tell. The quality of the footage, interviews and production is some of the best I've seen, and at times it's very chilling.

I didn't know much about the Vietnam war other than what it showed in classic films, but this series goes into depth about the brutal 10 years leading up to the large scale involvement of US troops. For example, I didn't even know Vietnam was at war with France!

I highly recommend it.

checjb · 5 Oct 2017 at 12:43

That's good to hear. I saw it and set series record but haven't actually started it yet. Sounds like it will be worth devoting some time to.

VincentHanna · 5 Oct 2017 at 13:21

RIP OFF BBC!

Not really, I love the BBC and am happy to pay 40p a day for things such as this.

ttaskmaster · 5 Oct 2017 at 13:30

VincentHanna said:
RIP OFF BBC!

I take it this BBC version is not the new Ken Burns one that everyone is highly praising, then?

VincentHanna · 5 Oct 2017 at 13:38

Yes it is, but how many other TV channels are going to show an 18 hour Vietnam documentary?

ttaskmaster · 5 Oct 2017 at 15:22

VincentHanna said:
Yes it is, but how many other TV channels are going to show an 18 hour Vietnam documentary?

It is?
Cool, that means I can watch it on BBC iPlayer and not have to find 'alternative' sources. I heard it was only going to be on US channels.

Other channels... with my rather limited knowledge of SWMBO-TV (aka Sky & Freeview) I can think of one or two that might have broadcast it at one episode per week, or something. Series-link it, download and watch later... Do they not have a War History channel, already? ISTR one that ran 24/7 with all those niche interest, 'Hitler's Secret Petrol Station' type docus...?

jpaul · 5 Oct 2017 at 22:51

Yes, why did the BBC not acknowledge it was Ken Burns's ? I had started to watch via VPN on USA pbs before I realised it would be on.

There had been a Newsnight article on ken Burns at its USA release date, to boot..
series a bit in the gendre of the reference "World at War"

Hades · 6 Oct 2017 at 23:35

Thanks for the heads up. I've today binge watched four episodes. I knew a lot about Vietnam beforehand, including the French involvement. But this documentary really is very good.

ianh · 6 Oct 2017 at 23:39

As with Hades above I knew a great deal about the Vietnam War from a million books, films and other documentaries but somehow this seems to have that random deep fact I didn't know before which is always great to find out. However the best part for me so far are the interviews with the "enemy", the Viet Minh, VC, NVA etc, as their story has never really been told before in Western media.

KIA · 7 Oct 2017 at 15:38

10/10.

chief barker · 8 Oct 2017 at 04:57

Thanks for the heads up.

Meridian · 8 Oct 2017 at 20:44

jpaul said:
Yes, why did the BBC not acknowledge it was Ken Burns's ?

They did. Repeatedly.

And yes, up to Burns' usual high standard. But if the US version is 18 hours, then I think we are getting a cut down version over here, as we did with great US Civil war series (probably the greatest documentary series of all times). I'm sure this is billed as only about 10 parts over here, at about an hour each.

ianh · 8 Oct 2017 at 21:00

The original 10 parter episodes are between 90-120 minutes each, if the BBC is only showing 60mins it''s a cutdown version which is a massive shame as the full length episodes are fantastic!

hudson86 · 9 Oct 2017 at 22:43

Apparently we get the international cut at 10hours rather than the US 18 hour cut. Can't understand why the beeb would need the hour long episodes especially on Bbc4. Not like advertising etc would drive that decision.

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/ken-burns-vietnam-war-1202560380/

ianh · 9 Oct 2017 at 23:22

Having not seen the BBC version I wonder if a lot of the death/gore is being removed as the 18hr version is pretty full on!

ttaskmaster · 10 Oct 2017 at 10:56

Meridian said:
They did. Repeatedly.

It didn't mention anything about him on the website.

Meridian said:
I'm sure this is billed as only about 10 parts over here, at about an hour each.

I just watched Ep 1 and it did seem like some parts were cut, missing or glossed over...

CircleFaust · 10 Oct 2017 at 14:23

great show, i love this in depth shizz1t

ttaskmaster · 10 Oct 2017 at 15:17

I wouldn'thave said this is particularly in-depth, though... So far Wikipedia has more information. This just has more pictures and footage to go with it.

Infernum · 10 Oct 2017 at 19:34

If anyone is watching this on BBC, then the BBC version is edited down to around 10 hours total. Missing 8 hours of footage from the original 18 hour version
Would recommend watching the USA version

ianh · 10 Oct 2017 at 20:21

ttaskmaster said:
I wouldn'thave said this is particularly in-depth, though... So far Wikipedia has more information. This just has more pictures and footage to go with it.

Infernum said:
If anyone is watching this on BBC, then the BBC version is edited down to around 10 hours total. Missing 8 hours of footage from the original 18 hour version
Would recommend watching the USA version

I wonder if this is the issue, as the 18hr version I'm watching has lots of stuff I've never seen/known of before and I know a lot already!