[Click To Enlarge]
Email A Friend - Gift Reminder |
WWII in HD [Blu-ray]
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$39.95
$18.40*
|
| Part No: | B002RUNMMY |
| Manufacturer: | A&E Home Video |
| MFG Part: | AAEBR209340 |
| Customer Rating: | 4.5 / 5.0 |
|
|
Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 01/19/2010
At first glance, the very concept of
WWII in HD seems like an oxymoron. After all, isn't the footage from back then nothing more than grainy black-and-white newsreel? And really, how much definition can be added to film that was shot more than 60 years ago? The answers: no, and quite a lot, actually. The quality of much of what is seen in the course of these 10 episodes (each around 45 minutes long) is surprisingly good. Add to that the fact that most of it is in color (not colorized, but originally recorded in that medium, some at the behest of the United States government), and the result is nothing short of astonishing. It's not easy viewing; there are sequences that are shockingly graphic (vivid examples include the carnage on view after major battles and the shots of Japanese civilians on the Pacific island of Saipan hurling themselves off cliffs to avoid capture by American troops). But all of it has been put to good use in what is undoubtedly one of the most compelling accounts of World War II ever produced.
Other documentaries have chronicled the same events seen here, from the earliest days of the war (when Hitler was overrunning Europe and the ill-prepared Americans were still years away from becoming involved), through Pearl Harbor, the major confrontations with the Japanese in the Pacific theater (like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the incomparably bloody Iwo Jima) and with the Germans in Europe and North Africa (the invasion of Tunisia, D-day, the Battle of the Bulge), and straight on to victory in Europe and finally the Japanese surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what separates WWII in HD is the filmmakers' decision to view these events through the experiences of a dozen individuals who were actually there, including a couple of war correspondents (one of whom, Richard Tregaskis, was the author of the seminal Guadalcanal Diary); an Austrian immigrant who escaped the Nazis and almost immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army; a nurse with General George Patton's Third Army; an African-American pilot who was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; a Japanese-American medic who fought heroically while his family was held in an internment camp; and others from the rank and file. All of them are voiced by such actors as Rob Lowe, Amy Smart, Steve Zahn, Josh Lucas, and LL Cool J; and with Gary Sinise providing voice-over narration, the whole piece comes off as a dramatic film as much as a straight documentary (an effect also enhanced by some brilliantly creative juxtapositions of words, images, and music). Not all of these men and women made it through the war (those still alive also appear in on-camera interviews), but none could ever forget the horrors they witnessed, and while those of us who did not serve will never really comprehend the sacrifices they made, this remarkable program may be as close as we can get. --Sam Graham
Stills from WWII in HD (Click for larger image)
| gr8 series BUT.......... | 2010-07-29 | 5 / 5 |
|
This is a fab series,
but i really really wish that this us version would clearly use the title of ww2 in hd the lost films,
as i now have two copys on bluray of this thinking this was the longer series ww2 in colour and hd that concentrates more on the war in europe and is the one i really want the most.
i have now seen the series i want on in a 6 disc boxset which wasnt showing when i added this to my wishlist, but all the box is in foreign language!
and i dont want to risk spending £60 on it incase its a poor transfer and just to have foreign writing all over the artwork on the box.
why is there such a delay in releasing ww2 in colour and hd its really annoying!!!
cant find any details of it being released anywhere.
that said it is a gr8 series but those in uk stick with the uk version of ww2 in hd the lost films as its better price by time you add on shipping on this option,to just buy the r2 version. |
| One of the greatest documentaries I have ever seen! Why did it have to end!! | 2010-07-23 | 5 / 5 |
|
My father got me interested in World War 2 by lending me his copy of "Why We Fight". I enjoyed it so much I purchased a number of color documentaries such as "Hitler in Color" and "World War 2 in Color" - both are available from and both very worthwhile. Still wanting more I purchased this set.
I thought I knew a lot about the war - as a child I had watched 1974's "The World at War", and I had heard my mother and father talk about their experiences growing up through it. We learnt about it at school - a little anyways. I knew the Allies won and Germany lost. I knew about the atomic bomb.
In color, it all seems so much more alive. This documentary takes you there. The stories which are interwoven with the pictures are fascinating and beautiful, shocking and inspiring all at once. I could not take my eyes off of it. I laughed. I cried. I did not want this documentary to end. The editing is superb. The footage amazing. The affect mesmerizing. Everyone involved with this project deserve the highest accolades. It should be compulsory viewing for teenage children to help them understand the reality of war.
This documentary is a masterpiece and essential viewing. Don't miss it! 100 out of 100. |
| A Great Documentary | 2010-07-12 | 5 / 5 |
|
| When I first saw the previews for this program on the history channel I knew I had to watch it. So for the week that it finally aired my family and I sat down and watched each episode and wow. Each episode was amazing and kept not only me sitting in my seat but my family sitting down as well. The whole show really shows you the true side of war and is very heart wrenching at points such as the pilots story. I highly recommend this documentary to anyone interested even in a little about ww2. |
| True life stories of WW II | 2010-07-05 | 5 / 5 |
|
| Enjoy living WW II through the eyes of 12 people who have very different experiences. Each person's story is illustrated with newely redigitized color videol We are history buffs and have seen many WWII movies, but these true stories really make history come alive. |
| Best DVD on WWII I have seen | 2010-07-02 | 5 / 5 |
|
| I have a lot of materials on WWII: books, DVDs, CDs. I am a Pearl Harbor survivor (I was a child on Hickam Field)and I give talks to school children about the Attack on Pearl Harbor. I am a serious student of WWII and after viewing the final two episodes of "WWII in HD" on television (I missed the previous episodes), I knew it was top quality and I HAD to have it. I love it. It is the sort of thing that I will view over and over again. I like that it follows the war from beginning to end on both fronts and keeps it in chronological order. In my opinion, this set is a must for any serious student of WWII history. It ranks at the top of my list of resources. |
)
