This piece was comprised completely of real film captured during Vietnam, which is really so hard for a person like myself to grasp. I wasn't alive for the war, and the only reference point I have ever had, was films like Apocalypse Now. To see these images, and to be told that they were in fact real, and not pre-planned and scripted was really shocking. The images ranged from uplifting shots of soldiers bonding together as Americans united against a cause, and devastating shots of bodies being carried away. The music was unfortunately very clichéd, and was not appropriate for the tone and mood of the piece. I think the narration from actors both worked for and against the final product. At times I could recognize the voice, and it would make me think of the person reading the letter instead of the letter itself. The most moving performance to me was that of Ellen Burstyn, who read the letter of the mother at the end. It was very moving, and appropriately emotional.
