Sangue, Suor e Lágrimas

POWERFUL! POWERFUL! POWERFUL! Herman Wouk's novel is nearly as good adapted to the screen as it was a novel. The mini series was perfectly cast and superbly acted. I'd forgotten how beautiful Polly Bergen and Ali McGraw are in this film! Robert Mitchum's performance is absolutely flawless. I recall seeing this several years ago and I loved it then. I love it even more on DVD! I am now trying to find the sequel, War and Remembrance. If I recall, it is every bit as good! Back to this one, however. Ali McGraw does a fantastic job as a jewish woman trapped in a Europe dominated by the jew-hating Nazis. She is trapped because of the trepidation of her uncle, who hates to leave his beloved Italy. As a consequence, she ends up stuck as well. There are many complications, not the least of which is that she is married to an American Naval Officer, Byron Henry, superbly played by Jan Michael-Vincent. This is a long one (>15 hours!) but is well worth the time it takes to watch it.

ABC made a very large splash with this production in 1983. It represented a very major project for the network & it drew big ratings. Dan Curtis did a very credible job within the constrictions of this. It has the look & feel of a major film in spite of it's small screen origins.

The total series is done from a world perspective on how things looked in the time leading up to Americas entry into World War 2. While the battle sequences are limited by what the budget could produce, they are effective.

The cast, while good is somewhat our of place. Robert Mitchum is a fine actor but is too old for the role of Pug Henry. Ali Mcgraw is attractive, but has difficulty bringing off the acting in her role. For a network mini series, this is very well done given these leads & a very large cast of supporting players.

As this series does move among several locales involved in the conflict, you get some feeling for things that happened like being in the Kremlin when Germany was bombing it. A short sequence of the German front line within sight of Moscow in 1941 is interesting. A Nazi party in Germany with Hitler & a group of American guests is unique.

The Russian sequences are some of the early feelings of the Russian front given to Americans historically before World War 2. Sadly, Americans were not exposed to what really happened on that front until after the 1980's when the Soviet empire split apart & some of the Russian archives were finally made public. Still, Stalin's portrayal in this is more balanced than some, almost creepy.

This film was the first to present FDR & show physically what a miracle it was that he was leading the US. It showed how he led but how his fragile leadership was hidden from the American public.

Overall, for television a crowning achievement. As far as art, Herman Woulks novel is better in spite of how much work went into this production.

I gave this an 8 because of the historic content on both sides. Would've given it a 9 except for the horrible acting of Ali MacGraw! Awful!

As I review the comments of others, I see little reference to Gunter Meisner's work as Adolf Hitler in this series. Well, I see where someone thought it overdone. My own reaction was to wonder if this actor won any awards for his performance. Anyone know? Every time he appeared, I commented to my wife how impressed I was at how striking and forceful and commanding he was. Particularly in his scene with the General about the invasion of France. Overall, the Winds of War is a very compelling piece of work. I don't know how I managed to miss it when it first showed as a miniseries, but I'm sort of happy since I can now appreciate it on DVD without commercials. I bought it for my wife for Christmas. She kept mentioning it as the best TV movie she ever saw, and darned if she isn't right.

I recently watched Winds of War for the second time. I agree that some of the actors were miscast (definitely Ali McGraw) but for all that it is a great mini-series. If you haven't read the book, McGraw may not annoy you that much. I agree with the reviewer who said to look for acting gems in the supporting cast. I especially liked Jeremy Kemp as General Armin von Roon. Robert Mitchum did do a great job despite his being over the age of the character Victor Henry. Historically, the major events were accurate and besides a good story it is also a good history lesson.

Highly recommend.