The one word I would use to describe this 5 part documentary is exceptional, because it really is. What really made this exceptional, to me, was the wide range of voices included in it. I'm glad all these people were interviewed while this is possible. There is so much you will learn from watching this.
Everyone, from American soldiers, politicians, protestors, journalists, POW's, and others are interviewed, but also ARVN soldiers are interviewed, along with NVA soldiers, some Vietcong, and even Vietnamese civilians who survived bombings, including My Lai. I didn't even know the backstory on that until watching this. It also deals with the unrest in the U.S., mainly focusing on 1968, a very turbulent year. Unrest in other years is also included.
It is 5 episodes, with some episodes over an hour, the total run time is around 6 hours. It starts with the the roots of French occupation, and really explains well who all the principal South Vietnamese leaders are. The next 3 episodes you hear, and see, the war. You hear mainly from the soldiers involved in it, also the politicians prosecuting it, and journalists who were on the ground. Disturbing at times. The timeline is not always linear, it might skip forward or backwards a year or two at times.
The final episode is the eventual withdrawal, and all the political turmoil facing Nixon.
5 Stars.
