Watch the untold stories of Vietnam veterans in new Apple TV+ doc

For many Americans, especially those born after the Vietnam War ended in 1975, images of that cataclysmic and controversial conflict were forged by Hollywood: "Apocalypse Now." "The Deer Hunter." "Platoon." "Full Metal Jacket."

But as powerful as those staged moments are (who can forget Robert Duvall leading a helicopter assault in "Apocalypse"), be prepared to have those images of Vietnam replaced by harrowing scenes plucked from reality.

For his new Apple TV+ documentary series "Vietnam: The War That Changed America" (first episode now streaming, then weekly on Fridays), British director Rob Coldstream ("John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial") and his team poured through 1,000 hours of archival footage and spent a year reading countless war accounts.