In the Vietnam War, a half million ton of bombs were dropped for every man, woman and child in the country. The distribution of the bombing was far from equitable. Much of the tonnage fell in and around the poorly named Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), forcing villagers to dig deep underground to find refuge and safety. A World Beneath The War tells the story of the Vinh Moc tunnels, just north of the DMZ. As approximately 25,000 tons of bombs fell above this area over a 10-year period, life continued underground. Babies were born, newspapers were published, people watched movies, sang songs of hope and cried for those they had lost. Videographer Janet Gardner returns to a Vietnam now embracing market reforms, finding a nation of teachers, doctors, artists, and government officials who started their careers as peasants hiding underground in the DMZ, barely able to comprehend the larger meaning of the fighter jets which roared above them and force fed them daily destruction. We meet many surviving tunnel dwellers who, through sheer determination, resourcefulness and tenacity honed by the depravities of life underground, have now blossomed into people of stature and importance in this newly emerging nation. Stock footage only recently made available by Vietnamese media authorities is used to show how the tunnels were built, maintained and strategically used in the war effort. I occasionally felt the video failed to capitalize on the powerful emotional potential of the subject matter, but the dispassionate manner in which it is presented is perhaps closest to the attitude of the Vietnamese themselves. They are a nation who has always made the best out of the worst possible scenario, without undue sentimentality or self-pity. This video should be an excellent tool for history teachers. It helps to answer the question of how a technological superpower could be soundly defeated by an intrepid nation of barefoot peasants with home field advantage, strategy, and...trowels. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Ray)
A World Beneath the War: The Secret Tunnels of Vietnam
(1996) 53 min. $295. Filmakers Library. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 12, Issue 3
A World Beneath the War: The Secret Tunnels of Vietnam
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: