Ken Burns' new documentary: The Vietnam War

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Thomas D, Aug 20, 2017.

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  1. Thomas D

    Thomas D Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    They could have used it instead of "It's My Life". Probably would have cost the same ... pretty equal hits.
     
  2. PonceDeLeroy

    PonceDeLeroy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maryland
    I thought The War could have had as much country music as swing. Lost opportunity.
     
  3. Mirrorblade.1

    Mirrorblade.1 Forum Resident

    My friend who is 70 said all his friends and most of classmates died in that war.
     
  4. Thomas D

    Thomas D Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    I'm trying to figure how "It's My Life" can even fit into this doc. It's about a guy who plans to make a lot of money getting involved with rich women. "There'll be women and their fortunes who just want to mother orphans."

    Same puzzlement as to some of the other songs, like Mustang Sally or Ain't Too Proud to Beg -- how they are worked in will be interesting to see.
     
  5. White_Noise

    White_Noise Forum Resident

    Location:
    Templeton, MA
    This documentary has been a long time coming and Burns has spent the past few years just editing the massive amount of footage. I've been looking forward to this since it was announced 7 or 8 years ago. Unlike the world wars, there's not a great broad retrospective of this era from the perspectives of both the front line and the homefront. It could be his best documentary since The Civil War, or at least Prohibition. It's sure to be an amazing experience especially considering the soundtrack integral to the era.

    I'm also really looking forward to his upcoming docs on Country Music and Hemingway. But this is going to a big event for me. Guessing it opens with "For What it's Worth".
     
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  6. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    I was thinking Bridge Over Troubled Water for the end with the memorial wall and they have that in there near the end, but for Jimi Hendrix I'd have his Star Spangled Banner. They should have used some of the music from artists who performed there like James Brown. I think the world of that man for going over there! And some of the others who did are very obscure and could no doubt appreciate the exposure more than the usual big names. Fairport is a fave but, I can't see why they or Spencer Davis Group would be represented, though an Australian group I could see...
     
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  7. JFS3

    JFS3 Senior Member

    Location:
    Hooterville
    From my understanding that was the only song that was supposedly banned by Armed Forces Radio, so its inclusion would have been all the more powerful.

    It's My Life is indeed an odd choice, as there are other Animal songs that would have been been much more appropriate, such as Sky Pilot, or When I Was Young.
     
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  8. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Great news!
    And the soundtrack is surprising. Do we even see the Beatles on Various Artists compilations so much?
    Btw, Hendrix' version of 'All Along The Watchtower' is missing!!

    Think I gonna buy the soundtrack though. Tracklist looks good otherwise.
    Hope the doc series is coming on Bluray btw.

    Either this or Helter Skelter!
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
  9. jamesmaya

    jamesmaya Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I'm sure that once we hear some of these songs within the context of the film it'll make more sense. But I can definitely see how the Animals' It's My Life - a declaration of personal freedom - fits in.
     
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  10. Thomas D

    Thomas D Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    Maybe it will be with regard to conscientious objectors.
     
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  11. Jimi Bat

    Jimi Bat Forum Resident

    Location:
    tx usa
    I agree.
    If your gonna use anything by Hendrix in the soundtrack the Woodstock version of SSB is the way to go.
     
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  12. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    Milius claimed the story was true

     
  13. Alert

    Alert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great River, NY
    Burns' documentaries are well-made and usually concern fascinating subjects. I greatly enjoyed The Civil War (1990). However, I wish his later documentaries were more politically neutral. Many of his later films were ruined for me by the relentless promotion of his political agenda.

    Also, I wonder, will this documentary be a significant improvement upon PBS's 13 part Vietnam: A Television History (1983)? (which was narrated by the great Will Lyman)
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
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  14. Lightworker

    Lightworker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Deep Texas
    My buddy was a corpsman on an Army Medevac chopper in Viet Nam in 1966-67.
    He told me that the guys at their base would play The Stones' The Last Time over
    the p.a. every time that they were leaving on a run.
     
  15. If you are expecting a documentary that deals with controversial subject matter (The Roosevelts, Civil War and the Vietnam War) to be free from the political biases of the filmmaker you will always be disappointed. Burns is no better or worse than most IMO.

    I remember the PBS series from the 80s and liked it quite a bit. The narration as you noted was excellent.
     
  16. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    ...or Fortunate Son.
     
  17. Jason Manley

    Jason Manley Senior Member

    Location:
    O-H-I-O
    A very worthy alternative, prior to the release of the Burns documentary, is the 1987 documentary Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (TV Movie 1987) - IMDb . I cannot imagine a more touching window into the war from the viewpoint of a soldier than this film, using their own letters and words juxtaposed with archival footage.
     
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  18. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    I'll be interested to see how much time is spent on the French/Indochina War, and on The Pentagon Papers.
     
  19. Lightworker

    Lightworker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Deep Texas
    Prediction: Not enough time on the former...too much time on the latter.
     
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  20. That documentary got terrific reviews. I will look for it on Amazon or Netflix.
     
  21. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    But they're connected...
     
  22. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    I'm kind of expecting just part of episode one to summarize the French war period. Photographer Robert Capa, famous for his documentation of the Spanish Civil War and WWII, got killed there in that period.

    One of the more eye-opening books about the war that I've found was 'To Bear Any Burden' by Al Santoli.
     
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  23. Jimi Bat

    Jimi Bat Forum Resident

    Location:
    tx usa
    I must be getting old.
    Completely forgot about Machine Gun.
     
  24. notesofachord

    notesofachord Riding down the river in an old canoe

    Location:
    Mojave Desert
    I'm assuming that the "voice" we hear narrating throughout will be, as usual, Mr. Coyote?

    [​IMG]
     
  25. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    I'll watch it but I am dreading that his/their interpretations are skewed. It will probably become an award winning documentary and may be hated by those of us that lived that war (both those that fought and those that seriously protested it).
     
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