Customer Reviews

Guadalcanal: The Island Of Death

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a spectacular documentary on Guadalcanal. It is the 2 disc version of the Timeless Media Group's Guadalcanal - Island of Death Documentary. There is a one disc version which has 9 reviews. This one has the wrong pubisher listed on the Amazon description which is why it might not get the proper attention it deserves.

It is nearly 4 hours (230 minutes) in length and does a specatacular job of telling the story. It contains commentary from 3 different historians and several veterans of the battle. It does a great job of highighting the ships lost in the various naval engagements. It does a nice job of comparing the aircraft involved. It uses computer animated maps to show troop movements for the major battles.

Here are the chapters on the two discs.

DISC 1
day of infamy* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)
the rising sun* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)
the coral sea* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)
midway* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)
pestilence
watchtower
first offensive
battle of savo island
first days ashore
the tenaru
battle for the eastern solomons
boredom and fear
battle of Edson's ridge
loss of the wasp* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)

DISC 2
reinforcement and reassessment* (does not appear on the one disc version of this video)
matanikau river actions
battle of cape esperance
bombardment
battle for Henderson field
battle of the santa cruz islands (carrier hornet gets sunk here)
point cruz & koli point
naval battle of guadalcanal
2nd naval battle of guadalcanal
the final push

There is an extra feature on the Disc 2. A video timeline of parallel military actions that occurred during the same time frame as guadacanal. These is include North Africa(Tobruk and El Alamein) and Russian front (Rostov and Stalingrad.)

I am completely impressed by this documentary. Timeless media group has some specatacular offerings, this one is no exception. I hope they continue to build on this degree of quality on all their productions.

This production does have some interesting facts it presents, such as how the Navy Department tackled logistic problems and ship reinforcement during the first six months of the Japan-USA war, and the fact that other carrier based raids were carried out against the Japanese in the western Pacific during the period of the Dolittle raid on Tokyo. Food poisoning our Marines and sailors came down with when they were fed spoiled chicken (green meat)during the voyage from California to New Zealand, which is disgracefull.

But there are problems. First, one of the historians they interview is given to exageration, such as statements he made regarding the Battle of the Coral Sea. He states correctly that this was the first carrier vs. carrier battle in naval history, and the first naval battle in which neither fleet's ships sighted each other from on deck. But then, as if to confirm or emphasize these points, he states that only the carriers were engaged in the combat. Well, this is just not true, neither logically nor factually. The task forces for both sides sailed with a variety of escort ships- destroyers, cruisers, supply ships, etc. These ships on both sides were attacked by opposing aircraft during the battle, and of course, the guns on all those non-carrier ships fired back. So obviously, these ships were engaged in the combat, and some of them were sunk, and they shot down their share of aircraft.

Another thing that I have become frustrated with over the years, and is apparent in this film, is the rather free use of stock footage in this production, to the point that some segments might now be labelled as 'generic footage'. For example, during the chapter in which they are recounting the Battle of Midway, (the film does provide a good background primer on events leading up to Guadalcanal) when they tell the tale of one of the Japanese airstrikes on Spruance's fleet, in the process of describing the bloody situation on board the deck of the Yorktown before she sank, they show about a thirty second loop of footage of a chaplain administering last rights to a dying American serviceman. The problem is, this bit of film is not from Yorktown, it is not from Midway, nor is it even from on board a ship, let alone is it from June 1942. I have seen this very same footage in other documentaries on the island-hopping campaign, in which it was supposed to represent Tarawa, or Peleleu, or the Phillipines, and it was an Army or Marine chaplain praying over a dying Marine or Soldier. The chaplain is wearing a GI-style helmet(an M1 helmet)that US servicemen wore for most of the war, and were still wearing in Korea and Vietnam. But at Midway they were still wearing the old Brodie style helmets, adapted from the British during WWI and not replaced until sometime between Midway and Guadalcanal. (They do show seemingly true footage of the Marines on Midway during the Japaense air strikes there; they are wearing their Brodies.)

IF you can get a good deal on this DVD here, then get it. There are new surplus copies still out there, this DVD is apparently othewise out of print. But I think A&E has some films on the same topic that are probably better.

Good video, has good set up, i.e. battles before Guadalcanal. Covers all the sea battles around the island, Salvo island etc. Covers the Cactus air force and their air battles.