January 2 - A Bright Shining Lie

This movie has a scene that happens today – January 2. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

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. After a confrontation with a corrupt South Vietnamese Colonel, the Colonel destroys the village where the incident occurred, causing many of the people there to become Viet Cong supporters. He works on trying to win over hearts and minds. When his mother dies he tells his deputy that he was born out of wedlock and did not like his mother. At her funeral, 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 and 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 on 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

Starring –

Bill Paxton as John Paul Vann

Karina Logue as Barmaid

Amy Madigan as Mary Jane Vann

Donal Logue as Steven Burnett

Harve Presnell as MACV General

Robert John Burke as Frank Drummond

Bill Whelan as Ron Dray

Kay Tong Lim as Colonel Cao Huynh Van

Seng Kawee as Vietcong Leader

Vivian Wu as Lee

Van Thoa Trinh as VC Commander

Richard Libertini as Marriage Counselor

James Bigwood as Office Manager

Ed Lauter as General Weyand

Kurtwood Smith as General Westmoreland

Eric Bogosian as Doug Elders

James Rebhorn as United States Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker

Les J.N. Mau as Colonel Dinh

David Warshofsky as Terry Pike

Thanh Nguyen as ARVN Translator

Pichariva Narakbunchai as Annie

Kris von Habsburg as a US soldier