Ten years ago, when Ken Burns and Lynn Novick started working on their epic documentary about America’s war in Vietnam, that conflict could still rouse bitter passions — as evidenced by the “swift boating” of Vietnam vet John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.
Now, in 2017, as viewers turn from Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow to the shared experience of this ten-part film series, can an unsparing look at a historical tragedy have the unifying power that Burns originally thought it might?
