War and Remembrance - Parts 1-7

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: 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: We Are Walking, We Are Walking...
Review: If you sat through Winds of War, then you must sit through this
production. Several of the leads have been replaced, for the better. True, Mitchum shows his age, but for me, he IS Pug, no matter what. The Henry family struggles on through the early days of WW2, in almost constant upheaval. This doesn't paint war as a glorious battlefield, nor does it wallow in angst. The story is being told and carries you along, because you have learned to care for the Henrys'.

Rating:
Summary: Rember When...
Review: This mini-series has many problems: Mitchum is far too old for the part of Pug Henry, plus his romance with Pamela Tudsbury (ineptly played by Victoria Tennant) is not credible. And, the character of Natalie Henry remains problematic: Although supposedly a fiesty go-getter, she makes one foolish decision after another, so many that it becomes difficult to sympathize with her.

But the recastings are all improvements over "The Winds of War": John Gielgud, Robert Morley, Jane Seymour (without whom the project would have foundered), and even Hart Bochner are welcome upgrades. And pros Polly Bergen, Jeremy Kemp, Topol, and David Duke successfully reprise their roles from the first entry.

And give director Dan Curtis credit: No one before or since has presented a narrative with this kind of force and sweep. Moreover, he presents the inner workings of the Third Reich fairly convincingly. Ultimately, these attributes overcomes problems of characterization and script. I have to admit that I watch it once a year, and it always holds my interest. (This review covers Part 2 as well.)

Rating:
Summary: Very good, but boy, very long.
Review: War and Remembrance, the sequel to The Winds of War, starts off where the first ended. It's December 15, 1941 and the U.S. has just been attack by the Japanese Navy. Just like Winds, the historical content is extremely (and sometimes distubingly) accurate. The acting is great, and the battle scenes are as impressive as any ever filmed. If there is any downside to this series it's that Robert Mitchum is just too old here for the part of Pug Henry. In Winds he seemed to fit perfectly, however by the time Dan Curtis got to filming W&R Mitchum had begun to truly look his age. It's a small distraction, but it's there none-the-less. Upgrades in the casting from Winds include Jane Seymore taking over as Natalie Jastrow from Ali McGraw, Hart Bochner as Byron Henry (originally played by Jan-Michael Vincent) and Sir John Gielgud as Aaron Jastrow taking over from John Houseman. Downgrades include pretty much the whole German contingent (with the exception of Jeremy Kemp). In Winds Hitler and Goring were dark, sinister, and downright scary. Here they are portrayed as pompous and overbearing, but also stumbling through the war almost by accident. Probably not the most accurate of portrayals. I would recommend this to just about anybody who is interested in WW II and is looking for a great story. Just be forewarned: This mini-series has some of the most disturbing scenes EVER filmed for TV. The mass murder of the Jewish people here is as graphic and violent as you can possibly imagine. Add to that the journey that Aaron, Natalie, and her son are forced to endure so that the author, Herman Wouk, can show us the horrors of the holocaust, just absolutely rips your heart. This mini-series is NOT for the faint of heart.