#TVforHE – Pick of the Week – Storyville: Last Days of Vietnam

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October 19, 2016 8:15 pm
http://www.era.org.uk/blog/tvforhe-pick-of-the-week-storyville-last-days-of-vietnam
#TVforHE – Pick of the Week –
Storyville: Last Days of Vietnam
As part of ERA’s commitment to helping licence holders make best use of the material
available to them, we have decided to start highlighting our ‘top pick’ each week.
Rory Kennedy’s Oscar-Nominated film, Last Days of Vietnam, is airing on Monday night
(starting at 10pm) as a part of BBC4’s Storyville strand. The film focuses on the last stages of
the war, using footage and interviews to construct an accurate picture of the impact of the
conflict.
From the BBC:
Documentary which combines astonishing footage from Saigon in April 1975 with
contemporary reflections from those who were there. During the chaotic final weeks of the
Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South
Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and
diplomats confront the same moral quandary – whether to obey White House orders to
evacuate US citizens only – or to risk punishment and save the lives of as many South
Vietnamese citizens as they can.
The events recounted in the film mainly centre on the US evacuation of Saigon, codenamed
Operation Frequent Wind. Vividly annotating one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam
War, that of dozens of South Vietnamese struggling to climb the steps to a rooftop helicopter
as Saigon fell, Last Days in Vietnam is a moving and visceral insight into this key moment in
history.
The documentary uses a collection of primary sources to paint the picture of the American
withdrawal, which means that this film could be used in teaching history. The film may also be
of interest to those teaching film studies – it could be used to look at how documentary makers
tell stories.
Follow the hashtag #TVforHE or @EraResources for more lesson ideas.
Related links:
US begins Agent Orange clean-up in Vietnam (2012, Channel 4 News)
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Forty years after the Vietnam War ended, the remarkable story of a baby girl airlifted to a new
life in Sussex (2015, ITV News)
BBC Vietnam War: History
BBC World Service Vietnam War: Witness Collection
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