Vietnam in HD

The History Channel follows up its earlier WWII in HD (VL-3/10) with this six-part series—narrated by Michael C. Hall—on the Vietnam War, presenting a chronological account from the initial introduction of American advisors to South Vietnam in the 1950s through the fall of Saigon in 1975 and beyond. Archival film provides historical context, but the primary focus here is on the personal, as home movies are combined with interviews of veterans to portray what it was like for soldiers on the ground, along with recollections by reporters and family members back home. Noteworthy engagements—including some dramatized in Hollywood films such as Hamburger Hill and We Were Soldiers—are covered, as well as the fact that some of the same veterans joined the antiwar movement after returning from combat (their words carry special power). Unfortunately, the presentation has one distracting peculiarity: interviewees begin their remarks in person, but after segueing to footage, the voiceover morphs into an actor repeating the same words. Even though such well-known performers as Edward Burns, Dean Cain, Adrian Grenier, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Zachary Levi, and Blair Underwood do a fine job, their presence seems wholly unnecessary. Vietnam in HD won't replace the PBS classic Vietnam: A Television History (VL-10/87) as the standard documentary reference work, but the personal approach here makes it a fine supplement. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)