Press/Journalists

National Archives Produces DVDs of Vietnam Motion Pictures in Partnership with TOPICS Entertainment
Press Release · Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Washington, DC…The National Archives announces the release of “Vietnam: A Retrospective,” a boxed set of six DVDs containing more than 12 hours of film footage from its vast motion picture holdings. This compelling collection takes viewers on an unforgettable journey to the front lines of a conflict that spanned five presidencies and defined a generation. Find out how U.S. involvement in the war began in Hidden War in Vietnam and Why Vietnam? Experience heroic rescue missions in To Save a Soldier, Report on Marine Activities, and The Faces of Rescue. Get up close and personal with those that fought, with actual footage of daily activities, combat operations, and personal stories in A Nation Builds Under Fire, Another Day of War, and River Patrol. Finally, in Night of the Dragon, Operation Montagnard, and Vietnam, Vietnam, learn about Vietnam’s history, culture, and economy and the people who call it home.

Produced in partnership with Topics Entertainment, a leading educational software publisher and distributor, “Vietnam” is the latest release in an ongoing series of themed, multi-boxed sets of DVDs, CDs, and other software that features unedited materials selected by staff specialists at the National Archives.

Also available in the series –

  • World War II Collection: “The War in Europe,” “The War in the Pacific,” “The Air War,” “Why We Fight,” and “The Homefront” Totaling nearly 35 hours of archival footage, this collection of five boxed sets represents an invaluable cinematic recounting of American participation in World War II. Each 6-DVD set includes selections from on-the-scene historical newsreel footage to documentary shorts and features, often filmed and narrated by top Hollywood enlistees. These astonishingly varied and emotional images were culled from thousands of hours of documentary and combat film footage that make up the National Archives' most popular collections.

  • “Classic Aviation” 6-DVD set containing nearly 7 hours of compelling film that documents aviation from the first flights to the launch into space. Highlights include a 1924 around-the-globe adventure by plane; WWII footage of the famous and tragic raid on the Ploesti oil fields by B-24 Liberators; historic test flights of the XF rocket aircraft, C-130 Hercules, and H-19 helicopter; Neil Armstrong’s flights in the XF and X-15 rocket planes; and harrowing tales of action over Vietnam from fighter pilots, bomber pilots, generals, and crews of the KC-135 tanker craft.
  • “NASA: A Retrospective” 4-DVD boxed set featuring 5 hours of spectacular film footage, still photographs, and informative commentary that guides viewers along the timeline of U.S. space exploration, from Project Mercury to the space shuttle Columbia. Featured titles include “Astronauts,” one of the earliest NASA edited films; “The Eagle Has Landed”; “Apollo 13: Houston, We Have a Problem”; and “Who’s Out There?”

Each 6-DVD boxed set retails for $49.99 (“NASA” 4-DVD boxed set is $29.99) and is available at major retailers.

About the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency, is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 1934, its mission is unique —to serve American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. We ensure continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. We support democracy, promote civic education, and facilitate historical understanding of our national experience. The National Archives meets a wide range of information needs, among them helping people to trace their families' history, making it possible for veterans to prove their entitlement to medical and other benefits, and preserving original White House records. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries, and on the Internet at www.archives.gov.

About TOPICS Entertainment
Founded in 1990, TOPICS Entertainment is the largest, privately-owned multimedia publishing company in the United States. TOPICS offers more than 300 consumer language‑learning, education, and entertainment multimedia products, and is the exclusive software publisher/distributor for National Geographic, Rand McNally, World Book, Kaplan, Scholastic, and several others. An active supporter of the environment and education, TOPICS donates five percent of pre‑tax profits to a variety of conservation and environmental education organizations. Visit its web site at www.topics‑ent.com.

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For Press information please contact the National Archives Public Affairs Staff at (202) 357-5300.

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