I was one of (apparently) few Americans who got to see Winter Soldier back in the day. A counter-recruitment effort, led possibly by American Friends Service Committee, brought the film to my high school in probably 1972 or 1973 (no later, as I graduated that June) and showed it, and I saw at least some of it during a study hall. This set off a sh*tstorm as right-wing (or, what the hell, PRO-WAR) teachers complained, ostensibly about the swear words contained in the film. But of course their real complaint was about hearing from Vietnam vets about the horrors of the US war in SE Asia. (Our high school newspaper was suspended around that time for publishing Graffiti from Vietnam, including the memorable: Fighting for peace in Vietnam is like ******* for virginity. Yes, the editor used 7 asterisks, but that was still too much for the principal.) As far as I know, this film isnt available online. So I used inter-library loan to bring it to me, and just finished watching it. It is a very powerful film about what our soldiers did in Vietnam. Of course it has much relevancy about the wars weve been fighting over the past decade -- the struggle that started with the antiwar and civil rights movements of the 60s continues to this day. John Kerry appears briefly in the film -- he was one of the founding members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). It is sobering, and frustrating, to know he started his political career caring deeply about these crimes, only to become the man he is today, an apologist for corporate control and criminal foreign policy. One suspects a special circle has been reserved for the likes of him. I heartily recommend this film. It would provide a good starting point for anybody interested in sparking discussion about Vietnam and/or how we find ourselves today. wintersoldierfilm/
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:59:45 +0000
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