"American Experience" Taken Hostage: Part Two (TV Episode 2022) Poster

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8/10
Wonderful documentary that really helped me understand a part of history that I didn't experience in person.
cgvsluis15 July 2023
This was a wonderful documentary and I learned so much about a part of history that I didn't know a lot about. Because of that I really appreciated all of the original footage that was used...and the first person interviews, including that of a surviving hostage.

For me this documentary really explained a lot of the anti-American sentiment that still exists in the Middle East. It was really shocking to see the failed rescue attempt and hear about that thru a first hand retelling of not just what the plan was...but where it went wrong.

In part one of this documentary it details out how western Iran had become, how the British petroleum company was taking Iran's resources with very little compensation to the Iranian people...and then part two really shows the reversal of many things like women being allowed to attend college, it gets in to the nitty gritty of the actual hostage crisis that went on for over a year with an Iranian woman going by the name "Mary" as the hostage taker's spokes person...who lied about who she was and where she got her education. Long, grueling and very public, I cannot imagine how the spouses and family members of the hostages felt during this time.

It was interesting to see how the British petroleum company was really taking advantage of the natural resources of Iran and it is unfortunate that the American government didn't listen to the Iranian leader at the time. It seems like a much simpler and more reasonable solution could have been brokered...one that could potentially have prevented the entire hostage situation long before it ever came to pass.

This was wonderful and I highly recommend this two part documentary to both history buffs and fans of documentaries alike.
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10/10
Jimmy's heart
estelle5819 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Fabulous documentary, like most anything presented by PBS's American Experience.

I watched this documentary when it first came on PBS, and wanted to watch it again, but could not find it online, except to pay for it. Luckily my library had the dvd's so I was able to see it again, free of charge.

So sad to watch the disintegration of a possible democracy in Iran, mainly due to the greed of Great Britain and America, for that precious oil reserve in Iran.

That foiled mission to try and get the hostages out was something I was unaware of. I was still a teenager when this was all happening, so probably did not pay much attention to anything other than the hostage crisis itself. It was hard to ignore the coverage of that.

Anyway, the outcome of that mission was gut wrenching to watch on this documentary.

I am so appreciative to the producers that showed how it was Jimmy, and his wonderful heart and soul, and determination, to get those hostages home, whether he was re-elected or not. And of course, he did just that, and on the day Reagan was being inaugurated, that is certainly some irony for ya, huh.

I recommend this documentary to everyone.
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