A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Episode Eight: The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward Directed by: Ken Burns & Lynn Novick With morale plunging in Vietnam, President Nixon begins withdrawing American troops. As news breaks of an unthinkable massacre committed by American soldiers, the public debates the rectitude of the war. An incursion into Cambodia reignites antiwar protests with tragic consequences. - from The Vietnam War 's Episode List On September 26, 2017,   PBS premiered "The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970),” Episode Eight of  The Vietnam War,  a 10-part documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick ( The War, Prohibition ). Produced by Burns, Novick, and Sarah Botstein, this 18-hour exploration of one of the most divisive events in modern American history was 10 years in the making. It features interviews of participants from all sides, including civilians and veterans from North and South Vietnam. (Hence the series’ tagline

(C) 2017 Alfred A. Knopf  Books; Cover art by Public Broadcasting Service On September 5, 2017, almost two weeks before The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick premiered on TV's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Alfred A. Knopf published the companion book, The Vietnam War: An Intimate History. Co-written by the series' writer, Geoffrey C. Ward, and producer-director Ken Burns, this 640-page volume brings the tragedy of the Vietnam War back to life on the printed page with the same sense of historical sweep as the 10-part documentary it complements. The Vietnam War was more than a Cold War-era clash of arms fought mainly by the U.S. and its South Vietnamese allies against the Communist-led government of North Vietnam and its guerrilla allies of the National Liberation Front - known by Washington and Saigon as the Viet Cong - in the South. It was that, of course, but the war was also the most divisive event in American history since the Civil War of the m

Episode Seven: "The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Public support for the war declines, and American men of draft age face difficult decisions and wrenching moral choices. After police battle with demonstrators in the streets of Chicago, Richard Nixon wins the presidency, promising law and order at home and peace overseas. In Vietnam the war goes on, and soldiers on all sides witness terrible savagery and unflinching courage. - from The Vietnam War's Episode List.  On September 25, 2017, 300 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations aired "The Veneer of Civilization (June 1968-May 1969)," Episode Seven of directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's The Vietnam War. This epic 10-part documentary series is an in-depth exploration of one of the most divisive and controversial conflicts in American history. It is a "from the bottom-up" narrative told from the per

Episode Six: Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick At the onset of the Tet holiday, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launch surprise attacks on cities and military bases throughout the South, suffering terrible losses but casting grave doubt on the Johnson administration's promise that there is "light at the end of the tunnel." The President decides not to run again and the country is staggered by assassinations and unrest. - from The Vietnam War's Episode List On September 24 2017, millions of television viewers watched "Things Fall Apart (January 1968-July 1968)" on their local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations, streamed it on the PBS.org website, or had already binge-watched it on high-definition Blu-ray (the box set was released on September 19). Per PBS:   Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's ten-part, 18-hour documentary series, THE VIETNAM WAR, tells the e

Episode Five: This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick American casualties and enemy body counts mount as Marines face deadly North Vietnamese ambushes and artillery south of the DMZ and Army units chase an elusive enemy in the Central Highlands. Hanoi lays plans for a massive surprise offensive, and the Johnson administration reassures the American public that victory is in sight. - from The Vietnam War's Episode List On September 21, 2017, 300 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations throughout the U.S. aired "This Is What We Do (July 1967-December 1967," the fifth part of directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's The Vietnam War. This 10-part epic series is an 18-hour look at "one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history." Burns, Novick, and Florentine Films' array of producers, cinematographers, composers, researchers, and

Episode Four: Resolve (January 1966-June 1967) Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward Directed by: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Defying American airpower, North Vietnamese troops and materiel stream down the Ho Chi Minh Trail into the South while Saigon struggles to "pacify" the countryside. As an antiwar movement builds back home, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and Marines discover that the war they are being asked to fight in Vietnam is nothing like their fathers' war. - from The Vietnam War's Episode List On September 20, 2017, viewers who tuned in to their local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations watched "Resolve (January 1966-June 1967)," Episode Four of The Vietnam War, a 10-part documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick ( Prohibition, The War ). A decade in the making, this 18-hour look at one of the darkest chapters of American and Vietnamese history was produced by Burns ( The Civil War ), Novick, and Sarah Botstein. Its tag