"American Experience" The Movement and the 'Madman' (TV Episode 2023) is a brilliant documentary directed by Stephen Talbot.
In 2023, if people think of Vietnam, they think of it as a tourist attraction. In the 1960's and 1970's, Vietnam was the site of a horrendous war waged by the United States. This history has been largely forgotten, because the people involved are now in their 60's, 70's, and 80's. (And, of course, many have already passed away.)
Director Talbot has made this brilliant documentary about U. S. resistance to our war against Vietnam. He focuses on the year 1969, when the U. S. witnessed massive opposition to the war.
Talbot concentrates on the 1969 "Mobilizations," when hundreds of thousands of people publicly protested the war. The organizing for these mobilizations was a Herculean task, carried out mostly by people in their twenties.
Both President Johnson and President Nixon pretended that they took no notice of the opponents to the war. And, indeed, the war continued for four more years. However, as the film made clear, both presidents were highly aware of the antiwar sentiment in the U. S., and many of heir decisions were privately influenced by this sentiment.
Director Talbot has done something that I consider brilliant. This documentary is really aimed at young people. Talbot is saying that peace activism can truly be effective. He doesn't show us old people talking about their youthful activism. Yes, we hear the old people talking, but he shows us images of these people when they were young activists.
This important film is available from PBS, and also (for $5.99) from Amazon Prime. If you have any interest in the Vietnam war, peace, or activism, you need to watch this movie.
P. S. Personal note: My wife and I participated in the D. C. Mobilization of October 15, 1969. That's when we joined the peace movement, and we're still peace activists over 50 years later.
In 2023, if people think of Vietnam, they think of it as a tourist attraction. In the 1960's and 1970's, Vietnam was the site of a horrendous war waged by the United States. This history has been largely forgotten, because the people involved are now in their 60's, 70's, and 80's. (And, of course, many have already passed away.)
Director Talbot has made this brilliant documentary about U. S. resistance to our war against Vietnam. He focuses on the year 1969, when the U. S. witnessed massive opposition to the war.
Talbot concentrates on the 1969 "Mobilizations," when hundreds of thousands of people publicly protested the war. The organizing for these mobilizations was a Herculean task, carried out mostly by people in their twenties.
Both President Johnson and President Nixon pretended that they took no notice of the opponents to the war. And, indeed, the war continued for four more years. However, as the film made clear, both presidents were highly aware of the antiwar sentiment in the U. S., and many of heir decisions were privately influenced by this sentiment.
Director Talbot has done something that I consider brilliant. This documentary is really aimed at young people. Talbot is saying that peace activism can truly be effective. He doesn't show us old people talking about their youthful activism. Yes, we hear the old people talking, but he shows us images of these people when they were young activists.
This important film is available from PBS, and also (for $5.99) from Amazon Prime. If you have any interest in the Vietnam war, peace, or activism, you need to watch this movie.
P. S. Personal note: My wife and I participated in the D. C. Mobilization of October 15, 1969. That's when we joined the peace movement, and we're still peace activists over 50 years later.