The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)

Rating:
Summary: The DEFINITIVE history of WWII
Review: Don't call yourself a history buff until you've seen this-preferably more than once. This is a stunning example of documentary filmaking. I can't even begin to explain the amount of archival footage, newsreels, and interviews that are included in the twenty-six hours of the set. Countless *millions* of feet of Imperial War Museum footage could not be included due to time constraints. This set shoots for completeness and comes quite close. Watching the whole set is like taking a whirlwind tour of the years 1933-1946. Immense and worth every penny. Of particular importance is a one hour discussion with producer Jeremy Isaacs about the processes that brought us THE WORLD AT WAR. In an age when revisionist history threatens to overshadow truth, Isaacs goes to great pains to describe the strict criteria used when his team examined historical film and when they went into the editing room to edit interviews. I very much appreciated the fact that they threw out some (obvious) propaganda film and the fact that the production utilized many foley artists to record sound effects for what were usually silent films. This knowledge makes the series all the more trustworthy as a historical document. Another nice extra not included on the VHS version is the 45 minute "The Two Deaths of Adolph Hitler" -discussing in detail the circumstances surrounding the suicide of this most hated man. I'll put it this way, I know more about Hitler's teeth and how fire shrinks the human body than I ever thought I would.

The interviews are amazing. Nazi officials, housewives, camp survivors, businessmen, clergy etc. all contribute riveting stories to the overarching narrative. Many are heartbreaking. Some are funny. All are informative. The European theater and the Pacific theater are covered in great detail with interviews, archival footage, graphics, sound recordings etc.

Perhaps the most creepy thing is how the film starts with Olivier's full, brooding voice "Down this road the soldiers came." So begins the best film series in the history of celluloid. And at the end of it we come back to that single solitary French road where the series began some thirty hours earlier. In between we've been to hell and back.

Essential.

Rating:
Summary: Completely Indispensable
Review: Factual, unbiased, bursting with rich historical detail, beautifully directed and peerlessly narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier; this is the definitive WW2 documentary series. Made in the 1970s it contains many, many excellent interviews with people from both sides who actually took part in he war which provide superb insight into the events being documented. The World At War is a long series but necessarily so - no consideration is missed during the course of its many hours which deliver coverage of the build-up to war, the execution of the war and its aftermath in terms of its effect on both military and civilian populations and from the perspective of all the major participant nations in both political and military terms. Not merely excellent in content, The World At War is also a flawlessly crafted piece of television - images and sound (allowing for its date of production and the inclusion of many archive clips) are excellent as are the score, script and narration - Laurence Olivier really does do a great job.

To conclude - I can not recommend The World At War enough. If you are interested in the genre or a student of 20th century history then you should buy it: you will not regret it. If you consider the hours-of-viewing to price ratio it is also pretty good value to.

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate World War II History!
Review: I gave my husband this set for Christmas 2002. Being of a certain age, we both had seen this series on television. It's a privilege now to own it.

Twenty-six hour-long episodes, each covering a distinct aspect of WW-II, of both the European and Pacific theatres. For students of documentary film making, the Introduction alone is worth the price. It's an entire course, all in the space of one hour.

The series begins with a visit to the ruins of the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, 16 miles NW of Limoges, where in June 1944 the entire population (men, women and children) were rounded up and gunned down. The Nazi soldiers then torched and bombarded the village. After the war, Charles de Gaulle ordered that the destroyed village be maintained as it stood. And it remains to this day.

Along with Laurence Olivier as narrator, the BBC team interspersed actual footage with interviews of witnesses who related their personal experiences of the war.

Overall, very powerful and very thorough, as one might expect from the BBC. If you want to understand the history of WW-II, this one is worth raiding the piggy bank to buy.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent narration and images - truly an epic achievement!
Review: I have watched these 26 episodes several times and the two bonus episodes are also a wonderfully informative and insightful addition, particularly the intensely expressive (albeit short) interview with Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary. The voice and powerful acting talent of Laurence Olivier truly enhances the emotional impact of these series. The facts are numerous, but, I gave these series only 4 out of 5 stars because, having read "A World At Arms", by Gerhard Weinberg (a 920-page epic account of the War), I found that some precious footage was wasted on showing too much of nothing (e.g. an entire episode was dedicated to Holland, hardly a major power in the war, even though it was a very fascinating episode indeed). There were not enough details mentioned, for example about the Desert War in Africa, nor were enough episodes dedicated to the war in the Pacific. There also should have been a much more in-depth coverage of major battles like The Battle of The Bulge, more expanded coverage of the final 9 months or so of the War in the Pacific where many things went wrong for Japan and why they went wrong. There is hardly any mention of the weak coordination of the Japanese navy and army and their constant disagreements and quarrels which resulted in a practical "turkey shoot" for the Americans in the Pacific, of Japanese supply ships sailing with no convoy protection and Japan being forced to even use their submarines to transport food out of desperation.

There is also hardly any mention of Chiang-Kai-Shek of China and his dialogue with the allies in trying to stop enemies on two fronts - the communists of Mao-Tse-Tung and the Japanese barbars who delighted in cutting off the fingers and ears and hands and feet of Chinese civilians in places like Nanking (the Nanking massacre).

But there are some excellent episodes like the one on Burma and that horrendous mud!... And everyone will remember Avadour-Sur-Glane (?), the French town where about 600 citizens, men, women and children were rounded up in 1944 when the Nazi's were in retreat after operation Overlord (Normandy) ... and shot...and the town was destroyed and stands in ruins, never re-built to this day as a dedication to the unspeakable monstrosities of the Nazis. You will come out of these series never seeing humans the same way and thinking how animals are such "angels" compared to humans. That old and mindless expression of calling someone an "animal" does not apply after you see this documentary, for animals never kill each other the way humans have done so many times in their history...

The quality of the footage is fine and the poetic voice of Laurence Olivier permeates ceaselessly throughout the series. The episodes on the Soviet Union, with Russian songs and one particular poem is enough to make one's heart wrench (and teeth clench) and cry... Remember...

This is not an academic documentary series but still is the best one made so far on World War II. You won't be disappointed by it.

Rating:
Summary: The World at War- The Benchmark for WWII Documentaries
Review: I remember watching this series with my family when I was growing up almost 30 years ago. I've never forgotten it. And it's just as interesting and compelling
today as it was all those years ago. Jeremy Isaacs direction is superb and focused. Sir Laurence Olivier's narraration is so majestic, it's hard to describe in words. You get a well rounded story from all sides (American, British, Russian,
French, Italian, German, Japanese, military, civilian,etc.). The DVD transfer is wonderful, the films of the interviews were obviously kept in good hands. Carl Davis' music score is great and dramatic and is presented in Dolby 2.0 digital. There's extras like timelines, maps, shortcuts to songs, photo galleries for each episode and an
introduction by Mr. Isaacs for each episode.
You'll also come to the conclusion that some things never change- how America wanted no part of WWII. There were protests against fighting Hitler and Mussolini all across the Nation. Just like now. The situatuion was hard for Roosevelt, but the Japanese made his decision easier on December 7, 1941.
All in all, a timeless reminder of why war is so horrific, and at times, necessary

Rating:
Summary: The Alpha and Omega of WWII Documentaries
Review: I'll be simple and brief: this superb documentary is nothing more than a must own for any and every person interested in the history of World War II.

Expertly written, painstakingly researched, dramatically narrated by Laurence Olivier (giving perhaps his finest performance), and, the greatest aspect- countless invaluable interviews from survivors and veterans. Besided the miles of riveting newsreel and battle footage, World At War captures living history by preserving the oral histories of men and women from all sides of the war. Russians, Japanese, British, German, Dutch, Jewish, French civilians, soldiers alike all share their harrowing personal experiences.

I've known several history instructors on both the high school and college campuses who have used this magnficent document as an effective basis for their World War II curriculm.

I cannot be too effusive in praising this documentary. Hard hitting and throughouly entertaining this excellent series of DVD's is well worth every red cent.

Rating:
Summary: Unromanticized, unrelenting, unforgettable. . . .
Review: Rarely does a documentary hold a viewer enthralled from start to finish, a feat which The World at War accomplishes from the opening sequence through the closing credits. The definitive film documentary of the second great global conflict, this production is first rate in every aspect. Archival footage, insightful interviews, intelligent editing and the classic narration of Sir Laurence Olivier are welded into a powerful video production focussed on presenting a visual record of the war as opposed to an editorial commentary.

Obviously, this is a British production which leans somewhat sympathetically toward the English view of the struggle and concentrates on the European Theater of Operations. However, interviewees include representatives of all the major powers, and even relatively minor theaters of operation (such as Burma, India and others) are covered.

The full range of expected topics are included; the period leading to war, Blitzkrieg in Poland, the Battles of Britain and the Atlantic, the Holocaust, Barbarrosa and the Atomic Bomb, naming only a few.

The individual episodes are taut and compact, covering well-defined topics and timeframes, and work well as individual programs or, as they were intended, components in a larger picture. Much of the footage is actual combat photography; therefore much is black and white and some has less than perfect production value. However, this only adds to the overall impact of the presentation.

There is no attempt to glorify the combat, lionize or villify any of the participants, or to second-guess leaders. Events are depicted as they developed and, where tactical or strategic misjudgements are indicated, they are usually pointed out by persons actually involved in the planning or execution to the operations.

The World at War is a straight-forward, sobering examination of the central event of the twentieth century. No serious student of history should miss seeing it, and no student of military history should fail to include it in his or her video library.

Rating:
Summary: An epic that is not to be missed.
Review: This documentary's scope is remarkable, and the presentation is powerful considering that it was created around 1968 to 1971 when there was much classified information yet to be released.

To me a compelling aspect is the fact that it humanizes the conflict through the interviews with participants and survivors. I found particularly interesting how the Japanese infantryman and pilots viewed the war. You come to realize that there are human beings on both sides of the story... people like you and me. Stunning also are the interviews with Adolf Hitler's secretary. She provides a fascinating insight into the daily routine surrounding one of history's most notorious men.

Another remarkable quality is this documentary's sound track. The music is superb, and it evokes powerful emotions throughout the series. Many of the pieces are haunting and well positioned during the narrative's course. Even after thirty years the music sounds fresh, unique, and evocative. View one of the late episodes and listen to the music as paratroopers drop into Germany. The music and the pictures tell the story without narrative, but this combination is compelling without any language.

Finally, the photography provides images of the challenge, struggle, and horror that was the Second World War. It is nothing like the sanitized pictures from the cinema and the propaganda from this era. To this day I cringe when I see the film of the flies and the insects that plagued both sides during the North African campaigns. How did these men and these women live in such difficult conditions?

If you invest the many hours needed to watch this documenary, then you will understand the War's horror, this conflict's historical aspects, and how it has shaped the world in the twenty first century.

Rating:
Summary: Very good. Probably THE documentary set to own
Review: This kept me going for months (in one hour segments at a time). There is so much material presented here and I learned a lot.

I wanted to give 4.5 stars and only knock a half off for the sometimes annoying menu (it could have been presented in a more orgnaized fashion, I thought), or other small problems, but half points aren't allowed on the system. Very close to perfect!