January 2 - A Bright Shining Lie

Today’s movie is a biographical film with a scene that happens on January 2. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

A BRIGHT SHINING LIE           

John Vann goes to Vietnam as a military advisor. He soon sees that the South Vietnamese Army is more interested in protecting the government of President Diem than in fighting the Communist Viet Cong guerillas. Even though he is married Vann begins an affair with a Vietnamese English teacher named Lee.  Vann wins the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions at the Battle of Ap Bac on January 2, 1963 [23:02 to 29:47] where he tried to draw enemy fire in his spotter plane. The VC shot at American helicopters from cover. Vann became livid when the local Vietnamese commander proved very reluctant to order his troops forward to save the crash-landed helicopters. When Vann persists in calling the battle a defeat, contrary to the official position, he is forced out of the Army and takes a job with Martin Marietta. His marriage is also on the ropes due to his affair, but he finally convinces his wife to stay by getting out of the army. However, a couple of years later he returns to Vietnam as part of the Agency for International Development. He immediately restarts his affair with Lee. A corrupt South Vietnamese Colonel destroys the village where he had a confrontation with Vann, causing many of the people there to become Viet Cong supporters. Vann tries to win over hearts and minds. His wife tells him she is filing for a divorce. The war goes from bad to worse.  As soon as the Viet Cong are cleared from an area they return and the process has to start all over again. He marries Lee. Vann tries to warn about the upcoming Tet offensive but is ignored.  He is instrumental in re-taking the US embassy after it was overrun by the Viet Cong. General Wayne takes over in Vietnam. He puts Vann, even though he is a civilian in charge of an area in central South Vietnam. Vann plans a battle at Kontum to force the Viet Cong out of the hills where they can be destroyed by American airpower.  Vietnamese troops run when the Viet Cong attack, but the bombers save them.  The Viet Cong are defeated at Kontum, but Vann is killed in a helicopter crash.  

A very interesting movie. Tries to establish, successfully I think that a lot of the problem in Vietnam was poor strategy. Vann showed at Kontum that the South Vietnamese could defeat the Viet Cong.  

A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan 

(Random House, New York, 1988) at page 204 and the film at 24:48-50 give date

Producer - Greg Ricketson

Director - Terry George

Awards – The film was nominated for the Outstanding Made for Television Movie at the 50^th Primetime Emmys.

Screenplay - Terry George 

        

Runtime – 1 hour 58 minutes 

Released – May 30, 1998                      

              

Cast –

Bill Paxton as John Paul Vann

Amy Madigan as Mary Jane Vann

Vivian Wu as Lee

Ed Lauter as General Weyand

Kay Tong Lim as Colonel Cao Huynh Van

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.