Apropos for this issue is the extensive collection of materials on PBS associated with the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick series on the Vietnam War. We don’t normally put this much detail in this section, but this one is special. So here’s what what it originally said about the film on the PBS site. Find revised information at this link.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through 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. Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th Century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. THE VIETNAM WAR features more than 100 iconic musical recordings from greatest artists of the era and haunting original music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross as well as the Silk Road Ensemble featuring Yo-Yo Ma.
What can you do or see on the site? LOTS! Here’s a sample:
- You can watch any or all of the ten episodes—with streaming versions in English (broadcast or explicit language), Spanish or Vietnamese
- See more video clips not part of the film and something akin to the “special features” you’d find on a DVD besides the movie
- You can contribute your own stories of a Vietnam-related experience or read those of others
- Listen to the soundtrack, the score or more Vietnam-era songs
- Check out a reading list for more books
- Find a connection to veteran resources if you wish to talk with someone about your service or have problems
- Of course you can buy the film in DVD or Blu-ray, buy CDs, etc.
National Geographic Photo Features
With all to see on PBS about Vietnam, here are two very different and refreshing series of photos on the Nat Geo site. This being the October issue and referential to our cover of fall foliage from West Virginia in 2013, the first Geographic item is “Gorgeous Pictures to Celebrate the Arrival of Fall.”
Here’s a sample of just one of the 13 shown.
The second series is “15 Bold Adventures in Norway.” Norway is on the bucket list for an extended vacation in 2020—the 40th wedding anniversary of my wife and I. If you look at these photos, you too will want to go there. If the backdrop for the Sound of Music film wasn’t enough, here’s a sample from this series.
