Rating: 
Summary: Run, don't walk to get this book
Review: I bought this book after reading about it in "Popular Photography". I have trouble thinking of an adjective that could properly describe this book.I found it very moving with poignant stories about the courageous photojournalists that gave their lives in pursuit of their art.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Great Photographs
Review: I have never been a devotee of photojournalism. Not for any of the ethical reason, but simply because the quality of most photojournalism I have seen is quite poor. There have been a number of exceptions, and this book is full of them. It is astonishing to me that these photographers managed to create such beautiful images during the horror of war. I am speaking apart from subject matter, which too often gets in the way of any meaningful discussion about the particualr merits of a photograph. Yes, the subject matter is horrific, but the images themselves are incredible. Being a photographer myself, I am aware of the skill required to create a meaningful image. These artists who crawled over Southeast Asia with their Leicas created images that many other photographers without the added burden of imminent danger, have not. END
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Summary: Reminders of lessons not yet learned
Review: I have never been in a war. I hope to God I never am. I was too young to be touched by Korea and Vietnam, too busy travelling to be impacted by the Falklands. I have nursed dying people, and we are all exposed to ever increasing levels of violence and death within our societies. I see images of war on TV (Gulf War) and know enough to be afraid. But the images in this book, the juxtaposition of beauty and hate, seeing a child tortured and a man smile as he kills another human being, bring home the true horror of war. It is only emaphasised by the fact that the photographers themselves died for their efforts. As it becomes easier to kill remotely, perhaps it is only images such as these which will educate the voting public to influence governments to choose a path other than war.
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Summary: Stunning, Moving, Deeply Disturbing
Review: I missed being a vet by 4 years, and would have escaped to College Deferment or CO anyway. I have always been intrigued by the great shaping event of our lives - the chasm between what our government said and what really happened in Vietnam. This book brings home, from the time of the French re-colonization to the evacuation of Saigon, in vivid detail, and generally without elaboration, the war. There is something about plain, straight photography that penetrates deeply and emotionally. By the tenth page, I was close to vomiting for the rest of the book. Not because of lurid photos, because they are generally not THAT lurid, but because of the sickening nature of war and our part, as a nation. Yeah, I'm kind of lefty. And I don't think conservatives will like this book much.
Rating:
Summary: Saw the exhibit of photos from the book in Ho Chi Minh City
Review: My wife and I saw the photos from this excellent book at the War Crimes Museum in Ho Chi Minh City in February of 2001. Walked out into the street with tears streaming down our cheeks. Bought the book when we returned to the U.S. and cried again. Simple, evocative, and worth having in the permanent collection. Also, a must-have if you plan on reading The Cat From Hue.
Rating:
Summary: Saw the exhibit of photos from the book in Ho Chi Minh City
Review: My wife and I saw the photos from this excellent book at the War Crimes Museum in Ho Chi Minh City in February of 2001. Walked out into the street with tears streaming down our cheeks. Bought the book when we returned to the U.S. and cried again. Simple, evocative, and worth having in the permanent collection. Also, a must-have if you plan on reading The Cat From Hue.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling pictorial account of the Vietnam conflict.
Review: Requiem is at one, a compelling pictorial account of the conflict which ravaged Indo-China for so many years and also a fitting testament to the courage and the skill of the photographers who lost their lives there. The first series of photographs by the American, Everette Dixie Resse reveal a land of great beauty and startling serenity. There is gentleness and largesse in these early photographs which one feels is drawn not solely from the ambience and topography of the region itself but must have been present in the heart of the man who took them. Requiem chronicles the course of the war from its' inception in the 1950's to the end of American involvement in the 1970's. The book contains not only the photographs of the more famous photographers such as Robert Capa and Larry Burrows but also those whose names are barely known and whose fate sadly, remain unknown. Many of the latter were the North Vietnamese photographers and I feel that their work goes a long way to explain how this small undeveloped country was able to drive the greatest military machine the world has ever known into eventual submission. There is an energy and determination in the eyes and very demeanour of the Communist soldiers that is not apparent amongst their opponents, the French and the Americans. When one sees Luong Nghia Dung's dramatic pictures of the NVA artillery shelling ARVN positions it is as if the very sinews of the soldiers are propelling the shells to the intended target and ultimate victory. The book is not without its lighter moments, although in truth, these are few and far between. The Japanese photographer, Kyoichi Sawada is pictured presenting a print to a family of a photo that he had taken of them swimming across a river in a successful attempt to flee an American air strike. This was indeed a happy occasion to celebrate a lucky escape. Also there are pictures taken by Henri Huet which capture the good-humoured resilience of two Americans wounded in 1966. One might recall the cliché, "blooded but unbowed" or perhaps "grace under pressure". They do however, manage a smile for Huet's camera. The book contains some fascinating biographical information on the men and women who took these photographs. They are from diverse backgrounds, countries and cultures but regardless of who they were, we are left in no doubt that the quality of a photograph has little to do with the camera but so very much with the eye and soul of the person pressing the shutter.
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Summary: Mind Blowing Photography.
Review: The photographs in this book are absolutely mind blowing. They are a creditable testament to the memory of the incredibly brave and talented photographers who did not return from Vietnam and Indochina. Some of the greatest photographers of all time are listed here. Some of their photographs have remained unseen for some 40 years.
Some of the photographs taken were the last visions seen by photographers who were actually killed whilst in the act of taking them. The first hand reality of the 'at war' experience is brought home to the unitiated reader. To take these shots the photographers were of a necessity extremely close to the action and sometimes in the very midst of it. For their sacrifice in obtaining these images they lost their lives. One can only sit back with awe at the scenes illustrated and wonder at the suffering, humanity & sometimes lack of it, that perpetuated these conflicts. These photographers have done a great service in bringing home the reality of war to those who were not there. An amazing and fitting epitaph to those who fought, suffered and died on both sides.
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Summary: The real face of war
Review: This book is really a monument in memory of all the brave photographers who dedicated their lives to show the real face of war. There are not only great shots, but also very interesting biographic profiles who help us to understand the thinking of the reporters about their work and the extreme situations they were experiencing, staying with the troops on the field. An excellent book for everyone is interested in photoreportage and Vietnam War's history.
Rating:
Summary: A tribute to photojourmalism
Review: This book is really a monument in memory of all the brave photographers who dedicated their lives to show the real face of war. There are not only great shots, but also very interesting biographic profiles who help us to understand the thinking of the reporters about their work and the extreme situations they were experiencing, staying with the troops on the field. An excellent book for everyone is interested in photoreportage and Vietnam War's history.
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