Winter Soldier details
| Format: | Ex DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Rusty Sachs, Charles Stevens, Scott Shimabukuro, Scott Camil, Fred Nienke, Joe Bangert, Jonathan Birch, John Kerry, Steve Pitkin, Kenneth Campbell |
| Genres: | Documentary - General, Television - Military |
| Studio: | LACE GROUP |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Winter Soldier |
Ex Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 35 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 05 Jan 2009 |
| Main languages: | English |
Write your own review
Most helpful review
Essential
By Al80 (59 reviews) from Brighton, England , 18 Jun 2009[Highly rated reviewer]
This stunning documentary, long unavailable, is totally and utterly essential.
Its a beautifully simple collage of the interviews that were conducted at the 'Winter Soldier' hearings in Michigan in April of 1971, where soldiers who'd recently returned from serving in Vietnam stepped forward to recount atrocities committed both by themselves, and their brothers in arms.
Many moments, such as when a young former interrogation officer awkwardly laughs to himself (as he lists the absurdly lengthy number of implements that he'd used to torture captured Vietnamese civilians) are stark reminders that the battles in Vietnam were fought largely by indoctrinated children.
Even without the completely uncommon insight and candor of these testimonies, this would still make for an indispensable historical document. Heroic and bold as these men were in coming forward, it is still very difficult to stomach the standing ovation that some of them receive after imparting their stories. It made me, perhaps for the first time, relieved that the 1960's hippy spirit had died out.
This is a film likely to leave you shaken and thoroughly furious, but it really should qualify as required viewing for just about everyone.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (4) Yes |
- No (0)
All reviews
(3)The true horrors of war.
By PJshadow (199 reviews) from Leeds , 19 Aug 2010[Highly rated reviewer]
Immensley moving documantary footage of Vietnam veterans recalling their experiences of the war.
Littered with details of atrocities committed by themselves and their compatriots whilst they were on active service in 'Nam this film makes for uncomfortable viewing.
This film further stomps all over the shattered illusions that some may have of the morally upright west sending in the troops to corrupt foreign nations to fight the good fight.
These few testimonies give just a taste of the obscene acts carried out in Vietnam by the heroic American forces. Unrelated to the actual conflict the anecdotes are mainly of horrific acts carried out by military personnel programmed to treat all Vietnamese people as less than human, less than animals in fact.
With examples of such institutionally instilled racism ingrained in the psyche of the American Military it can't help but make you wonder whether the same attitudes prevail today and the true extent the so called isolated events of brutality we see on the news reports from Iraq and Afghanistan.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
I bet Bush and Blair never saw this
By BroadswordCallingDannyBoy (10 reviews) from Gosport , 14 Nov 2009Incendiary! Watching this made me feel the way I did when I read 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. Surely if we all saw this we would not be fooled by government institutionalized racism, indoctrination, power and control and go and fight self-serving offensive Wars like... hold on; what about Iraq and Afghanistan, hey...?!
BTW, Scott Camil is riveting.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Essential
By Al80 (59 reviews) from Brighton, England , 18 Jun 2009This stunning documentary, long unavailable, is totally and utterly essential.
Its a beautifully simple collage of the interviews that were conducted at the 'Winter Soldier' hearings in Michigan in April of 1971, where soldiers who'd recently returned from serving in Vietnam stepped forward to recount atrocities committed both by themselves, and their brothers in arms.
Many moments, such as when a young former interrogation officer awkwardly laughs to himself (as he lists the absurdly lengthy number of implements that he'd used to torture captured Vietnamese civilians) are stark reminders that the battles in Vietnam were fought largely by indoctrinated children.
Even without the completely uncommon insight and candor of these testimonies, this would still make for an indispensable historical document. Heroic and bold as these men were in coming forward, it is still very difficult to stomach the standing ovation that some of them receive after imparting their stories. It made me, perhaps for the first time, relieved that the 1960's hippy spirit had died out.
This is a film likely to leave you shaken and thoroughly furious, but it really should qualify as required viewing for just about everyone.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (4) Yes |
- No (0)
- < Prev
- 1
- Next >
