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  • Non-US movies about vietnam war

    I realised that while there is a ton of US movies about Vietnam war (or varying quality) I can't say I noticed many that deal with non-US forces such as Australians, Koreans.... To be honest the only thing I can remember is Australian TV series that shows a group of Australians that are sent to Vietnam and also shows how their families cope with their being there. I saw the show some 15-20 years ago so can't remember the title.

    so I'm asking, how do other film industries deal with this issue? Granted the war didn't make such a huge impact on other countries as on the US but it made an impact5 (I assume). so, are there tons of Aussie and Korean war movies that never made it beyond their borders or what?

  • #2
    Originally posted by aktarian View Post
    I realised that while there is a ton of US movies about Vietnam war (or varying quality) I can't say I noticed many that deal with non-US forces such as Australians, Koreans.... To be honest the only thing I can remember is Australian TV series that shows a group of Australians that are sent to Vietnam and also shows how their families cope with their being there. I saw the show some 15-20 years ago so can't remember the title.

    so I'm asking, how do other film industries deal with this issue? Granted the war didn't make such a huge impact on other countries as on the US but it made an impact5 (I assume). so, are there tons of Aussie and Korean war movies that never made it beyond their borders or what?
    Not many that I know of except the Viet Namese have made a few movies about the war. Saw a news cast showing VN troops changing into US style uniforms and they had a parking lot full of abandoned vehicles -- including tanks.

    The Aussies were very helpful on patrols and there was a newscast showing their style in that they travel light without the heavy stuff we normally have to clunk around.

    The most dissappointing news report I saw of the Koreans was where a unit of Koreans with APC's ran parallel (but in opposite directions) of a South Viet Namese unit only a couple of hundred yards apart and they both opened fire on each other.

    I think only Michael Moore would want to make a movie of that.
    Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by aktarian View Post
      I realised that while there is a ton of US movies about Vietnam war (or varying quality) I can't say I noticed many that deal with non-US forces such as Australians, Koreans.... To be honest the only thing I can remember is Australian TV series that shows a group of Australians that are sent to Vietnam and also shows how their families cope with their being there. I saw the show some 15-20 years ago so can't remember the title.

      so I'm asking, how do other film industries deal with this issue? Granted the war didn't make such a huge impact on other countries as on the US but it made an impact5 (I assume). so, are there tons of Aussie and Korean war movies that never made it beyond their borders or what?
      Would that be the movie The Odd Angry Shot?

      Excellent film
      “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
      Mark Twain

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
        Would that be the movie The Odd Angry Shot?

        Excellent film
        One of my favorites. A most excellent movie

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        • #5
          there is supposed to be a new tv series about australia, staring of course nichole kidman, i saw a flash of a fighter plane in a preview while i was passing the tv but i think it looked more like a WWII plane, then a vietnam fighter, but im not sure what time period it will be. might be interesting.
          Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
          Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
          Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
          Listen to the words long written down
          When the man comes around- Johnny Cash

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Donnie View Post
            there is supposed to be a new tv series about australia, staring of course nichole kidman, i saw a flash of a fighter plane in a preview while i was passing the tv but i think it looked more like a WWII plane, then a vietnam fighter, but im not sure what time period it will be. might be interesting.
            Fellas,

            As far as I am aware (and trust me I keeps me eyes open for them) there were/are only 2 Australian movies/miniseries actually set in Vietnam.

            The first is, indeed, Ther Odd Angry Shot - an outstanding if cheaply made film with a fine Australian cast focussing on the experiences of a small group of Aussie soldiers - highly recommended.

            The second was a TV miniseries with the original title 'Vietnam'. It is close to 20 years old & starred a young Nicole Kidman. It was not simply about the war, but also about some of the societal backdrop. It centred around a fictional family whose father was a senior advisor to the government of the day - thus we get a rendering of some of the key decisions of the day with actors playing real historical figures.

            The son gets drafted, goes to Vietnam, has a series of experiences including becoming part of a 'Phoenix'-type program (led by someone inspired by brigadier Ted Serong - look him up, seriously) and ends up severly messed up. One of his friends ends up marrying a Vietnamese girl & bringing her home.

            The daughter becomes an antiwar activist & the mother eventually 'liberates' herself from an unhappy marriage.

            Despite some useful insights into the politics of the time & one or two insights into the war, the miniseries sits squarely within the left wing view of the war, replete with some crude caricatures of US soldiers. It would probably be of some interest to US viewers who want to know a bit about Australia during the war, but it is to be taken with a big grain of salt.

            There have been a number of other telemovies & such that touch on the experiences of Veterans, but I don't recall the names of any.

            I am also aware of some Thai films that touch on the impact of the war on their nation - though not about the Thai soldiers who fought there.

            http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7542

            In recent years there have been a number of Vietnamese films about the impact of the war. I have seen 'Wharf of Widows' & am not afraid to admit it reduced me to tears. To look at the war through the eyes of the generations of Vietnamese women who saw their fathers, husbands & sons go off to fight & die is one of the most devastating perspectives on the war I have encountered.

            http://www.fdk-berlin.de/forumarchiv...press01_e.html

            I live in a Vietnamese neighbourhood & at local DVD stores I have seen a number of films in Vietnamese that appear to be about the experience of the South. I don't know much about them, who made them, when or where (don't speak Vietnamese). Might buy some one day just to have a look.

            Most of the Korean 'War' films I see in the same stores (and there are quite a few) either seem to be historical epics set in medieval times of set during the Vietnam War (or more recently). This isn't definitive, however.

            Interestingly Hong Kong has produced a crop of films set in Vietnam. 'Bullet in the Head' by John Woo, starring Chow Yun Fat, is the best known. Chow Yun Fat, however, has starred in at least 2-3 more such films. There may be more by other directors. Do a bit of a google search & you'll turn them up. They provide a fascinating perspective on the war. Ironic that a place that didn't even participate should produce more films on the war than places that did.

            Hope that helps.
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            • #7
              Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
              The second was a TV miniseries with the original title 'Vietnam'. It is close to 20 years old & starred a young Nicole Kidman. It was not simply about the war, but also about some of the societal backdrop. It centred around a fictional family whose father was a senior advisor to the government of the day - thus we get a rendering of some of the key decisions of the day with actors playing real historical figures.

              The son gets drafted, goes to Vietnam, has a series of experiences including becoming part of a 'Phoenix'-type program (led by someone inspired by brigadier Ted Serong - look him up, seriously) and ends up severly messed up. One of his friends ends up marrying a Vietnamese girl & bringing her home.

              The daughter becomes an antiwar activist & the mother eventually 'liberates' herself from an unhappy marriage.
              that sounds about right about what I remember about it. But, as I said, it was something like 15-20 years ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy.

              and thanks for the info :)

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