LAST
DAYS IN
VIETNAM, the
Oscar nominated documentary is a gripping portrait of the final hours of the war during the chaotic evacuation of the southern city of
Saigon. The storytelling of this monumental event in world history is intricately told by filmmaker
Rory Kennedy – daughter of
Robert F. Kennedy – who weaves together historical photos and footage, together with interviews from policymakers and members of the local
South Vietnamese population. Also portrayed in the film is an emotional moment in which a
U.S. Army captain tearfully recalls a promise made to hundreds of locals packed inside the
U.S. Embassy grounds: ‘That nobody is going to be left behind. … When you are in the
American Embassy, you are on
American soil.”
Kennedy explains her motivation behind the film and recounts the final days of the war ion this
BYOD interview with host
Ondi Timoner.
FILM AND GUEST
INFO:
During the chaotic final days of the
Vietnam War, the
North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbles.
The United States has only a skeleton crew of diplomats and military operatives still in the country. As Communist victory becomes inevitable and the
U.S. readies to withdraw, some
Americans begin to consider the certain imprisonment and possible death of their South Vietnamese allies, co-workers, and friends.
Meanwhile, the prospect of an official evacuation of South Vietnamese becomes terminally delayed by Congressional gridlock and the inexplicably optimistic
U.S. Ambassador. With the clock ticking and the city under fire, a number of heroic Americans take matters into their own hands, engaging in unsanctioned and often makeshift operations in a desperate effort to save as many South Vietnamese lives as possible.
Note: In
Last Days in Vietnam, subject
Frank Snepp states, "The prearranged signal for the evacuation was broadcast on
American radio in Saigon.
The message was, 'The temperature is 105 and rising,' and then
Bing Crosby’s '
White Christmas.' And sure enough, about ten o’clock in the morning…there was Bing Crosby on the airwaves." In many minds, this is how it is remembered, and this is what is reflected in the film. In reality, when the evacuation began the Americans running
ARS were unable to find Bing Crosby's version in their music library so they broadcast the
Tennessee Ernie's version of "White Christmas" instead.
Rory Kennedy is an
Emmy Award winning independent documentary filmmaker, as well as cofounder and president of
Moxie Firecracker Films. Her films cover an array of issues ranging from poverty to politics to human rights. Her work has been shown on
HBO,
A&E;,
MTV,
Lifetime, and
PBS. Her most recent project,
Ethel, premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival 2012, and was nominated for 5
Primetime Emmys. The feature length documentary is Kennedy’s most personal project to date, providing an inside look at the remarkable life of
Ethel Kennedy,
Rory’s mother and wife to Robert F. Kennedy. Ethel was broadcast on HBO in 2012. Kennedy has directed and produced more than 25 documentaries including
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (
Primetime Emmy Award winner for
Best Non Fiction Film, 2007);
Thank You,
Mr. President:
Helen Thomas at the
White House; American
Hollow;
A Boy’s
Life; and
Pandemic: Facing
AIDS.
ADD’L LINKS:
http://www.lastdaysinvietnam.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LastDaysinVietnam
https://twitter.com/LDVFilm
http://www.moxiefirecracker.com/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/
http://thelip.tv/show/byod-bring-your-own-doc/
http://thelip.tv/
BYOD Full
Episodes Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVjVEkK43x8&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGdZbrANmO6kYPy8IQC0GiN_
BYOD
Short Clips Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iez92IQUHdc&list;=PLjk3H0GXhhGeu2DCf6Ouo7hTsA5QB2MAL
http://www.youtube.com/theliptv
https://www.facebook.com/BYODOC?directed_target_id=0
https://www.facebook.com/thelip.tv?ref=hl
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
00:01 Welcoming Rory Kennedy to BYOD
.
01:20 Telling the story of what happened during the last 24 hours of the Vietnam War
03:50
Clip - Attempting to plan for an evacuation and the bureaucratic struggle.
05:00
Going against orders to evacuate
Vietnamese citizens.
07:10 Clip -
Air base destroyed.
10:55
North Vietnamese see an opportunity to exploit
President Ford’s vulnerability.
13:30
Pilots use helicopters help to evacuate the vietnamese people.
17:00
Ships become too crowded and crew abandons helicopters in ocean.
18:55 Clip- Miki Nguyen tells the story of his father’s heroic actions.
25:40 How Kennedy got the footage of the chinook approaching the
USS Kirk.
27:25
Taking in ships packed with Vietnamese refugees.
31:10
Raising and lowering flags on the ships.
32:50 Clip- Ships packed full of Vietnamese refugees.
35:00 Evacuating the
U.S. embassy in
Vietnam.
37:45
Refugee who was left behind at embassy by
Stuart Herrington forgives him.
39:30
Thank you and goodbye
Clip Stuart Herrington.
- published: 17 Feb 2015
- views: 41480