The Hanoi Hilton

I felt it important to respond to the statement of the person from Minnesota re: The Hanoi Hilton. The torture tactics by the NVA were questioned in the motion picture. The idea that these horrid experiments were not employed is sheer liberal naiveté. I spent several days designing the sequence of the shots and making storyboards for (Lionel Chetwynd) the director based upon lengthy research and a grueling interview with a former (Congressional Medal of Honor recipient)American P.O.W. The distinguished officer described in great detail the many barbaric torture methods employed by his captors. It turned my stomach and revealed the dark evil side of humanity.

It is always refreshing to see Col Jim Thompson receiving the recognition he so rightly deserves. I was honored to have known Col Thompson following his return from the hells of 9 years of imprisonment. My father was an officer stationed at Valley Forge General Hospital after his own stint in Viet Nam. He was chosen to be Col Thompson's personal escort upon his return.

When finally determined to be "healthy" enough to travel, he spent many evenings with us. Even though I was a very young man at the time, 3rd grade, I will never forget the scenes that played out around our dining room table and in our living room.

As far as I am concerned, Col Thompson was then and is now in death a true American hero. I wish others would hear of his story to understand what he and the other POWs went through.

It is because of their determination, and all those who serve, that have guaranteed our freedoms for over 200 years.

Like anyone else who has seen this film, I stumbled across it quite by accident.

I enjoyed it and considered it to be an historically accurate portrayal of the experiences of POW's in North Viet-Nam to the best of my knowledge from other accounts by POW's.

I am a Viet-Nam veteran who has always been puzzled by the obscurity of this film. Why was it never released to theaters?

I am not a conspiracy theorist by nature, but I have always wondered if the wealth and power of Hanoi Jane Fonda might have had something to do with the stifling of this movie. If I am not mistaken, I believe she was married to the media mogul, Ted Turner at the time. Any thoughts?

I generally don't like to write negative reviews and this one isn't however it's not a glowing positive one either.

After listening to a few podcasts and reading a few articles about what life was like during this timer for the soldiers I really think that this movie could have been so impactful however it just turned out to be a little bit lacklustre.

I really do love the smell of conspiracy theories in the morning. Sadly the post of jw_55767 proves once again that most people prefer their ideological myths to reality.

So lets look more closely at some of JW's myths about this film. First, the theory that Hanoi Hilton disappeared because of a cabal of the rights favourite demon, "Hanoi Jane" and her media mogul husband Ted Turner. Turner. Wrong. Hanoi Hilton was released theatrically. It made, as IMDb notes less than a million dollars. All things being equal this means, if the market is always right as right wing apologists and polemicists usually maintain, Hanoi Hilton was voted down by American consumers and was not systematically hidden away by Ms. Fonda or her media mogul husband so no one could see it.

Second, another favourite strategy of right wingers is to play up the atrocities of the enemy, which did occur, war after all is hell, and play down those of their own country. In reality, however, Americans committed atrocities in Vietnam just like the enemy did. One of many examples: My Lai. Atrocities, of course, have occurred in each and every modern war and they were committed by all sides.