Return With Honor: The American Experience

Starring:Robinson Risner, Kevin McManus (II), Tom McNish, Ron Bliss, Jeremiah Denton, George McKnight, Tom Madison, Bob Shumaker, John McGrath (III), Tom Hanks, George Day (II), Ed Mechenbier, John McCain, Jerry Denton, Sam Johnson (IV), Jim Stockdale, Paul Galanti, Douglas Peterson, Everett Alvarez, Douglas Hegdahl
Director: Terry Sanders, Freida Lee Mock
Studio: Pbs Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Men who piloted the hottest fighter planes in the world found themselves suddenly transformed from hotshots to humiliated prisoners during the Vietnam War. The story of how American prisoners survived in North Vietnam's notorious prison camps is dramatically told in this documentary, an installment of the American Experience series on PBS. The men, who survived appalling treatment, relate their experiences, and vintage footage, including propaganda films shot by their captors, portrays what they endured. A former POW describes how he was coached before being put on public display, yet he spelled out the word "torture" in Morse code by blinking his eyes, a defiant action that can clearly be seen in footage that the North Vietnamese provided to the world's media. Another former prisoner, who somehow survived massive injuries despite being denied medical care, describes how he had to lie on the concrete floor of his cell for nearly a year, just trying to get his arms and legs to function again. These inspirational stories lead up to an emotional climax as the prisoners, including Arizona Senator John McCain, describe what it was like to be freed after their long captivity. This is a deeply moving and inspiring story told by men who overcame great depths of human suffering. --Robert J. McNamara
Description
RETURN WITH HONOR tells the powerful, moving story of American pilots shot down over North Vietnam and their challenge to survive with honor as POW's. A tribute to heroism, endurance, and brotherhood under duress, the film recalls the transformation from top-gun aviators to captives. Told in their words, rich with survivor humor, and complete with North Vietnamese archival footage, the film is a universal story of honor and duty.

Return With Honor: The American Experience
Average customer rating:

Not Forgotten

A Very Thorough, Powerful Documentary

Perhaps the best television I've ever seen...

Common Men, Uncommon Courage

An exceptionally good documentary....

Return With Honor: The American Experience
Starring: Kevin McManus (II) , Tom McNish , Ron Bliss , Jeremiah Denton , and George McKnight
Director: Terry Sanders , and Freida Lee Mock
Manufacturer: PBS Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007Y08JM
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Amazon.com

Men who piloted the hottest fighter planes in the world found themselves suddenly transformed from hotshots to humiliated prisoners during the Vietnam War. The story of how American prisoners survived in North Vietnam's notorious prison camps is dramatically told in this documentary, an installment of the American Experience series on PBS. The men, who survived appalling treatment, relate their experiences, and vintage footage, including propaganda films shot by their captors, portrays what they endured. A former POW describes how he was coached before being put on public display, yet he spelled out the word "torture" in Morse code by blinking his eyes, a defiant action that can clearly be seen in footage that the North Vietnamese provided to the world's media. Another former prisoner, who somehow survived massive injuries despite being denied medical care, describes how he had to lie on the concrete floor of his cell for nearly a year, just trying to get his arms and legs to function again. These inspirational stories lead up to an emotional climax as the prisoners, including Arizona Senator John McCain, describe what it was like to be freed after their long captivity. This is a deeply moving and inspiring story told by men who overcame great depths of human suffering. --Robert J. McNamara

Description

RETURN WITH HONOR tells the powerful, moving story of American pilots shot down over North Vietnam and their challenge to survive with honor as POW's. A tribute to heroism, endurance, and brotherhood under duress, the film recalls the transformation from top-gun aviators to captives. Told in their words, rich with survivor humor, and complete with North Vietnamese archival footage, the film is a universal story of honor and duty.

Customer Reviews:

Not Forgotten.......2006-07-12

A classic in the genre of Vietnam documentaries. This 1999 film is about American POW airmen, and their ordeal throughout the Vietnam war. What I love about this film is that there is no political angle - these men tell their own stories in their own words, framed by America at the time. No one can walk away from this film and not feel touched.

A Very Thorough, Powerful Documentary.......2005-09-15

It is simply the best documentary on the American POWs in North Vietnam. After reading numerous books on the Vietnam POW experience, this film is very thorough. It gets chilling when the POWs are speaking, then a flashback film footage showing their conditions at the time of their captivity. My anger towards Jane Fonda was heightened as I watched this film. I'll never forget her calling the POWs "liars and hypocrites" and also stated that "history will judge them harshly." She also made the insane claim that they were not tortured. I'm glad they omitted Fonda and her POW role, as she would denegrate this film and the truth it displays.

Perhaps the best television I've ever seen..........2004-02-09

This piece is incredible. I caught it on PBS during one Memorial Day weekend a few years ago and was spellbound. I taped it onto VHS and watch it several times a year. It is an incredibly powerful documentary--the best television I've ever seen (thank goodness it's on DVD now as well).

Common Men, Uncommon Courage.......2003-10-26

Many of the descriptions of the experiences of the POW's of the Vietnam War that I was aware of centered around the torture that they went through. This video gave a fuller description of who our POW's were rather than the specific torture that they experienced. I don't know if enough was said about the leadership of people like Denton, Risner, and Stockdale. I was amazed at how normal the men looked given the horrors that they went through. I heard nothing of permanent damage. There was a brief section on what the wives experienced. I don't remember anything on the diet of the POW's. I never knew that there had been at least one escape (for which the recaptured POW's and remaining POWs paid dearly). I would have liked to know how many POW's died in prison. I was also surprised to hear that some thought their treatment got better after the death of Ho Chi Mihn.

For a full picture of who our pow's were and what they experienced done in a format that was tolerable for the more squeamish among us I think this was very well done.

An exceptionally good documentary...........2003-05-03

In what is probably the most revealing documentary ever created on ex-POW's from Vietnam, Return With Honor is an outstanding testament to absolute courage, honor, bravery, camaraderie, and survival.

Individual interviews woven with footage from United States and Vietnamese archives paint a very vivid and oftentimes emotional picture of the brutal experience suffered by our U.S. servicemen held captive in Hanoi.

Leaving very little to the imagination, this documentary explores the many facets of captivity to include barbaric torture, communication processes between prisoners, coping with solitary confinement, demoralizing loneliness, and inhuman living conditions. Additional interviews with the spouses of POW's reveal their pain and emotion they dealt with on the home front while not knowing the fates of their husbands.

Finishing off with their triumphant return home, it is truly inspirational and heartwarming to see the footage of these heroic men reunited with their families.

This DVD itself has superb sound and video qualities and offers good additional features such as 26 biographies of POW's and interviews with the producers on the making of Return With Honor.

This documentary comes very highly recommended to everyone and leaves you with a resounding message of patriotism and a deep respect for America and her U.S. servicemen.

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