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World War II - The War in Europe

World War II - The War in Europe

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of historys best
Review: Due to the lack of educational films on WWII, this one is the best to be found. It clearly explains the whole European campaign, with personal photographs from the GI's who were actually there. I think that it is important to know the history of something before you watch a drama on it, so i suggest watching this movie before watching Saving Private Ryan, or The Thin Red Line.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lackluster clip show
Review: I have seen some pretty good productions from the History Channel. This is not one of them. It views like a text book, with rapid fire black and white war footage, and facts. The information is good, however it is difficult to watch as the narrator changes with the footage (which is often). Do not expect to see much along the way of synopsis or historian commentary / insights as you view this dvd.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Lackluster clip show
Review: I have seen some pretty good productions from the History Channel. This is not one of them. It views like a text book, with rapid fire black and white war footage, and facts. The information is good, however it is difficult to watch as the narrator changes with the footage (which is often). Do not expect to see much along the way of synopsis or historian commentary / insights as you view this dvd.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Totally Third Rate Production
Review: In short, too much repeat footage. This DVD pack is sub average at its very best. The Highlights are the program on the battle with the Africa Corps. and the program on the Battle of the Bulge. The other 2 programs are made up of repeat footage. Their are virtually no insights given and the feeling of the entire set is one of an impersonal overview. And not just any overview but an overview that is rushed, its as if the narrators (there are 2 and they are both inept) need to make a mad dash to the toilet and just want to get this damn thing over with. If you are looking for something comprehensive and insightful this clunk is a total waste of time.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Totally Third Rate Production
Review: In short, too much repeat footage. This DVD pack is sub average at its very best. The Highlights are the program on the battle with the Africa Corps. and the program on the Battle of the Bulge. The other 2 programs are made up of repeat footage. Their are virtually no insights given and the feeling of the entire set is one of an impersonal overview. And not just any overview but an overview that is rushed, its as if the narrators (there are 2 and they are both inept) need to make a mad dash to the toilet and just want to get this damn thing over with. If you are looking for something comprehensive and insightful this clunk is a total waste of time.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Old material in a new package
Review: Potential buyers should be made aware that this History Channel presentation dates from the mid 1980s. As such it lacks some of the "spit and polish" of more recent THC offerings, but the subject matter and footage are of course much older than that.

Overall it is a decent package considering the amount of material and the price, but I found it somewhat lacking compared with the shows that THC currently produces, which tend to have better narration, better music, much better maps, and a more professional presentation.

Video quality is about as good as one could expect, and the audio is basic and serviceable stereo.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: mediocre production
Review: This is a collection of documentaries on the Allied war against Germany (the non-Soviet part, that is). They are not tied together by any unifying commentary or sequence, although there is one segment that is a kind of overview. A little disappointing because the same clips in the overview segment show up in the separate and more specific episodes, like Anzio or the Battle of the Bulge. The combat footage is very good, but the narration is average and dated. There is a similar DVD for the war against Japan, basically the same kind of project, and the Europe one seems to be a little better in terms of what it covers. Very basic, nothing fancy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: mediocre production
Review: This is a collection of documentaries on the Allied war against Germany (the non-Soviet part, that is). They are not tied together by any unifying commentary or sequence, although there is one segment that is a kind of overview. A little disappointing because the same clips in the overview segment show up in the separate and more specific episodes, like Anzio or the Battle of the Bulge. The combat footage is very good, but the narration is average and dated. There is a similar DVD for the war against Japan, basically the same kind of project, and the Europe one seems to be a little better in terms of what it covers. Very basic, nothing fancy.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Overall it's good, but in some places it's annoying
Review: This is a nice DVD which gives good general information about the WESTERN half of the European Theatre (the far more bloody and decisive EASTERN theatre of Europe is curiously absent from the video) and the film is good for pinning down the dates that things occurred. Overall it is a well done series, and the fact that it was made in the early part of the 1980s is obvious in the way the narrator relies on hand-drawn maps (no computers images here!). This fact actually makes the video more fun, in a "campy" sort of way. What brings this series down is the narrator's constant editorializing. He doesn't just give out the information, but gives it out complete with an "American" bias (this isn't really the narrator's fault, as he is simply reading the lines someone else prepared for him). He tends to overemphasize the American role in defeating Germany, while underplaying or neglecting completely the role of Russia and England. His mispronunciation of the German word "luftwaffe" is ludicrous. He inaccurately depicts Field Marshall von Rundstedt as a "Nazi" when all history books agree that Hitler was wary of him precisely because he WASN'T a nazi. This series isn't very expensive, so overall it's worth it, but in some places don't be surprised if you hear yourself saying "gimme a break."

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: mediocre
Review: This is not great, but interesting if you don't care about a crisp 20.

I purchased it, and was glad to see some mention of the Canadians, even used the old union jack the Canadians had as a flag, at first i didn't realize that flag was for the Canadians.

Kind of old, nothing really new here, shocking or really that exciting, kind of boring, magazine subrictions to WII history or WW2 are much more interesting.


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