Rating: 
Summary: A milestone of civilisation: prepare to be amazed
Review: The vast body of documentary-making about the Second World War has nothing to compare with Jeremy Isaacs' "The World At War", made for Britain's Thames Television in 1973-74. The term miniseries is inadequate for this giant of quality and quantity. It stands so far above everything remotely similar as to be in a class of its own. With some 32 hours of viewing culled from millions of feet of wartime US, Russian, British, German and Japanese newsreel and propaganda film, and unique postwar interviews, this is a MEGAseries. Sustained high quality shines through, despite the passage of a quarter century since it was made--and more than half a century since the archival footage was shot. The DVD release (I'm basing my assessment on the year 2000 PT Video PAL release, which I assume to be comparable with the US NTSC release) is a gem which everyone interested in the genre will want to own. It is no exaggeration to describe this series as a milestone of civilisation.The many postwar interviews gathered for this series with wartime Allied and Axis political leaders, generals, resistance leaders, diplomats, and ordinary and not-so-ordinary soldiers and citizens, are astonishing in their range, candour and insight. It is impossible here to do justice to these interviewees. Mountbatten, LeMay, Prince Bernhard, Durrell, Westphal, Manteuffel, Guingand, Galland, Warlimont, Fuchida, Genda, Galbraith, and Samuelson are just some of the famous names. Albert Speer, who was Hitler's architect and later his Armaments Minister, talks frankly and contritely about the coverup of the "Final Solution" and his close relations with Hitler. Statesmen Averell Harriman (US), Anthony Eden (UK), and Koichi Kido (Japan), among others, recall diplomatic and political byplay and insiders' views ranging from Churchill to the Emperor of Japan. The top WWII Japanese air ace to survive the war, Saburo Sakai, recalls the youthful patriotic fervour of his fellow fliers and the impact of Japan's reversal of fortunes. US, Russian, Japanese, Dutch and British warriors and housewives recall dealing out and receiving the horrors of war. Hitler's youngest secretary, Gertrude "Trudl" Junge, talks of the bizarre underground life in the Fuhrerbunker. Eisenhower's driver, Kay Summersby, recalls cameos of her former boss's skills and frustrations in coordinating multinational Allied command. The last prominent survivor of the 1944 Stauffenberg plot against Hitler, Ewald Heinrich von Kleist, recalls his days as a young Wehrmacht lieutenant and gives insights into why the small anti-Nazi movement failed. Admiral Karl Döenitz and U-boat ace Otto Kretschmer recall the battle of the Atlantic. General Sir Brian Horrocks, the inspirational British commander who led XXX Corps in the drive on Arnhem (played by Edward Fox in "A Bridge Too Far") talks of Operation Market Garden, the rivalry between Montgomery and Patton, and the burdens of military command. The overlay of archival footage of the actual parachute and glider drops in Market Garden make the corresponding scenes in the movie, "A Bridge Too Far", look like home movie sequences. Linking it all is a matter-of-fact commentary which soars above chauvinism and prejudice. It is read in deadpan style by the distinguished British actor Laurence Olivier--among his finest work. The globe-changing civilisation-shaking upheaval of the Second World War continues to fascinate an immense worldwide readership and viewing audience. If you, too, want to better understand how so much decent, intelligent and cultivated humanity descended into and in some cases survived that madness, view the grim and gripping "The World At War" series, and prepare to be amazed.
Rating: 
Summary: Love and Hate
Review: Short and sweet. Great documentary, love it.
Rating:
Summary: SUPER DVD ENCYCLOPEDIA
Review: This is the ultimate collection.If you love history,forget abvout getting books.This set rocks.No reading needed.Just buy it & enjoy the ultimate ww two resource...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Series
Review: When investing in any DVD, especially a boxed set, you might ponder the question, "How often will I watch this?" Let me say that your purchase of The World at War will offer you endless viewing opportunities! Besides the 26 original episodes, all of the extra features that were produced afterwards are included in the set. There is so much information generated in over 30 hours of material that you will discover something new with each repeated viewing. Each episode will hold your attention from first to last, and they are efficiently indexed so you can easily review a map or replay a speech. Along side the emotional impact of the pictorial images, you have Carl Davis' moving score, a judicious use of period music, personal accounts from all the major powers, and Sir Laurance's strong narration, making this the most comprehensive documentary on the subject. Now if we can only have World War I, narrated by Robert Ryan, available, we would have the documentary bookends to the two most devastating wars in the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: The World At War---- DVD Set
Review: The classic World at War documentary on DVD,at last available
on a format that does it justice!
The additional material included in the DVD set lets you see what into it`s production.
Excellent transfer to DVD format AND soooo compact to store!
Rating:
Summary: Wow What A Buy!
Review: This is an unbelievable price for the greatest documentary ever compiled on the Second World War.Worth every penny!Five Stars.
Rating:
Summary: A "Top Pick"
Review: This work is simply one of the best documentaries about World War II (albeit from a British point-of-view). I bought this to replace my aging VHS tapes (recorded off a commercial station). The quality is, well, DVD quality. If you have never seen this documentary, then either buy or rent this set (it is over 30 hours in length). You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: If You Don't Want Subtitle, then This is "It"
Review: No doubt this is the box set to own if the missing subtitle doesn't bother you. (...)
Rating:
Summary: What a Shame, NO Subtitle!!
Review: It is inexcusable for Warner NOT to include subtitle for this otherwise excellent edition. There are too many names of places and historical figures mentioned in each part of the program. It is incomprehensible for someone to look up or do further research when these names are not spelled out on the subtitle. I was so excited to hear the news that the whole "World at War" set is coming to DVD. I couldn't wait to order my very own set. However, once I read the detail and found out that the box set doesn't come with subtitle, I decided against to order it. I always thought Warner was the best company when they come to including subtitles for all their DVD releases. All their movies come with at least three subtitles (English, French and Spanish). For this box set, English subtitle is a minimum must to make it complete. Sorry, Warner, I am not going to buy this wonderful set. What a shame, Warner, dropped the ball, big time. Bottom line, 5-star for the program & 2-star for the missing English subtitle. (Once Warner goes back and release a new set with at least English subtitle, I will buy one at that time.)
Rating:
Summary: Never mind the stuffy old Brit...
Review: This is the best documentary of the Second World War available. The boxed set covers every theatre of war in detail, using retouched footage and interviews with protagonists (everyone from Lord Mountbatten to Hitler's secretary) to make WWII as vivid to viewers as if it was the Gulf War. Years 1939 to 1941 should make interesting watching for US viewers, as you weren't there! Better late than never though, so catch up with what was going on in Europe while you were sitting at home twiddling your thumbs (only joking!). Seriously, buy it and wind your partner up like crazy with the distinctively sombre intro music. The special section on Auschwitz is chilling, particularly the guards' accounts of the genocide. It should be part of every High School syllabus. 6 out of 5.
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