WWII in HD (2009)
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Last year the History Channel brought us "WWII in HD." A Compendium of (99%) color film, some never seen before, from the war (from all sides) digitized in high definition. Interleaved with interviews and stories from the people who were actually there, WWII in HD is likely the closest you will actually get to being there. In just about every respect.
This series is graphic and brutal, mostly because its all real-life footage, but definitely because the producers didn't hold back in showing the worst of the worst of what happened. A lot of this footage you likely haven't seen before because it is quite graphic, at times sickeningly so. This series is *not* one you want to have on with the youngsters around. I'd be hard pressed to recommend it to the older youth, unless they're suitably prepared for it. A lot of it I've seen bits and pieces of, but never in such clarity and never in its entirety. It was enough to make even me look away at times.
And that's really how it should be. The reality of what happened is really displayed quite well. Even if some of the footage itself isn't in the best of shape, the HD resampling puts you right in the middle of it, for good or bad. We need to have this kind of thing held up in our face from time to time, to remind us what the real costs of war are.
Not only that, the pacing and the way it unfolds actually holds your interest and keeps you watching. Unlike some documentary efforts which quickly become tiresome and repetitive.
The clarity of some of it is really quite surprising, given the age and likely deterioration it was found in. If nothing else, more projects like this are needed simply to preserve these bits of history from the ravages of time. It doesn't look like any effort was made to clean up or "restore" the footage, which in this case I think is actually a good thing. They are what they are, and to try and make them "pretty" would be a disservice.
The stories which are interleaved in, and through which the film is shown, come from interviews with survivors, and letters from those who weren't so lucky, or who have since passed on. They provide a necessary "connection" to the footage, and without them, it would simply be another documentary. To name a few, there are the Austrian Jew who fled to the US to fight in the Pacific, the Tuskegee Airman, the Navy Nurse, the B-17 pilot, and the Time/Life reporter. All from different walks of life and backgrounds thrown into the grinder.
I think there was a lot that was either left on the floor, either due to time constraints, not fitting in with the stories that were told, or just because of lack of material, but there were several key events that should have been explored more. Such as the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If they see fit to show time and again the mangled and rotting corpses (for example) on Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Okinawa, then why hold back here? A few cursory shots of the rubble and that's really about all. Not that I *wanted* to see it, (or any of it for that matter) but it seemed a conscious omission on their part. Especially considering that they brought in black-and-white footage of both the Tuskegee Airmen and the 442nd, some of which was clearly re-hashed from poorly digitized source, artifacts and all....
If the series has a failing, it is probably that it tries to be politically correct (as it can be) in its inclusions *and* its exclusions as stated above. The inclusions I don't have any problem with whatsoever, but if it comes at the cost of leaving other important events out, then there's an issue. There are plenty of scenes of the carnage of London during the Blitz, and an entire sequence on Attu Island, for example, but few if any of China/Asia before Pearl Harbor, the fire-bombing of Tokyo, Dresden (not even mentioned), the entire Russian front, or the above A-bomb drops. Editorializing on their part? Trying to please a certain demographic? I can't say, but...
If you're going in on something like this, what should be a historical record, you go all in, which they didn't do here.
Also somewhat disappointing is the "extras" that are present. A couple of *extremely* short pieces on the preservation of the films, and that's all. I mean *really* short, as in not worth the effort short. Oh, and on Blu Ray, be aware that (at least on my player) the audio defaults to 2-channel Master Audio. I didn't even realize that yes, there is a 5.1 Master Audio audio track on there until about half-way through. The difference really isn't that noticable, however.
So, while WWII in HD is a stunning portrait of what the war was really like, it is just a cross-section, and a US-centric one at that, rather than a true picture of the entire war. A definite must-see for history and documentary buffs, but be prepared for what you'll see, because it can't be unseen.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489097/
Amazon: WWII in HD [Blu-ray]
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Description
Product DescriptionSeventy years in the making. Three thousand hours of color footage few knew existed. The first documentary to show original color footage of World War II in immersive HD, the world premiere HISTORYTM series WWII IN HD uses the journals and accounts of those who served in the war s biggest battles to create a personal, introspective and detailed look at life on and off the front lines. Follow 12 unforgettable Americans, and experience the war through their eyes, in their own words, as it really looked and sounded. WWII IN HD transforms their stirring journey into a tangible piece of history. Culled from rare color film found in a two-year worldwide search and converted to HD with meticulous technique, WWII IN HD provides a picture of World War II as it has never been seen before.DISC 1: Darkness Falls / Hard Way Back / Bloody Resolve / Battle Stations / Day of DaysDISC 2: Point of No Return / Striking Distance / Glory and Guts / Edge of the Abyss / End Game / BonusSpecial FeaturesCharacter ProfilesBehind-the-Scenes Featurettes - Finding the FootagePreserving the Footage
At first glance, the very concept of WWII in HD seems like an oxymoron. After all, isn't the footage from back then nothing more than grainy black-and-white newsreel? And really, how much definition can be added to film that was shot more than 60 years ago? The answers: no, and quite a lot, actually. The quality of much of what is seen in the course of these 10 episodes (each around 45 minutes long) is surprisingly good. Add to that the fact that most of it is in color (not colorized, but originally recorded in that medium, some at the behest of the United States government), and the result is nothing short of astonishing. It's not easy viewing; there are sequences that are shockingly graphic (vivid examples include the carnage on view after major battles and the shots of Japanese civilians on the Pacific island of Saipan hurling themselves off cliffs to avoid capture by American troops). But all of it has been put to good use in what is undoubtedly one of the most compelling accounts of World War II ever produced. Other documentaries have chronicled the same events seen here, from the earliest days of the war (when Hitler was overrunning Europe and the ill-prepared Americans were still years away from becoming involved), through Pearl Harbor, the major confrontations with the Japanese in the Pacific theater (like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the incomparably bloody Iwo Jima) and with the Germans in Europe and North Africa (the invasion of Tunisia, D-day, the Battle of the Bulge), and straight on to victory in Europe and finally the Japanese surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But what separates WWII in HD is the filmmakers' decision to view these events through the experiences of a dozen individuals who were actually there, including a couple of war correspondents (one of whom, Richard Tregaskis, was the author of the seminal Guadalcanal Diary); an Austrian immigrant who escaped the Nazis and almost immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army; a nurse with General George Patton's Third Army; an African-American pilot who was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; a Japanese-American medic who fought heroically while his family was held in an internment camp; and others from the rank and file. All of them are voiced by such actors as Rob Lowe, Amy Smart, Steve Zahn, Josh Lucas, and LL Cool J; and with Gary Sinise providing voice-over narration, the whole piece comes off as a dramatic film as much as a straight documentary (an effect also enhanced by some brilliantly creative juxtapositions of words, images, and music). Not all of these men and women made it through the war (those still alive also appear in on-camera interviews), but none could ever forget the horrors they witnessed, and while those of us who did not serve will never really comprehend the sacrifices they made, this remarkable program may be as close as we can get. --Sam GrahamStills from WWII in HD (Click for larger image)
DVD Information
Binding: Blu-rayAspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: A&E
Manufacturer: A&E HOME VIDEO
Original Release Date:
Actors:
- Rob Lowe
- Justin Bartha
- Josh Lucas
- Gary Sinise
- Rob Corddry
Features
- Seventy years in the making. Three thousand hours of color footage no one knew existed. The first documentary to show World War II from the perspective of both sides in full, immersive HD color, the world premiere HISTORY series WWII In HD uses the diaries of soldiers who fought in the war s biggest battles to create a personal, introspective and detailed look at life on and of the front lines.Wha
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