Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987)
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- PG-13
- 1h 24min
- Documentary, History
- Sep 1988 (USA)
- TV Movie
Feature-length documentary film featuring real-life letters written by American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines during the Vietnam War to their families and friends back home.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Tom Berenger | ... |
(voice)
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| Ellen Burstyn | ... |
Mrs. Stocks (voice)
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| J. Kenneth Campbell | ... |
(voice)
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| Richard Chaves | ... |
(voice)
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Josh Cruze | ... |
(voice)
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| Willem Dafoe | ... |
Elephant Grass (voice)
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| Robert De Niro | ... |
Great Sewer (voice)
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| Brian Dennehy | ... |
(voice)
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| Kevin Dillon | ... |
Jack (voice)
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| Matt Dillon | ... |
Mike (unconfirmed) (voice)
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| Robert Downey Jr. | ... |
(voice)
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| Michael J. Fox | ... |
Pfc. Raymond Griffiths (voice)
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| Mark Harmon | ... |
(voice)
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| John Heard | ... |
Johnny Boy (unconfirmed) (voice)
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Fred Hirz | ... |
(voice)
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| Harvey Keitel | ... |
2nd Lt. Donald Jacques (voice)
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| Elizabeth McGovern | ... |
Me (voice)
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| Judd Nelson | ... |
(voice)
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| Sean Penn | ... |
(voice)
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| Randy Quaid | ... |
Cpl. Kevin Macaulay (voice)
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Timothy Patrick Quill | ... |
(voice)
(as Tim Quill)
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| Eric Roberts | ... |
(voice)
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Ray Robertson | ... |
(voice)
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| Howard E. Rollins Jr. | ... |
(voice)
(as Howard Rollins Jr.)
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| John Savage | ... |
(voice)
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| Raphael Sbarge | ... |
(voice)
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| Martin Sheen | ... |
Alan (voice)
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| Tucker Smallwood | ... |
(voice)
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| Roger Steffens | ... |
(voice)
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Jim Tracy | ... |
(voice)
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| Kathleen Turner | ... |
1st Lt. Lynda Van Devanter (voice)
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Tico Wells | ... |
(voice)
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| Robin Williams | ... |
Baby-san (voice)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Denis Boileau | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| David Brinkley | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage)
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Fred DeBrine | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage) (voice)
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| Alain Delon | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Brigitte Fossey | ... |
Récitante / Narrator (voice)
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| Annie Girardot | ... |
Récitante / Narrator (voice)
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Edgar Givry | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Hervé Icovic | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Valérie Kaprisky | ... |
Récitante / Narrator (voice)
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Jean-Pierre Leroux | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Christophe Malavoy | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Laurent Malet | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Frank McGee | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage) (voice)
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| Edwin Newman | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage)
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| Florent Pagny | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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| Jack Perkins | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage) (voice)
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| Patrick Poivey | ... |
Récitant / Narrator (voice)
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Howard Tuckner | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage) (voice)
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| Sander Vanocur | ... |
Self - NBC Newsman (archiveFootage)
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| Bob Hope | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| John Lennon | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Yoko Ono | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Directed by
| Bill Couturié | ... | (as Bill Couturie) |
Written by
| Richard Dewhurst | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Bill Couturié | ... | (screenplay) (as Bill Couturie) |
Produced by
| Thomas Bird | ... | producer |
| Bill Couturié | ... | producer (as Bill Couturie) |
| Bernard Edelman | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| Todd Boekelheide | ... | original music composer |
Cinematography by
| Michael Chin | ||
Editing by
| Stephen Stept | ||
| Gary Weimberg | ... | (Co-Editor) |
Editorial Department
| Anne Davis | ... | assistant editor |
| Doug Jones | ... | negative conformer |
| Roy Kissin | ... | editorial systems analyst |
| Devon Miller | ... | assistant editor |
| Catherine Ryan | ... | assistant editor |
| Julie Stept | ... | assistant editor (as Jules Stept) |
Casting By
| Pat Golden | ||
| Barbara Ligell | ||
| John McCabe | ||
Makeup Department
| Jim Gillespie | ... | makeup department head |
Production Management
| B.Z. Petroff | ... | production manager |
| Kathryn Witte | ... | post-production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Odette Blanch | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Haskell V. Anderson III | ... | additional dialogue recordist |
| Mark Berger | ... | Supervising Re-Recording Mixer |
| Todd Boekelheide | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Richard Chaves | ... | additional dialogue recording |
| Josh Cruze | ... | additional dialogue recording |
| Will Harvey | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Howard Mungo | ... | additional dialogue recordist |
| Douglas Murray | ... | Synclavier® Sound FX |
| Larry Oatfield | ... | assistant sound editor (as E. Larry Oatfield) |
| Greg Shaw | ... | Synclavier® Sound FX |
| Robert Shoup | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Jeffery Stephens | ... | assistant sound editor (as Jeffrey Stephens) |
| Dennie Thorpe | ... | foley artist |
| Jeff Watts | ... | sound editor |
| Anna Davis | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
| Douglas Murray | ... | Sound Designer (uncredited) / Sound Effects Editor (uncredited) |
| Philip Rogers | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| John Armstrong | ... | still photographer: title photographs, Camera 3 |
| Peter Crosman | ... | still photographer: title photographs, Camera 3 |
Music Department
| Gary Clayton | ... | original music recording |
| Ben Edmonds | ... | music consultant |
| Geoffrey Menin | ... | legal counsel: music |
| Merril Wasserman | ... | music clearance |
Additional Crew
| Phillip Arterbury | ... | original letter source |
| Joseph Bersh Jr. | ... | original letter source |
| George T. Boks | ... | archive source: Super 8 footage |
| Alan Bourne | ... | original letter source |
| David Bowman | ... | original letter source |
| Alan Brudno | ... | original letter source |
| Jack Calamia | ... | original letter source |
| Richard Cantale | ... | original letter source |
| Rodney Chastant | ... | original letter source |
| Richard Chaves | ... | archive source: Super 8 footage |
| Cathleen Cordova | ... | original letter source |
| Rob Devlin | ... | original letter source (as Robert Devlin) |
| John Di Fusco | ... | technical advisor |
| Bernard Edelman | ... | book editor: for The New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission |
| Peter Elliott | ... | original letter source |
| Alexander Douglas Grant | ... | additional stock footage researcher: Great American Stock |
| Ray Griffiths | ... | original letter source (as Ray Griffiths) |
| James Hebron | ... | original letter source |
| Doug Jones | ... | archive source: Super 8 footage |
| Marion 'Sandy' Kempner | ... | original letter source |
| Richard Kepro | ... | archive source: Super 8 footage |
| Roy Kissin | ... | editorial systems analyst |
| John J. Koshel | ... | film librarian |
| Dennis Lane | ... | original letter source |
| Richard Loffler | ... | original letter source |
| Gregory Lusco | ... | original letter source |
| Kevin Macaulay | ... | original letter source |
| William Maguire Jr. | ... | original letter source |
| Kati Meister | ... | film research supervisor |
| Joseph Morrissey | ... | original letter source |
| Edward Murphy | ... | original letter source |
| George Olsen | ... | original letter source |
| Allen Paul | ... | original letter source |
| Thomas Jean Pierre Pellaton | ... | original letter source |
| Robert Ransom Jr. | ... | original letter source |
| Michael Rush | ... | original letter source |
| Robert Salerni | ... | original letter source |
| James Schubert | ... | original letter source |
| James Simmen | ... | original letter source |
| William Stocks | ... | original letter source |
| Richard Strandberg | ... | original letter source |
| Jack Swender | ... | original letter source |
| Lynda Van Devanter | ... | original letter source |
| Ray Wahl | ... | original letter source |
| Victor David Westphall III | ... | original letter source |
| George Williams | ... | original letter source |
| Eleanor Wimbish | ... | original letter source |
| Phillip Woodall | ... | original letter source |
| Steve York | ... | archive source: additional stock footage |
Thanks
| Richard Beggs | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: |
| Richard Downing | ... | acknowledgment: reprints of still photographs |
| Robert Ellison | ... | acknowledgment: archive still photographs provided by, Blackstar Photo Agency |
| Ron Hosberle | ... | acknowledgment: archive still photographs provided by |
| Richard Hymns | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: |
| Tom Kobayashi | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: (as Tom Kobiyashi) |
| David Parker | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: |
| Dana A. Penland | ... | acknowledgment: archive still photographs provided by |
| Alan Splet | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: |
| Mark Stanoch | ... | thanks |
| Bill Young | ... | The Producers Wish to Thank: (as Father Bill Young) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Home Box Office (HBO) (1987) (United States) (tv)
- Succéfilm AB (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Toho-Towa (1988) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (1989) (Germany) (VHS)
- Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1987) (United States) (VHS)
- Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (2005) (United States) (DVD)
- Media Transfer International (1989) (Sweden) (VHS)
- Roadshow Home Video (1988) (Australia) (video)
- Schröder Media (2016) (Germany) (DVD)
- Towa Video (1993) (Japan) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Alpha Cine Laboratory (opticals)
- Buzzy's Recording (additional facilities)
- Camera 3 (title photography)
- Cinematte (opticals)
- Cinematte (title photography)
- Colossal Pictures (Additional Facilities:)
- Dolby Laboratories (acknowledgement: IN SELECTED THEATRES)
- DuArt Film and Video (stock footage processing)
- Film Opticals (stock footage processing)
- Gentle Synergy (Digital Sound FX Post Production)
- Interformat (35 mm blow-up)
- Interformat (stock footage processing)
- Los Angeles Times (Headlines used by permission of)
- Memento Labs (stock footage processing)
- Monaco Film Labs (stock footage processing)
- Monaco Laboratories (stock footage processing)
- NBC News Archives (stock footage)
- New York Times Company (Headlines used by permission of)
- Newsweek Inc. (still photos supplied by)
- Norton Air Force Base (additional stock footage supplied by)
- One Pass Inc. (Additional Facilities:)
- Pacific Title (opticals)
- Russian Hill Recording (additional facilities)
- S.R.O. (Additional Facilities:)
- S.R.O. (Re-Recording)
- Saul Zaentz Film Center (Re-Recording)
- Skywalker Sound (Additional Facilities:)
- Studio Masters (Additional Facilities:)
- Synclavier Digital Audio System (acknowledgement: Synclavier® Sound FX)
- The Toy Specialists (Additional Facilities:)
- Time (still photos supplied by)
- Track Transfers (Additional Facilities:)
- Vanderbilt Television News Archive (additional stock footage supplied by)
- Varitel Video (Additional Facilities:)
- Washington Post (Headlines used by permission of)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
A documentary featuring letters written by U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines during the Vietnam War to their families and friends back home. Archive footage of the war and news coverage thereof, augment the first-person "narrative" by men and women who were in the war, some of whom did not survive it.
Written by Jim Beaver |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Was number nine on Roger Ebert's list of the Best Films of 1988. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in The Couch Trip/For Keeps/Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam/Rent-a-Cop/The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearn (1988). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Gimme Shelter See more » |
| Quotes |
Mrs. Stocks:
[In a letter to her KIA son, left at the Vietnam Memorial]
Dear Bill, I came to this black wall again, to see and touch your name. William R. Stocks. And as I do, I wonder if anyone ever stops to realize that next to your name, on this black wall, is your mother's heart. A heart broken fifteen years ago today, when you lost your life in Vietnam. And as I look at your name, I think of how many, many times I used to wonder how scared and homesick you must have been, in that strange country called Vietnam. And if and how it might have changed you, for you were the most happy-go-lucky kid in the world, hardly ever sad or unhappy. And until the day I die, I will see you as you laughed at me, even when I was very mad at you. And the next thing I knew, we were laughing together. But on this past New Year's Day, I talked by phone to a friend of yours from Michigan, who spent your last Christmas and the last four months of your life with you. Jim told me how you died, for he was there and saw the helicopter crash. He told me how your jobs were like sitting ducks; they would send you men out to draw the enemy into the open, and then, they would send in the big guns and planes to take over. He told me how after a while over there, instead of a yellow streak, the men got a mean streak down their backs. Each day the streak got bigger, and the men became meaner. Everyone but you, Bill. He said how you stayed the same happy-go-lucky guy that you were when you arrived in Vietnam. And he said how you, of all people, should never have been the one to die. How lucky you were to have him for a friend. And how lucky he was to have had you. They tell me the letters I write to you and leave here at this memorial are waking others up to the fact that there is still much pain left from the Vietnam War. But this I know; I would rather to have had you for twenty-one years and all the pain that goes with losing you, than never to have had you at all. -Mom See more » |