Rating: 
Summary: STILL Keeping the Faith with Herman Wouk
Review: ...The entire "War and Remembrance" sets surpasses "Winds of War", if that can be believed.A sleeper performance was Sky Dumont's portrayal of Count von Stauffenberg, Hitler's would-be assasin. He was faithful with Mr. Wouk's intentions, Mr. Curtis' intentions, and this world's historical record. Can you imagine the severe tension and anxiety that the Count experienced as he was arming the bomb, and, later making his getaway? Dumont did it all so masterfully! The cinematographer's choice of raw film stock, and the techniques that he used to expose that stock was even BETTER than "Winds". You don't need no stinkin' airline ticket nor cruise ship ticket to experience Italy, Corsica, Poland, and unfortunately Theresienstadt. And this segues to a stern warning to the overly sensitive viewer. I'd rate the depictions of Nazi brutality as strong, if not stronger than "Schindler's List", "Saving Private Ryan", or George Takei's ("Star Trek") portrayal of a sadistic Japanese POW camp commandant in a production that eludes me right now. The brutalizations of Natalie and Aaron; the gassings, with full frontal nudity, which, as I recall, were the same as I remember in the original ABC TV telecast; the SS's additudes that their conduct was a "funny" thing; and SS man Blobel's flashback of his Babi Yar Massacre participation. This was as close to the real thing as it gets and it's NOT for the timid. For an interesting juxstaposition, consider "Lady" Aster's actions on the Big Submarine Raid. All of you fellow Mitchumomaniacs, you'll just love the way his "Pug" takes complete charge when faced with the extreme hazards of naval combat. Yeah, Pug finally got his ship! I'm a stickler for continuity, so when they touched off the Trinity A-Bomb shot, instead of Trinity stock footage, they used footage of OPERATION HARDTACK H-Bomb footage from the late 1950's, for some strange reason (more psychedelic to view, I suppose). I believe that there IS full color footage of Trinity in existence. Jane Seymour's Natalie had a strange complimentary quality to Ali McGraw's Natalie, emphasizing the changing circumstances the character found herself in -- no time for the frivolous, more time for the serene and somber, pointing towards potential martyrdom. Every time I view the death of Dr. Jastrow, played by Sir John Geilgud, I cry. He really made you love the old man. As some of you out there may also know that Dan Curtis also produced the vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows", please keep an eye out for Dan's production assistant, Barbara Steele, as party hostess Elsa in Singapore. Barbara Steele was a "favored victim" in the Hammer House horror pics of the '50's-'70's. In the 1991 NBC-TV revival of "Dark Shadows", she played the role of Dr. Julia Hoffmann (role pioneered by the late Grayson Hall), the erstwhile healer of Barnabas Collins' (Ben Cross, role pioneered by Jonathan Frid) vampirism.
Rating: 
Summary: ?Winds of War? Is A Good Historical Yarn
Review: As historical miniseries go, the "Winds of War" and its sequel, "War and Remembrance" add up to one of the most ambitious made-for-TV productions of all time. (A confession here: It's me Mum's favorite video series.) It follows Herman Wouk's two massive tomes which put the reader at the center of Worlds War Two, through the vehicle of Captain Victor `Pug' Henry and his family. Victor and his wife take tea with Hitler, meet Stalin and Churchill, and share martinis with Roosevelt. Son Byron ("Bry") Henry manages to get stranded in Poland during the 1939 German invasion, and Pugs other son, Warren, joins the navy. Daughter Rhoda goes into the radio business in 1940s New York, the center of the universe. Pug's daughter -in-law Natalie Jastrow, a Jew, is imperiled in fascist Europe. "Winds of War" is the more interesting of the two books and mini-series, since it covers the odd time from just before the start of the war in Europe in 1939, and ends at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Wouk uses American's neutrality (while Roosevelt positions for America's entry into war) to allow his characters to travel to Britain and Russia,, and to get Pug Henry assigned as military attache to Berlin. Most of the script is faithful to Wouk's book, and the movie is heavily stocked with first-tier actors. Robert Mitchum is an excellent, authoritative elder-statesmanlike Pug Henry in "Winds of War", even though he becomes more of a walking statue in "War and Remembrance", unable to visibly change facial expressions. Lisa Eilbacher does officer's wife Madeline Henry to the nines, enjoying the status of being high in the ratings' list while casting nets elsewhere. Jan Michael Vincent, staple of many 1970s miniseries, does OK as a the black-sheep Bry. Of the main characters in "Winds of War", only Ali McGraw is problematic. Fortunately, the producers replaced McGraw in the sequel with the leaner, more serious Jane Seymour, which avoided unthinkable scenes of McGraw ("But Bry-an!') wallowing about in a death camp. Ralph Bellamy's Roosevelt ius unmatched anywhere. This is a first class, high quality production, and well recommended. Despite its scope, it avoids major distortions of history and is, best of all, fun to watch. Recommendations: Herman Wouk's novels, "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance"
Olivia Manning's WW2 novels, "The Balkan Trilogy" and "the Levant Trilogy", and if you can find it on tape, the British miniseries "Fortunes of War."
Rating:
Summary: ¿Winds of War¿ Is A Good Historical Yarn
Review: As historical miniseries go, the "Winds of War" and its sequel, "War and Remembrance" add up to one of the most ambitious made-for-TV productions of all time. (A confession here: It's me Mum's favorite video series.) It follows Herman Wouk's two massive tomes which put the reader at the center of Worlds War Two, through the vehicle of Captain Victor 'Pug' Henry and his family. Victor and his wife take tea with Hitler, meet Stalin and Churchill, and share martinis with Roosevelt. Son Byron ("Bry") Henry manages to get stranded in Poland during the 1939 German invasion, and Pugs other son, Warren, joins the navy. Daughter Rhoda goes into the radio business in 1940s New York, the center of the universe. Pug's daughter -in-law Natalie Jastrow, a Jew, is imperiled in fascist Europe. "Winds of War" is the more interesting of the two books and mini-series, since it covers the odd time from just before the start of the war in Europe in 1939, and ends at Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Wouk uses American's neutrality (while Roosevelt positions for America's entry into war) to allow his characters to travel to Britain and Russia,, and to get Pug Henry assigned as military attache to Berlin. Most of the script is faithful to Wouk's book, and the movie is heavily stocked with first-tier actors. Robert Mitchum is an excellent, authoritative elder-statesmanlike Pug Henry in "Winds of War", even though he becomes more of a walking statue in "War and Remembrance", unable to visibly change facial expressions. Lisa Eilbacher does officer's wife Madeline Henry to the nines, enjoying the status of being high in the ratings' list while casting nets elsewhere. Jan Michael Vincent, staple of many 1970s miniseries, does OK as a the black-sheep Bry. Of the main characters in "Winds of War", only Ali McGraw is problematic. Fortunately, the producers replaced McGraw in the sequel with the leaner, more serious Jane Seymour, which avoided unthinkable scenes of McGraw ("But Bry-an!') wallowing about in a death camp. Ralph Bellamy's Roosevelt ius unmatched anywhere. This is a first class, high quality production, and well recommended. Despite its scope, it avoids major distortions of history and is, best of all, fun to watch. Recommendations: Herman Wouk's novels, "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance"
Olivia Manning's WW2 novels, "The Balkan Trilogy" and "the Levant Trilogy", and if you can find it on tape, the British miniseries "Fortunes of War."
Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: Based on Herman Wouk's masterpiece novels. Great cast and compelling plot. There can never be enough films or books about the greatest conflict in all of human history. War and Remembrance ranks right up there with the best of the genre, I put it on an equal level with greats like From Here to Eternity and The Triumph and the Glory.
Rating:
Summary: Excellence continues in the benchmark of all mini-series!
Review: Herman Wouk and Dan Curtis score highly in what is one of the best "historical novel" to "screen adaptations" ever. To begin with, Wouk's books are a masterpiece. Curtis managed to faithfully capture the heart of the written work as War and Remembrance continues where Winds of War left off. As a historical primer, War and Remembrance powerfully continues to introduce you to key characters that drove World War II. From Hitler to Stalin, Churchill to Roosevelt, they are all there. At the same time Wouk developed some of the most poignant vignettes that fully illustrate the savagery of the "Final Solution." These scenes rival those appearing in films such as Shindler's List. The chemistry in casting shifts a bit from the first mini-series. With this continuation we are introduced to some changes. Barry Bostwick and Sharon Stone heat it up on the screen with a tempestuous affair in the sub-plot as Byron Henry's commanding officer "Lady" Aster and widowed sister-in-law Janice. Of course with Stone being so notable these days, watchers of the mini-series are going to take notice of their performance. Polly Bergan continues to perform flawlessly as Pug Henry's wandering, lush wife. There are others simply too numerous to mention. The five year hiatis between the two installments was a bit too much for some of the already strained age differences. One result-- we now pick-up Jane Seymour and Hart Bochner as key characters Natalie and Byron Henry. Some great solo performances at times emerged especially as the plot shifts to Natalie's internment, but Seymour never really mastered the fierce independence written into Natalie's character or portrayed in the previous mini-series. Together Bochner and Seymour were not as enjoyable to watch. While Robert Mitchum "is" perfect as Victor Henry, it becomes much more difficult to put aside his actual age by this installment. In spite of that, Mitchum and Victoria Tennant (as Pamela Tudsbury) play to perfection opposite each other. Having said that, the Winds of War-War and Remembrance combination remains to this day as the best mini-series ever produced. It is worth saving for to have in a home library. Our family continues to revisit it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellence continues in the benchmark of all mini-series!
Review: Herman Wouk and Dan Curtis score highly in what is one of the best "historical novel" to "screen adaptations" ever. To begin with, Wouk's books are a masterpiece. Curtis managed to faithfully capture the heart of the written work as War and Remembrance continues where Winds of War left off. As a historical primer, War and Remembrance powerfully continues to introduce you to key characters that drove World War II. From Hitler to Stalin, Churchill to Roosevelt, they are all there. At the same time Wouk developed some of the most poignant vignettes that fully illustrate the savagery of the "Final Solution." These scenes rival those appearing in films such as Shindler's List. The chemistry in casting shifts a bit from the first mini-series. With this continuation we are introduced to some changes. Barry Bostwick and Sharon Stone heat it up on the screen with a tempestuous affair in the sub-plot as Byron Henry's commanding officer "Lady" Aster and widowed sister-in-law Janice. Of course with Stone being so notable these days, watchers of the mini-series are going to take notice of their performance. Polly Bergan continues to perform flawlessly as Pug Henry's wandering, lush wife. There are others simply too numerous to mention. The five year hiatis between the two installments was a bit too much for some of the already strained age differences. One result-- we now pick-up Jane Seymour and Hart Bochner as key characters Natalie and Byron Henry. Some great solo performances at times emerged especially as the plot shifts to Natalie's internment, but Seymour never really mastered the fierce independence written into Natalie's character or portrayed in the previous mini-series. Together Bochner and Seymour were not as enjoyable to watch. While Robert Mitchum "is" perfect as Victor Henry, it becomes much more difficult to put aside his actual age by this installment. In spite of that, Mitchum and Victoria Tennant (as Pamela Tudsbury) play to perfection opposite each other. Having said that, the Winds of War-War and Remembrance combination remains to this day as the best mini-series ever produced. It is worth saving for to have in a home library. Our family continues to revisit it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: I am an avid ww2 fan. For those of you who want to know exactly what happened during WW2 then this is the movie for you. It also has drama and suspense, great move I say.
Rating:
Summary: This is acting right?
Review: I first saw War and Rememberance when I was 11 yrs old and only remember the brutal gas chamber scene in part 2 of the movie. I had no way to decipher whether it was acting or not and that is how I watch movies today. Let me tell you I will NEVER forget the mother and little girl as they went into the showers and came out and how the Kommadant looked at them. That scene has emotionally devestated me. I was wondering if you could tell me who played the mother and little girl? I would like to know
Rating:
Summary: USS New Jersey
Review: I have never seen the movie at all, so I rated it a 4 just to get a note in. I was stationed with the Marine Corps aboard the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) homeported in Long Beach CA when they did some shooting for this mini-series. They asked for extras, but I didn't have the time. I do remember seeing Robert Mitchum and some others in a vintage car driving down the pier towards our ship in a part of the filming. This had to have been either 1987 or 1988 when they were filming. My question is: Did any of this footage of our ship get into the movie? I don't know if they renamed our ship for another or if any footage was actually shot onboard. Just curious. Maybe someone can help.
Rating:
Summary: SO good, they don't make epics like this anymore
Review: I haven't seen this since it was originally aired as a network miniseries. I'm very happy to see that they have finally released it on DVD & have just ordered a copy. I can't wait to watch it!! I'm very surprised that they released this series, but not "Winds of War", which is the first set in the series. It's like having them release empire strikes back, but not star wars. Anyway, this fictional epic is both historically accurate & interesting to watch. It has both drama & action. The combination of those 4 qualities in the same movie is very rare indeed. "The Winds of War" & "War and Rememberance" were the best mini-series of all time, and were good enough to have been released theatrically. Only problem with them is the time committment. They are each approximately 15 hours long, so don't expect to sit down and watch this in one night. If you commit the time (I recommend popping in a disk/night), you will surely not be disappointed. Keep in mind, the series is 15 hours long. There WILL be some slow portions as you watch. Even the slow portions are interesting though, and increase your emotional attachment to the characters involved.
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