WWII in HD

Having seen the 1970's World At War series plus many other WWII old color documentaries I was not expecting much new in WWII in HD. Much to my surprise I found the entire series absolutely compelling and I watched it all in one day recorded off the TV. It is so much more than just restored old color movie clips (that are very far from HD quality). The story-telling around a number of real-life American war veterans, including recent interviews with them, brings the five year history of the US role in WWII into fresh focus today. The role of Allied military forces is barely covered, however, furthering the misconception that the US alone won the war. Although the story jumps between war theaters around the world the brilliant editing shocks the senses with scene after scene of the horrifying cruelty inflicted on soldiers and civilians throughout the world. Graphic footage of blasted bodies and wounded children is very hard to watch but the end result is the most effective anti-war film I have ever seen. The fanatical resistance of the Japanese military plus their diabolical cruelty caused tens of thousands of US soldiers to die in epic battles on small Pacific islands. Now I understand better why Truman decided to drop the atomic bombs rather than risk up to a million more US soldier deaths in an invasion of the Japanese mainland (I just wish he had given civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki a few hours to evacuate beforehand). The combination of actual color footage plus unique editing makes this series a must-see even if it takes nearly eight hours to watch. Very highly recommended.

(This is only like my second or third time writing a comment on a film/series, sorry if it is confusing.) I did not expect much out of this series just because I have seen so much on World War II, but I gave it a chance and to my surprise it was very good. The information was basic knowledge but the film was good. I usually stick to books so there was a lot of film that I have never seen before. My mother, who does not know much about History watched this with me and did learn a lot but not so much to where the information was confusing to her. I think the best show out of the 10 episode series is "Glory and Guts." All in all this was a good series. I am going to buy it and add it to my collection.

WWII in HD is (in my opinion) one of the best series History has produced in the last few years. In it's storytelling style it is cohesive, which is surprising because most project such as this, with multiply narratives, skip around. However, WWII in HD flows smoothly, its transitions between characters and resolutions to every episode is clean cut without being dismissive.

It is unrelenting in its pace without loosing the core of the story or demeaning them. At times, it is horrifying (the opening episode to the series, Darkness Falls, comes to mind) and at other times, it is triumphant and then the next second, heartbreaking. The vast views of the war (from a combat nurse to infantry to war correspondents) to the amount of theaters included (North Africa to Europe, a mention of Mediterranean and to the Pacific) WWII in HD sets itself apart incredibly well.

Unlike a previous review said, this documentary wasn't meant to be an in depth view at the theaters of war, but rather an examination of what the characters experienced. If you want a general overview that rehashes the same Brass-oriented view of the war, then by all means, go watch World War II in Color. This program was about the people, what it was like for someone on the front lines - whether that meant caring for the wounded, or carrying a weapon - instead of hearing the same rehashed story from a General's view. The narration of each character is very distinct, all incredibly memorable and each bring something to the program. I'd definitely recommend this program to anyone and everyone.

I give an 8/10 just because I wish they had included more of the Mediterranean and the China-Burma-India theater.

This was a superb History Channel documentary following the stories of 12 Americans, eleven men and one woman, through both theaters of World War Two. All ten one hour parts were very compelling.

When the first part started I was worried when I saw the credits listed that Rob Lowe, LL Cool J, etc. were going to be in it. I was afraid this was going to be a movie and not a documentary as advertised. I was quickly relieved to find out they were just lending their voices to the words of those that were there. Some of those featured are no longer with us, and needed a voice loan. Others are still with us and their own words flowed seamlessly from older to younger.

From Pearl Harbor to V-E and V-J days, and all the horrors of war in between, this documentary covered it all with first person accounts that were aided by a great deal of recently discovered color footage taken during the war. I can't give you any spoilers here. It's history, and everyone knows the basic tale, but the personal experiences of those that lived it are always dramatic, wrenching stories.

As is mentioned at the end of the conclusive part 10, over 16 million Americans served in WW II and only about 10 percent of them are alive today. The more of these individual stories that get recorded, the happier I'll be, because we shouldn't forget. There are no more stories coming from WW I vets, and not many of them were put to film. Let's grab the WW II stories while we still can.

Not to be missed.

The series is absolutely compelling and moving. That said, it seems as if everything these days is 'high definition', including sunglasses. Perhaps we more have a situation of 1080p fuzzy-grainy footage than anything else. If the film had been restored more, I might not be sharing this quibble, but leaving blotched frames and long scratch marks is not so much 'verisimilitude' than it is plain old wet-gated film with minimal digital intervention. The title is true high definition, and whoever did it should get an award. Again, this series is absolutely must-see; nothing I have seen this year on television beats it. The lead sequence on each episode featuring the little shivering Asian boy and the tank emerging from smoke and mist must rank among the most stirring images anywhere.