Based on the book of the same name, the program is devoted to poignant recitations of letters to and from american participants of the vietnam. Even in ww 2, the guys never had as much time in combat as the guys did in vietnam. Archive footage of the war and news coverage thereof, augment the firstperson narrative by men and women who were in the war, some of whom did. Though many of these letters evoke tears, edelman has avoided sentimentality in favor of immediacy, vivid details, and insights dear america is a work of art. Study 12 terms dear america letters home from vietnam. You replied as i knew you would always the mother who tries to put her sons. Start studying dear america letters home from vietnam. More than 25 years after the official end of the vietnam war, dear america allows readers to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served there. Dear america is a collection of letters back home from menand women in vietnam. The vietnam war was extremely controversial during this time. Originally published in 1985, this collection of over 200 letters still provides a moving account of the war in vietnam. I was a teenageryoung adult while this war took place, and each letter reminded me of someone i knew. Dear america letters home from vietnam dvd 1988 hbo.
Due to the overwhelming response to the commissions request for letters, dear america. France 30 november 1988 theatrical release west germany. Letters home from vietnam conveys the american experience in vietnam from the perspective of those who were there. This gripping documentary of the vietnam war begins with the kennedy administration and extends through the return of the first mias in the mid 1970s. To many americans, the vietnam war remains an open wound.
On the soundtrack, we hear the voices of these soldiers, in the words they wrote home. Letters home from vietnam by bernard edelman, editor w. They come to us after the journalists, the generals, and the politicians have had their say. Based on the book of the same name, the program is devoted to poignant recitations of letters to and from american participants of the vietnam war. France theatrical title dear america lettres du vietnam. Bernard edelman, a vietnam veteran who was an associate producer of the film and also edited the companion book for the new york vietnam veterans memorial commission, will introduce the screening, take questions afterwards, and also sign copies of the book. Nearly forty years after the official end of the vietnam war, dear america allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in vietnam. Letters home from vietnam is a 1987 american documentary film. Mcgowan theater, washington, dc based on the book of the same name, this 1987 emmy award winning hbo documentary features actors and actresses reading actual letters home from men and women serving in the vietnam war. Letters home from vietnam kindle edition by edelman, bernard.
English text summary notes dear america letters home from. Letters home from vietnam on thursday, january 18 at 7 p. Many of the letters and film scenes vary in feel and tone. The list of actors reading these letters is practically a whos who of hollywood, including. How does this war influence americas foreign policy today.
Themes from dear america, letters home from vietnam. Do all of the letters speak of the vietnam war in the same way. Aug 20, 2011 24 videos play all letters home from vietnam andrew hunter sink argentinas carrier 1982 the secret british falklands war mission duration. Since your last letter, i almost feel as if you are my sister. It is a wonderful product for teachers to use when they are teaching a unit on the vietnam conflict. This download is intended to support the hbo film dear america. In a final paragraph, summarize your thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the vietnam war. Using the medium of letters sent home by american soldiers many of whom did not survive long thereafter, dear america takes only 84 minutes to relate america s 10year quagmire in southeast asia. The book, which simulates a tour of duty in vietnam, offers context for the excerpts of the letters.
Aug 14, 2011 24 videos play all letters home from vietnam andrew hunter what marine recruits go through in boot camp earning the title making marines on parris island duration. Without a clear purpose in vietnam, killing the enemy became the only goal. More than twentyfive years after the official end of the vietnam war, dear america allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in vietnam. The film was shown in theaters throughout europe and asia. Dear america letters home from vietnam 1987 l 1of2. Letters home from vietnam also was released theatrically, on 49 screens in the united states and canada in september 1988, a rarity for any film that has been made for cable. They speak of patriotism, of confidence, of new friendships.
Boston globedear america is painful, but it must be difficult to be realistic and entertaining about war reading it, i felt i was listening to the voices of the men and women who lived and fought in vietnam. Koch to serve on the new york vietnam veterans memorial commission, he edited the book dear america. The film is based on actual letters that were written by the men and women who served there. Bill couturie 84 min documentaryeducational antiwar although this film doesnt directly address libertarian objections to the vietnam warthe draft, the lack of a declaration of war, the irrelevance of the war to national security, etc. Letters home from vietnam is a 1987 american documentary film inspired by the anthology of the same title, directed by bill couturie in 1987. In the foreword, he reflects on his own tour of duty and his memories of the intensely personal, yet also. Live life like its golden asked in travel vietnam other vietnam 1 decade ago.
Letters home from vietnam for the commission, was associate producer of the peabody and emmy awardwinning film based on the book. Based on the book of the same name, this 1987 emmy awardwinning hbo documentary features actors and actresses reading actual letters home from men and women serving in the vietnam war. In conjunction with its new exhibit remembering vietnam, the national archives will screen dear america. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. San jose mercury newslisten to these authentic voices of the vietnam war. Da is split up into 8 sections, giving the reader a decent exposure into what guys went through over there. Based on the book of the same name, this 1987 emmy award winning hbo documentary features actors and actresses reading actual letters home from men and women serving in the vietnam war. What reason do some soldiers give for fighting vietnam.
Chastant hhephu bai 29 june 68 mom, today i received your letter in reply to my extension letter. It would be hard to imagine a more powerful documentary on the vietnam war than dear america. Baltimore sundear america tells of an ache as ancient as timeadolescents off to war with. William dafoe, robert deniro, matt dillon, michael j. Dear america letters home from vietnam part 1 8 youtube. Fox, mark harmon, sean penn, randy quaid, martin sheen, robin williams, and more. Letters home from vietnam was compiled entirely from the avalanche of letters and poems received by the commission for consideration to be included on the memorial. Some themes from dear america, letters home from vietnam. Using real letters written by american soldiers which can be read in the book along with many more and archive footage, the film creates a highly.
The most widely used military helicopter, the bell uh1 series iroquois. When do the first american combat troops arrive in vietnam. Apr 09, 2008 live life like its golden asked in travel vietnam other vietnam 1 decade ago. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their. Consisting of 208 letters, poems, and journal entries written by 125 people, this book is a heart wrenching, first hand account of the personal experiences of soldiers both on and behind the front lines in vietnam, and.
By interweaving authentic letters from our men and women in southeast asia with chronological footage of events in nam and the world, the program. The common theme of each of the writers was their sense of duty to their country despite the hardships. Letters home from vietnam is a 1987 american documentary film inspired by the anthology. By interweaving authentic letters from our men and women in southeast asia with chronological footage of events in nam and. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their emotions over the conduct of the war, and their. Letters home from vietnam as you read note the mens feelings about the war. Bernard edelman, a vietnam veteran who was an associate producer of the film and also edited the companion book for the new york vietnam veterans memorial.
And then gradually the tone of their letters begins to change. Letters home from vietnam was first telecast april 3, 1988, over the hbo cable service. What piece of legislation is passed in august 1964. Using real letters written by american soldiers which can be read in the book along with many more and archive footage, the film creates a highly personal experience of the vietnam war. Using real letters written by american soldiers which can be read in the book along with many more and archive footage, the film creates a highly personal.
Dear america letters home from vietnam 5 william broyles jr. The memorial was to be a glassblock structure etched with excerpts of letters sent to and from servicemen during the vietnam war. This program is presented in collaboration with the vietnam veterans of america. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dear america.
Letters home from vietnam tv movie 1987 dear america. Letters home from vietnam, the hbo movie now being released theatrically, is the first film about vietnam to come to us free of bias, free of rhetoric. Dear america letters home from vietnam 4 author notes as a collection of letters from hundreds of authors, it would be confusing and impractical, if not almost impossible, to provide notes on all of the authors. An overwhelmingly eloquent book of the purest and most simple writing on vietnam. Many citizens, especially young people, protested u. It was, and still is the most moving movie, documentary, whatever you would call it, about the vietnam war, imho, i have ever seen.
In 1988, an hbo film starring tom berenger, kathleen turner, and robert deniro, among over two dozen other actors, featured readings of these real letters from soldiers as newsreels, home movies, and music from the era. Do you think it was a just or good war for america to fight. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Expectations are always to save the world for young soldiers and then they get to the war and find out they have to machine gun little kids. In their letters there is a sense of wonder at this new world they have found, a world so different from the american cities and towns they left behind. The awkward moment when cheryl cole gets rejected from america. In 1981, six years after the official end of the vietnam war, mayor edward koch of new york city appointed a task force of twentyseven leading citizens of the city to develop a framework for a fitting memorial to vietnam war veterans. More than 200 letters home from vietnam era servicemen to family, friends, and others have been selected for publication in this volume about the most intimate thoughts of the soldiers who served in vietnam.
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