Search - Tour of Duty - The Complete Series on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/21/2024...

Solid 80s style series exploring 12-month Vietnam deployments.

Not the same without the soundtrack

R. L. Stevens | 01/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I rented the first season because I heard the soundtrack was missing and wanted to be sure I could still enjoy it before buying it for good. There isn't anyway I could buy this set.

I loved the show when it was originally on but without the soundtrack it isn't the same. Someone said that if they wanted to hear the music they would just play the theme song of "Paint It Black" and other 70's songs off their CD player. That was the dumbest thing anyone could suggest. That would be like Star Wars not including the soundtrack on their DVD and then someone suggesting that you could just play the CD soundtrack while watching the movie.

The original music helped set the background and feeling for the show. The music they have now just doesn't do it for me. It's a shame because this is one DVD set I would love to own."

Paint it black

FrKurt Messick | Bloomington, IN USA | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'Tour of Duty' is one of my favourite televisions series. It didn't last very long, but while it did, it presented a fairly realistic depiction of life in a squad of soldiers in Vietnam. Together with the series 'China Beach', it began to open doors to a difficult subject for the American public to deal with -- the American public, after all, got to see the Vietnam war almost live, day by day, year after year, in their homes on the television sets, the first war for that to happen. The controversial nature of the war and 'peace' aftermath made dealing with the subject tricky, but the writing, acting and direction in this series was superb.

The story follows an infantry company 'in-country', Company B, that is made up of a typical mixture of young, green recruits (often draftees) and a few experienced leaders, on their one-year tour of duty in Vietnam; the series began (and this video begins) in 1967, one of the early hot years of the conflict. The base is a typical firecamp, nicknamed Ladybird, with bunkers, sandbags, jungle surroundings, and lots of mud.

Stars of the series include many second-tier Hollywood film and television actors, who are all much better actors than their stature might indicate. Key figures included experienced and battle-hardened Sgt. Zeke Anderson (portrayed by Terence Knox, who has been star or guest star on dozens of television series) and relatively-new officer Lt. Myron Goldman (Stephen Caffrey, soap opera star also noted for some quality film work), as they work together to guide a group of men through the literal and metaphorical minefields of the Vietnam war. Other actors include Eric Bruskotter, Joshua Maurer, Kevin Conroy, Stan Foster, and Tony Becker.

In the pilot to the series, the men have a mission to destroy a hidden NVA base headquarters. It depicts the struggles and stress of jungle combat, and portrays the relationships built under fire by the men who come to depend upon each other for their lives.

The soundtrack takes a similar device from other Vietnam-era shows and films, that of using music contemporary with the conflict. 'Paint It Black' is the opening theme, an ironic and appropriate song and lyric. Beware, however, if you get it on DVD, that this soundtrack has been altered, including the very riveting opening.

This is a superb piece on a troubled time in American history. The series lasted for three years (but the seasons didn't all have full complements of 23-26 episodes each), from 1987 - 1990, for a total of 58 episodes in all.
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Great Stories, but lost music!

Ken | Connecticut | 12/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The earlier programs were far better than the later when a reporter and in-country girlfriends were involved. However, the major loss is that when the series was released for sydication on TNT and now on the DVD the original music of the period was stripped from the soundtrack and generic themes inserted.



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