Rating: 
Summary: A Great Summary of WWII
Review: This is by far one of the best overall summaries of WWII available. Given an hour per subject, it effectively delves into the background of an issue as much as time allows without belaboring the details. My only negative comment is that it should be kept in mind that this is given from a very British point of view. The US, which bore the brunt of D-Day, both in materiel and casualties, was given scant coverage in comparison to its contribution. It also lacks in-depth coverage of Asia-Pacific, which again was a predominantly US theatre of operation, with the exception of the British Burma Campaign, which was well documented. An excpetion was the Iwo Jima program, which was excellent in that it represented in one episode what occurred repeatedly across the Pacific. However, crucial battles such as Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and the entire island hopping campaign, and their significance, were glossed over, if mentioned at all. Again, these were battles which were US operations and were not given heavy coverage. A better in-depth coverage of the Asia-Pacific Theatre, including the aftermath and Korea, can be found in "Crusade in the Pacific", although you need to wade through some of the rhetoric and propaganda. The World at War series could have used two to three more episodes; two covering the Asia-Pacific War, and one which included more on US operations and contribution in Europe. This all strikes me as odd, as the Russian Front was given excellent coverage in this series, and they indeed bore the brunt of WWII in Europe, both as an army and as a nation. I think the World at War series is still outstanding, and one of the best available. Anyone interested in a great overview of WWII should definitely own it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Audio-Visual Collection On WWII!
Review: As a young boy, the local public television station would show this documentary on early Sunday mornings, and I became engrossed in its content. I initially watched this British production to better understand the experience my grandfather endured as a serviceman during the Second World War, but came away exposed to much more than just those parts of the war that he could call his own. In my opinion, no other war documentary, and I hold several in my home collection, can convey this message better. Any member of subsequent generations that desires to see what "complete and total war" is, with all the horror and destruction it entails, this collection is the very best A/V around. It laid the basis for a lifelong study and deep appreciation for a war that to this day touches the lives of people around the world, though they may not even realize it. I don't know what has happened with the price, but Amazon's price is excellent. I have seen the same collection in stores over the years for 4 to 5 times as much, which may have been attributed to the fact that it is a foreign- produced film documentary. If you don't own A World At War and you are a WWII buff, I strongly urge you to purchase it. Its a little weak on the Pacific war though and has an overtone more suited to that of a European, but since the British war, excluding the China-Burma-India theater and Borneo-Sumatra, was primarily a backyard war, the production scheme is understandable. Still, nothing on the subject comes close to touching its quality. If you haven't seen it, you want be dissatisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Seminal documentry on W.W. II
Review: If you're like me, thirty-something, this series was most likely your first, unforgettable introduction to the Second World War. The flames, Olivier, and all those interviews... amazing, chilling...
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding series
Review: A most compelling documentary series whose scope and detail remain unsurpassed. Although focused primarily on the European theatre of war, this vast series provides much of interest to American audiences. A bench mark from which all WWII documentaries have to be judged. So far none come close.
Rating:
Summary: Top-notch documentary on aspects of WWII
Review: This set of videos combines excellent archival footage of WWII, the first major conflict captured extensively on film, with excellent narration by Olivier to create a stirring and chilling view of the war that set the stage for the second half of the 20th century. I have watched this set of videos several times. They rate, in my book, among the best documentary materials available on WWII. If you were to combine this video set with print works like "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and "At Dawn We Slept" you would have a powerful combination of documented works and video material. As another reviewer aptly pointed out, this series is slanted heavily to materials from the European Theater of operations. Perhaps that is because there was simply more material available on that part of the war. Maybe it's because much of the fighing in the Pacific leaned in favor of the Japanese for so long. While this video series is excellent, it is not, in my opinion, for everyone. I do not plan to let my children watch this until they are a bit older. They should probably be out of elem school before they see footage about the concentration camps, etc. There is good footage, good commentary, and a somber soundtrack that brings the project together. 5 stars Alan Holyoak
Rating:
Summary: Real insight into those who were there
Review: As a student in college about to become a high school social studies teacher, this series offers a wealth of material to use in the classroom. Obviously not all of it can be, simply because of time contstriants, but the best features in my opinion are the footage (powerful images), the commentary and most of all the interviews of those that were there. If one wants to explore the why of history, this is a film to use. Students can get a powerful look into history and come to undertstand that those that were present were humans just like all the rest of us are. For example, the first episode, A New Germany, is filled with interviews from those that saw Hitler's rise and they explain why many Germans were willing to let the Nazis take over. Another excellent use of this film is the interviews with civilians in England living through the Blitz of the Battle of Britian in 1940. From the policy makers, the soldiers, the civilains and the commanders, no voice is left out. Since it is hard to get survivors from history into the classroom in person, this is the next best thing. Exhilerating, direct and stunningly well made, The World At War stands as one of the best works on the Second World War ever made.
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Summary: The complete World War Two Documentary
Review: The World At War is the most complete documentary of World War Two. Anyone who wants to know about this event in world history MUST watch this program. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Best documentary on World War II
Review: This one stands out as the all-time best ever documentary on World War II. The combination of live black and white footage, indepth analysis of the events and circumstances, and the unparalleled narration by Sir Lawerance Olivier help to make this the definitive serious on the subject. The World At War was produced in the early Sixies, which helps add to the realism and timelessness of the interviews. For my money, the only other documentary series on war which comes close is the Civil War by Steve Burns. Otherwise, The World At War stands alone at the top.
Rating:
Summary: Superlative Documentary
Review: The ability to present facts so thoughtfully while at the same time driving home some of the most visually dramatic scenes ever captured on tape, put this together with the awesome sound track and the incredible voice of Sir Lawrence Olivier and you have perhaps the greatest war documentary ever achieved. Awesome and inspiring, brimming with historical fact and intrique that is anchored into your psyche by the perfectly narrated and soundtracked epic. I have personally watched this documentary in its entirety over 7 times. No small feat but time well spent. I carry its images in my mind and dreams and conjure up images felt every time I think about men in war.
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.
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