Product Details

• Actors: Andy Bader, David J. Bercuson, James Cameron, Richard Doyle, Bob Elkins
• Directors: James Cameron, Gary Johnstone
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English, German, Russian
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Family Home Ent
• DVD Release Date: June 17, 2003
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000844IH
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,730 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
It was WWII's most fearsome ship. A ship so powerful, it sank the pride of the British fleet with a single salvo. Hearing the news, Winston Churchill saw no choice. He sent nearly the entire Royal Navy to hunt and destroy the Bismarck. But what really happened to this German legend? Was she sunk? Or was she scuttled? Now Titanic director James Cameron returns to the high seas to tell the tale and search for the truth. Leading a team of explorers, historians and Bismarck survivors, Cameron examines the wreck three miles down and discovers the answers that may finally end the debate. With revolutionary production techniques and high-tech Remotely Operated Vehicles, Cameron lights up this dark world and gives us the first glimpse inside the Bismarck in more than 60 years. Stunning high-definition footage shows underwater images with cinematic clarity. And cutting-edge animation and ultra-realistic reenactments bring the survivors' stories to life. Join the expedition and relive the dramatic final days of the DKM Bismarck.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Expected More, March 15, 2004

By	Gregory M. Doyle (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Being a history buff and interested in sunken ships, I had missed the television showing of this film on the Discovery Channel due to other commitments. So I ordered the DVD and anxiously awaited its release to that format. Rewatching it recently, I have to say it is mildly disappointing. The underwater footage is excellent, but there isn't enough of it. The history of the ship and sinking is decent, but not extensive. The recreations are well made, but at times out of place. The interviews with survivors pretty moving and helpful, but don't add as much as pure narration could have. Some of the questions about the sinking and final fate of the ship are brought up ambiguously and, apparently resolved, yet not convincingly and in an anti-climatic fashion. Overall, I didn't get the amount of pure footage of the sunken ship that I expected. The bonus materials on the second disc are essentially worthless. The main complaint? More underwater footage was needed to make this worthwhile.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Informative, good but not great, February 10, 2004

By	A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I originally saw this documentary on The Discovery Channel and thought it was pretty interesting. The first disc consists of the program itself and starts/ends with a meeting of survivors of the battle from both sides.
Some of the German survivors actually went on Cameron's expedition to the wreck site, they gave advice on best robot camera entry points & so on. I thought the reenactment scenes looked very good (see disc 2 for a behind the scenes segment on that)as did some of the computer animated segments. Perhaps the most interesting point made was the contention that evidence indicated that the Bismarck's crew scuttled the ship, as they claimed, and most of the British Naval gunfire was ineffectual at best.
Disc 2 was actually more interesting to me with it's many segments of computer animation illustrating various parts of the battle & the sinking of the Bismarck. There's a section of multiangle video views of the ship, that's a joke because while there are some interestinng wreck pictures I could not get the claimed multi angle function to work

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The big mystery is solved., May 6, 2006

By	mactans "mactans" - See all my reviews

I do not know which program was being watched by the reviewers who say there is no information or substance in this documentary. This is by far the best documentary on the Bismarck and the Battle of the Denmark Strait ever filmed. Not only do you see the most awesome footage ever shot of this legendary ship but they bring back undeniable proof that answers the biggest question about this epic event in maritime history. They prove conclusively that the German crew's claim that they scuttled the ship was absolutely true. The ROV entered the area of the hull where the Dorsetshire's torpedoes hit and showed that they did not even scorch the paint on the inner armour belt much less penetrate it. Cameron also does not gloss over the fact that the British continued to mercilessly pound the ship and butcher helpless men for more than an hour after the Bismarck had lost the ability to return fire. It is easy to understand why the decision was made to scuttle the ship.