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The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick 
Director : Ken Burns, Lynn Novick
Studio : PBS
by PBS
Brand : PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Release Date : 2007-10-02
Publisher : PBS
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 6
EAN : 0841887052122
UPC : 841887052122
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 265 reviews)
List Price : $129.99
Our Price : $35.33
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Product Description |
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The War will be a seven - episode series produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that will examine the myriad ways in which the Second World War touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America. By telling the stories of ordinary people in four quintessentially American towns Waterbury Connecticut; Mobile Alabama; Sacramento California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne Minnesota the series will portray this enormous worldwide catastrophe on an intimate human scale. The War will intertwine vivid eyewitness accounts of the harrowing realities of life on the front lines with reminiscences of Americans who never left their home towns and who tried their best to carry on with the business of daily life while their fathers and brothers and sons were overseas. The film will honor and celebrate the bravery endurance and sacrifice of the generation of Americans who lived through what will always be known simply as The War.System Requirements:TRT: 900 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 841887052122 Manufacturer No: 705212 |
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Americancivilwar.com |
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Creating epic documentaries about war is nothing new for Ken Burns, nor is the subject of the Second World War, which never ceases to be a popular subject of films and TV shows. Yet with The War, Burns has definitely succeeded in breaking new ground, exploring in depth the effect of the war on common Americans, and not just the soldiers of The Greatest Generation that fought it. As the narration says at the beginning, "The war affected people in every house, on every street in every town in America." This is nothing less than an attempt to show how the war altered the lives of an entire nation through the portrayal of four individuals from four communities--Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alambama; Luverne, Minnesota; and Sacramento, California--that could represent any town in the country that went through the war. The result is another stunning achievement for Burns and co-director Lynn Novick. Together the filmmaking team succeeds in bringing the war home through the testimonies, letters, and footage of the people from these towns. The storytelling is compelling--Burns and Novick manage to find the most vivid, intimate, and personal dimensions of a global catastrophe--and brought to life with exceptional voice work from marquee stars like Tom Hanks, Alan Arkin, and Samuel L. Jackson. Much of the footage is brilliantly restored; even the most die-hard History Channel buff will see clips here that they've never viewed before. Many old grainy family films look almost as clean and bright as if they were just shot using a modern camera with black-and-white film (keeping in mind that most of the footage was shot without sound, the audio effects work on The War is particularly impressive and should bring attention to the underappreciated work of the foley artist). It took Burns and Novick six years to make this seven-part, 15-hour film--not surprising, really, considering the miles of footage they must have accumulated in the course of their research--and the time and effort shows in the results. The DVD also includes a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, extensive commentaries, and more, in addition to a companion book, The War: An Intimate History. --Daniel Vancini |
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This should be required viewing for ALL Americans |
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Yes, perhaps this is not the best documentary out there on WWII and perhaps Ken Burns does indeed slant the film with his own liberal leanings. Looking past that, the remarkable sacrifice of our boys in that conflict that, unlike wars since then, HAD to be fought, is a lesson that all young people should be taught. As Americans, we have inherited a free country from dead patriots who for 200+ years have put their lives on the line for us. This documentary will put a lump in your throat as you hear the courageous stories. Highly recommended. |
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hello lovers of history |
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There is something special about the generation of World War II. This series does a fantastic job of covering the war and lives of those effected by it (both serving and at home). This series also tackles the different racial issues that existed as well. World War II was so intense that, of course, this series could not address every feeling, moment, event... but I believe this has a very balanced approach. Watching the DVDs gave me an even greater respect for knowledge about this time era and the men and women who served in every form. I highly recomend this to those who love World War II, those want to know more about the time era, and to those who desire to know more behind the war than what is taught in high school history classes. Hats off to Ken Burns for a job well done. |
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What you learn is not necessarily what they want you to learn |
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Another Ken Burns documentary, and God help me, I really do love them. But I think The War is his least realized. The topic is really too broad to make the kind of assertions he wants to make. The Studs Terkel influenced "Enlisted men Good...Officers Bad" mentality or the judging of the past from the limited perspective of the present. It is definitely a "Howard Zinn" social history, which makes it a very narrow history. To Ken's credit, the vast majority of the coverage of WW II is pretty varnished stuff, so it doesn't hurt us to be reminded that all was not completely well at home or abroad regarding the comportment of the Allied nations. But what I came away with was not a "grayer" vision of the War, which was what I think he intended. What I came away with was a terrifying realization that if we are ever called to fight another war with stakes as high as those of WW II, we will not win. We will not win because of journalism like Ken Burns'. We will not win because we will never be allowed to take our eyes off our own navels long enough to see a greater evil, and shoot it. |
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Sorry I'm late! |
Thanks for the reminder, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to review. This was a gift for my kid brother, and it came in plenty of time for me to wrap it, even though I waited too long to order it. It looked great and I have heard no complaints from the sibling, so must assume that it works well, too! I'd be glad to shop with this newcomer again.
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Fascinating look at WWII |
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Ken Burns has done it again with his absolutely stunning documentary on WWII. To see this war throught the eyes of some of the combatants is well worth the length of this series. Done in chronological order it makes the war more understandable. |
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