IASH & History Documentary Series 2018 - The Vietnam War: the Veneer of Civilization

The Vietnam War: the Veneer of Civilization (2017, 107 mins)
 

Written & Directed by: Ken Burns & Lynn Novick

“The Vietnam War” was produced by renowned US documentary-maker Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and screened in 2017. The documentary was 10 years in the making and is over 17 hours long. It is the most comprehensive documentary ever made of the war which divided America. It contains much footage that has never been seen before. The documentary also provides multiple perspectives on the war, including that of the US administration, US and Vietnamese war veterans, the families of soldiers killed in the war, both American and Vietnamese, pro- and anti-war supporters in the US, members of the former North and South Vietnamese governments, former Viet Cong guerrillas, and Vietnamese women involved in the war. 

How successful was it? We will screen episode 7, entitled “The Veneer of Civilization”. It covers the escalation of the war in the run-up to the 1968 US presidential election, the growth of the anti-war movement, and the intensification of the war itself.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr Patrick Jory (HPI), and Dr Hai Hong Nguyen (Digital Media Research Centre, QUT) with plenty of opportunity for Q&A with the audience.