Search - A Bright Shining Lie on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 12/22/1998 Format: DVD Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins Studio: HBO Home Video Total Copies: 4 Genres: Drama, War, Docudrama, War Drama

Adapted from Neil Sheehan's 1988 Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, this $14-million TV docudrama, re-creating the Vietnam War with convincing combat footage, was the most expensive two-hour movie ever produced by HBO Pictures. Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann (Bill Paxton) spends ten years (1962-72) in Vietnam. When Vann exposes falsified casualty figures, deceptive battle reports, and other lies about the war, journalist Steven Burnett (Donal Logue) relays the truth to American newspapers, and Vann takes heat from higher-ups. Meanwhile, he's involved with a Vietnamese teacher (Vivian Wu), and his wife (Amy Madigan) is forced to lie so he won't be court-martialed for sexual relations with an underage Vietnamese girl. Back for a second tour, he gets another young Vietnamese woman pregnant and is forced to marry her. Returning in 1968 as a civilian, he's decorated and eventually promoted to general for his contributions during the Tet offensive. The music track features Grace Slick singing "Somebody to Love" while peasant villages are bombed. Filmed in Lompburi, Thailand. Premiered May 30, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Bill Paxton - John Paul Vann
Amy Madigan - Mary Jane Vann
Vivian Wu - Lee
Donal Logue - Steven Burnett
Eric Bogosian - Doug Elders

Terry George's Vietnam war drama A Bright Shining Lie comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. English and Spanish soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include biographies of the cast. This is a fine release from HBO/Rysher. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide