gmiller5227
The reason I would never recommend this documentary is they have rated it PG and it needlessly shows a completely naked man standing in a doorway showing his genitals. This scene did not move the story forward but I am sure it gave the female chauvinists (a.k.a. gender feminists) something to cheer about.This was done by a homosexual man I guess. I cannot imagine a heterosexual wanting to degrade his own sex in this manner yet Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks did it in Pacific, another female chauvinist waste of time. Visit http://www.LogicalEquality.com for information on the "Silent Protest." This will demonstrate the power men have over these media.More male genitals and not one scene in any movie or documentary for more than 30 years showing an equal exposure of females. Gray's anatomy tells us the synonymous organ to the penis is the clitoris. Imagine if you saw a clitoris every time you see a penis on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz or the movie theater. That would, by definition, be equality.
ccthemovieman-1
Letters and film footage from actual soldiers and nurses who fought in Vietnam are read aloud and shown in this "documentary." The letters are read by famous actors and actresses.It turns out to be a sometimes-powerful moving saga of Vietnam through the eyes of those who were there but, remember, it's the filmmakers deciding what letters are read. That means you get an anti-Vietnam War bias, but it's not as blatant as one might think.There is some good footage of bombings and nothing really gross, injury-wise, to view, most likely because this was made-for-TV.The most moving part of the show was the last letter, from a mom to her son who had died 15 years earlier in Vietnam. That letter is a real tear-jerker. Overall, an excellent documentary, one of the better ones of its era.
August1991
This film presents the Vietnam War from the American perspective and primarily from the perspective of ordinary American soldiers. It is chronological and describes essential events to put the soldiers' stories into context. While it might help viewers to know basic facts about the war beforehand, the film stands alone. I think this would be an excellent film to show students when discussing, for example, the Cold War.This film is a remarkable documentary because it presents various sides to a complex story in such a short running time. I think the film succeeds because it simply reports the truth. I am not American and appeals to American patriotism or God's blessing of America tend to roll my eyes, not make them tearful. But this film makes the lives of these guys plain to a universal audience.Once the film started, I was so captivated that I ignored the narration and never even thought about who was speaking. I was only grateful the filmmakers chose people practiced in reading text clearly. Ignore the famous names connected to this film. That's not the story at all. The images and music, however, are part of the story. But not front and centre. That place is reserved for the ordinary words of ordinary Americans.
Barry Goodsmith
What's there to say about a documentary which combines letters from soldiers in the Vietnam War with news clips and music of the day?I saw "Dear America" only once, back in 1987 as a senior in high school, yet I remember it as well as movies I saw last year. Celebrities--including Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Robert DeNiro, and Michael J. Fox--read actual letters from the soldiers fighting the war with such passion, it seemed the letters were read by their writers. But somehow, the focus stayed on the grunts who wrote the letters.The most moving and memorable was the final letter, read by Ellen Burstyn, written by a mother to the son she lost to the war. The actual letter was placed at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC.It's been nearly 17 years since I first watched "Dear America." I use the video now, a lifetime later, to teach *my* high school students about the Vietnam War.PG13: real war footage, mild language, and brief nudity. Despite the rating, less mature middle and high schoolers might see "Dear America" as just another war movie and not appreciate its importance.
AD
