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World War II - Volumes 1-5

World War II - Volumes 1-5

List Price: $49.98
Your Price: $44.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not very good
Review: After reviewing the World at War Series I found that World War II Volumes 1-5 pale in comparison. The series tends to be a remake of old war propaganda news reels. The historical value tends more towards film making in the 1940's than to history during the second world war.The facts are shrouded in bias and there is no view point from the other side (i.e the axis powers). I was greatly dissapointed with this series and will sell these disks as soon as a buyer becomes available.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Too simplistic
Review: I awaited this series with anticipation and got it a few days ago. Tomorrow I will sell them in to a "used store".

Why? Well, it simply a documentary in the style of war propaganda (and from what I now understand, large portions of it really is). In that respect, you can say it has some value, but I expected a documentary with some accuracy.

"The world consists of 25% land and 75% water. If you could rule as much land as possible, you'd rule the world. This was Hitlers theory!"

If you think that analysis with that depth is what you seek in a documentary, this is the set for you.

And I found also plain incorrect statements at many places.

A mistake to buy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: comparison with vhs format
Review: i have the video cassette version of this film. it somehow ran out of tape during the description of the attack on pearl harbour. video and audio quality is somewhat poor, but then it was made long ago. never the less historically brilliant.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Every American alive today should see these films.
Review: In many ways it pains me to think that these films are not required viewing in public school, but then, our children might learn something about the trechery of man. These tremendous films, called "Why We Fight" show in a very understandable way, how lies, deception, and trechery from within can undermind a country and cause it's over throw.

Every school child, and every mother, should view these film so they might be armed with the knowledge necessary to protect this young and still growing nation.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Every American alive today should see these films.
Review: In many ways it pains me to think that these films are not required viewing in public school, but then, our children might learn something about the trechery of man. These tremendous films, called "Why We Fight" show in a very understandable way, how lies, deception, and trechery from within can undermind a country and cause it's over throw.

Every school child, and every mother, should view these film so they might be armed with the knowledge necessary to protect this young and still growing nation.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great Documentary Value but ...............
Review: The people who have produced these DVD's have done an extremely BAD job. Some of the documentaries are cut before their end, the advertised reels in the extras are less than a minute long and the scene index cannot be described. Just awful.

Stalin is presented as a good president fighting for the Democratic Values against the BAD Hitler. Weren't they both made of the same material?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ok transfer- not restored but definately worthwhile
Review: These are directed by Frank Capra and include the seven "Why We Fight" films. They are excellent for a number of reasons,, but since they are famous you can read commentaries elsewhere about their value. This review is about this set's particular transfer to DVD.

The contents are:

Volume 1: "Prelude to War" 53 min., "The Nazi Strike", 43 min..

Volume 2: "Divide and Conquer" 57 min., "The Battle of Britain", 53 min..

Volume 3: "The Battle of Russia" 84 min., "The Battle of China", 64 min..

Volume 4: "War comes to America" 66 min., "D-Day the Normandy Invasion, 51 min.

Volume 5: "The World at War" 44 min. "Appointment in Tokyo" 55 min.

I am new to DVDs, and do not have a lot of experience in assessing relative quality. I will comment factually on what I have seen. This may well be a conversion from video because when I looked closely, I could see little lines that look like scan lines on a TV. This is satisfactory for viewing, but it has not been restored. The spots and scratches are what you would expect from historical newreels, but it is not a distraction. The biggest damage I saw was on volume 3, at the concluding statements of "The Battle of Russia" where the recording ends abruptly cutting the narrator off in mid sentence.

The added features aren't huge like you'd find on a heavily annotated Hitchcock Vertigo DVD, but what is there is interesting- especially some of the propaganda posters. Each of the 5 disks have:

6 single page biographies of some WWII personalities related to the particular volume.

2 propaganda posters

5 trivia questions (I liked them but there were too few!)

Brief exmples of Newsreels (less than a minute on one disk)

There are no subtitles available on this, nor alternate languages.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ok transfer- not restored but definately worthwhile
Review: These are directed by Frank Capra and include the seven "Why We Fight" films. They are excellent for a number of reasons,, but since they are famous you can read commentaries elsewhere about their value. This review is about this set's particular transfer to DVD.

The contents are:

Volume 1: "Prelude to War" 53 min., "The Nazi Strike", 43 min..

Volume 2: "Divide and Conquer" 57 min., "The Battle of Britain", 53 min..

Volume 3: "The Battle of Russia" 84 min., "The Battle of China", 64 min..

Volume 4: "War comes to America" 66 min., "D-Day the Normandy Invasion, 51 min.

Volume 5: "The World at War" 44 min. "Appointment in Tokyo" 55 min.

I am new to DVDs, and do not have a lot of experience in assessing relative quality. I will comment factually on what I have seen. This may well be a conversion from video because when I looked closely, I could see little lines that look like scan lines on a TV. This is satisfactory for viewing, but it has not been restored. The spots and scratches are what you would expect from historical newreels, but it is not a distraction. The biggest damage I saw was on volume 3, at the concluding statements of "The Battle of Russia" where the recording ends abruptly cutting the narrator off in mid sentence.

The added features aren't huge like you'd find on a heavily annotated Hitchcock Vertigo DVD, but what is there is interesting- especially some of the propaganda posters. Each of the 5 disks have:

6 single page biographies of some WWII personalities related to the particular volume.

2 propaganda posters

5 trivia questions (I liked them but there were too few!)

Brief exmples of Newsreels (less than a minute on one disk)

There are no subtitles available on this, nor alternate languages.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: This film was quite an eye opener for me. When you consider these films were created during the war. In 1943 the war was still in doubt. This is US war propaganda. This gets a zero in the politically correct category (which I love). Some of the films are so so. But there are a few that make you say "Holy Cow!!" One of them in particular shows how Hitler stonewalled the "League of Nations" about his plans of aggression, until it was dissolved. Does this remind you of a current issue? This is a period view of that time, so it has a certain "sharpness" in its case against the Axis powers.
I will say that the quality is not the best, I will also say that I consider my money well spent.


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