Path to War

Product Description:
ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE VICTORY IN '64, PRESIDENT JOHNSON ASPIRED TO BE REMEMBERED FOR THE GREAT SOCIETY.INSTEAD HIS NAME BECAME FOREVER TIED TO VIETNAM.PATH TO WAR TELLS THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST ADVISORS IN THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION COUNSELED THE PRESIDENT.

Amazon.com:
The quagmire that was the Vietnam War comes to vivid life in this HBO film--not in the jungles of Southeast Asia, but in the offices of the White House, where a disastrous U.S. policy was forged. From Lyndon Johnson's landslide 1964 victory to his weary withdrawal from the 1968 race, Path to War charts the disappearance of LBJ's "Great Society" domestic dreams into the bramble patch of war. The bungled decisions are forcefully directed by John Frankenheimer, whose expertise at political intrigue shines in his final film. Donald Sutherland and Alec Baldwin do some of their best work in years (as Clark Clifford and Robert McNamara), although the great actor Michael Gambon, while impressive, doesn't quite capture the honey lilt of LBJ's beguiling style. Among the many superb scenes: Johnson intimidating an outmatched George Wallace (an unbilled Gary Sinise, re-creating a role from another Frankenheimer HBO film) on civil rights. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - A Must See
This is one of the best movies I have ever watched as it covers the stormy presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson and how the U.S. escalated into the Vietnam War. Great acting, especially by Alec Baldwin who portrays Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, great attention to detail, nice blending of actual footage from that era. If you like history this is for you - wether you are a democrat or republican this is worth your time - you will probably watch it more than once.
Rating: - redeemed
Although I didn't think so at the time, Lyndon Johnson is truly a
tragic figure who went against his own, beloved South to pass the
Civil Rights Act. Kennedy wrote it and of course he couldn't help
that he was assassinated before it was passed. But President Johnson
had the motivation and the guts to get it enacted even though he knew
it meant the end of the Democratic South.

He's only remembered for Vietnam though and in the end it killed him
not ... Read More
Rating: - 3.5 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:

An exceptional, if long, TV movie that has the good sense to portray the Johnson administration as a tragedy, Path to War is fascinating both as a piece of history and a piece of filmmaking.
Rating: - America's Nightmare retold
This story begins with the reason why Vietnam began and how it spiraled out of control. How it began with just a few retaliation strikes and blew up to be a full fledged war. Johnson misled by his advisors and generals believing that to act forcibly would be the only way to stop communism from spreading through southeast Asia. McNamara was the principal drum beater for this course until he realized that the policy could not win. Unfortunately he leaves the cabinet and Johnson has the full brunt of ... Read More
Rating: - Very Surprising!
After watching the film "Nixon" (which I thought was over-the-top in its representation of how Nixon behaved) I didn't know what to expect from this film.WOW, this is well acted and balanced concerning the views of the Vietnam war.No doubt the real LBJ went thru hell about Vietnam and it comes out in this film.Of course, McNamara has already confessed to his wrong positions that he held, and he was finely portrayed by Alec Baldwin.

Now, somebody get a copy of this to McInsane and ... Read More