March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day and we're encouraging our readers to tune into some of the best-rated and well-known documentaries that capture the significance of the Vietnam War. Over the years, new information and interviews reveal more details and footage of what the Veterans and their families experienced during this difficult time. Honor a Vietnam Veteran today by taking some time to educate yourself and others about the facts, the impact, and the importance of this period in American history.
Here is our top five list:
In the Year of the Pig (1968)
This documentary has long been touted as one of the best documentaries about the Vietnam War by film critics. Created in 1968 by the director Emile de Antonio, the film has many experts and professionals that have personal experience with the war. From members of the military to CIA agents, the Year of the Pig was one of the first to document the brutal war in this way. There is historical footage and interviews, all done in black and white, which was normal for the time. Because of its content, the documentary has had an impact on the way we think about the war now.
Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War (1980)
This is a 26 part mini-series that was produced by Michael Maclear, later consolidated into a 12 episode series where each installment was longer. For this documentary, Maclear visited Vietnam and was the first Western journalist to be allowed to visit Vietnam since the end of the war. Additionally, a writer for the docuseries was Peter Arnett, who was an Associated Press reporter in Vietnam from 1962 to 1975.
The War at Home (1979)
This documentary shares another angle of the Vietnam War. It focuses on the anti-war movement in the Madison, Wisconsin region of America. The film has real footage from the protests and interviews with people who participated in them. The War at Home uncovers the sentiment of many in the United States at the time. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2008.
Hearts and Minds (1974)
Premiering at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, this documentary has its own interesting history. Columbia Pictures would not distribute the film due to legal issues which required the people who made the film to purchase back the rights. The documentary showcases two narratives: the military's strategic planning and the repercussions of the war on American families. Hearts and Minds was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The Vietnam War (2017)
A Ken Burns and Lynn Novick film, the Vietnam War is a ten-part documentary. According to PBS, where it first aired, the docuseries contains "revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides—Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam." It reportedly took the team ten years to create and document, and it contains a score of music that was specifically made for the film.