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The Winds of War 
Actors : Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Houseman, Polly Bergen
Director : Dan Curtis
Studio : Paramount
by Paramount
Release Date : 2004-05-25
Publisher : Paramount
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 6
EAN : 0097368013049
UPC : 097368013049
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 94 reviews)
List Price : $79.99
Our Price : $36.32
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Americancivilwar.com |
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An engrossing, 1983 television miniseries based on a bestselling work of historical fiction by Herman Wouk, The Winds of War is an admirable production reminiscent of the era of Hollywood's epic features. At the center of the globe-trotting story is the Henry family, whose laconic but straight-shooting patriarch is United States Navy Commander Victor "Pug" Henry (Robert Mitchum), sent to Hitler's Berlin in the spring of 1939 as a naval attaché to the then-neutral American embassy. A keen observer, Pug deduces that Germany is not preparing for war on two fronts (western Europe on one side, Russia on the other) despite what the Nazis want the world to believe, meaning that Hitler must be working out a secret peace deal with Stalin. Pug's prescience makes him a favorite eyewitness in Berlin for Franklin D. Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy); the irony is that Pug is far less sagacious when it comes to the realities of his family. Polly Bergen plays unhappy wife Rhoda, who turns to A-bomb developer Palmer Kirby (Peter Graves) for comfort. Pug's 19-year-old daughter, Madeline (Lisa Eilbacher), defies her iron-willed dad's decision that she stay in school by taking a job for CBS radio in New York. Compliant son Warren (Ben Murphy) can't seem to get Pug's attention despite doing everything right (including becoming a Navy pilot, eventually present at the bombing of Pearl Harbor). By contrast, Pug spends more time fuming over black sheep son Byron (Jan-Michael Vincent), who is working in increasingly Fascist Italy as an assistant to an art historian (John Houseman) while trying hard to woo the latter's exasperating niece, Natalie (Ali MacGraw). The story of Byron and Natalie takes up much of The Winds of War as the pair traverse Poland during the shock of Hitler's 1939 assault, and Jewish Natalie later finds herself trapped inside Italy facing the threat of concentration camps. Before The Winds of War ends, each of these characters will end up in places and situations, and with historical figures (Churchill, Mussolini) as well as ordinary people, they would not have anticipated outside the pressures of war. The program's length and smart script allow for a lot of ideas and background detail that pull a viewer in--happily. --Tom Keogh |
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Best of the best |
I had wanted this item for quite a while.When it arrived soon as possable i sat down to watch it. I am very pleaset with this item,and will purchase other items in the future. Thank you.
George W.Wolcott |
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Refreshing......compared to today's movies !! |
I saw The Winds of War on TV in the 80's and I liked it. I watched it again in 2008 and I liked it even more. I continued to love the relationship between Jan-Michael and Ali Macgraw.
He is great looking and looks like he comes form a military family. He plays the quiet type with a sarcastic sense of humor. Ali plays a very intelligent Jewish girl..... a few years older than Jan-Michael. At first, I thought her acting was terrible......but she kind of grows on you and now I don't think anyone could have played the part better. The chemistry between these two was very good......Jan-Michael played his part very well and the looks they give each other...well.. I was convinced they loved each other!!!!
The cinematography and the casting was great! Hitler & Roosevelt were very believable. Robert Mitchum's character was rather dull but he played the strong, quiet military guy. Besides the romance in this movie, the W.W.II story and the history was told in a clear, concise manner.
I loved this movie. It was both a romance and a war story. On top of this, none of the scenes were embarrassing to the point where I had to turn the channel...a couple of great love scenes but nothing as revealing as you see in today's stuff.
Great dialogue and they managed it without the "f" word. Very little profanity.....how refreshing !!! Loved this movie! Kathy |
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World War II |
This is a very well directed and acted adaptation of Herman Wouk's The Winds of War. I recommend this miniseries to anyone who is a history buff of World War II. You learn a lot of things you didn't know before and are reminded of things you might have forgotten. It is a very detailed accounting of World War II which is why it is so lengthy and that the sequel to it (War and Remembrance) is in two parts. The location shooting is fabulous and it is also integrated with actual footage of the war. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the actors and wants to learn more about World War II.
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What's That Smell? Ali McGraw's Performance. |
Ok, like many other reviewers of this "mini-series"/movie, I have to begin my review with unmitigated praise for Herman Wouk's book of the same title. Well-researched, well-written, and with nearly perfect character and plot development that is flawlessly set in the world's greatest modern drama, Winds of War deserves every accolade heaped upon it.
The movie, not so much. Don't get me wrong, it's entertaining, but it does not accomplish what the book accomplishes. It is not as artisic, as educational, as well-paced, or as engrossing. Wouk apparantly wrote the teleplay: thank goodness, at least someone didn't tamper with his work. The movie flows through the same general plot twists and turns as does the novel, and I even recognized some of the dialogue. My wife and I viewed this in nightly installments over a week or so, and really looked forward to it.
This is a star-studded ensemble cast, so I can't review the film without addressing the casting and the acting. The acting is hot or cold. Whoever put Robert Mitchum in the Pug Henry role absolutely nailed it, and there are several other good calls: Topol as Berel Jastrow was a no-brainer; Ralph Bellamy is a convincing enough FDR (tough role); and, Victoria Tennant is simply yummy as Pamela Tudsbury (and she ends the argument that, family man though I am, Pug needs to dump that bat-s*** Rhoda and start over). But, then there is the comic relief trifecta of Ali McGraw, Jan Michael Vincent, and John Houseman (who often appear together as Natalie, Byron, and Aaron, respectively). Houseman just seems to sleep walk through his lines while doing his best John Houseman impersonation. Vincent is one of those middle shelf actors who you want to like more than you do, and is never really challenged to do much other than act like a guy who would look like Jan Michael Vincent; he does ok. Then there is Ali McGraw, whose performance in this film caused me to question, with inconclusive results, what she ever did besides marry the coolest guy ever (Steve McQueen). She acts as though she is reciting her lines from cue cards, and there is never a logical relationship between the content or context of her lines and the look on her pretty but harshly-set face. No kidding, her role just about drove my wife and I from finishing the mini-series until we realized how much fun we were having in imitating her and relishing in how bad she was.
Overall, I think that the teleplay turned out as good as it could, given the challenge of reducing the epic novel to the small screen. The novel is just too big of a story to fully allow this to happen, and I found myself explaining things to my wife (who had not read the book) in order for certain developments to make sense. Settings and special effects are good enough, as long as expectations are set for a 1980's made-for-TV production.
Here's a bit of trivia: the actor playing Adolf Hitler also played "Mr. Slugworth" in the Willy Wonka movie.
My advice: read the book, then watch the series. But definitely do both. |
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Winds of War |
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One of the best mini series of all times. worth the price if you have not seen it before. |
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