Customer Reviews

The Korean War (4-volume set) [VHS]

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

 

 

A very good documentary for anyone who is unfamiliar with this military endeavor. The details of politcal strategy are lacking, but the military strategy is revealed. Highly recommendable.

I suspect that most Americans have what scant knowledge they have about the Korean War from watching "M*A*S*H," so the idea that this was the "forgotten war" is not an exaggeration. The subject was never covered in history classes, which never managed to get beyond World War II by the time the semester ended, and I actually got most of what I know about the Korean War from "Frontline Combat" and "Two-Fisted Tales," a pair of war comics put out by EC and edited by Harvey Kurtzman, who put a high premium on accuracy. There is something to be said for learning about the Korean War from comic books that were read by the actual soldiers who fought in the war, and who sent in letters to the editor praising the fidelity of these stories. But there is also something to be said for "The Korean War: Fire and Ice," the four-part documentary produced by the History Channel.

The Korean War was the first military confrontation of the Cold War, and half a century later the Korean peninsula is still a political hot spot with nuclear implications. The focus in this documentary is certainly on the military aspects rather than the political, but that strikes me as being rather appropriate. The dramatic clash between President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur fading away is clearly remembered more than Heartbreak Ridge and MIG Alley, and the point of this documentary is to remember what the troops went through.

The documentary breaks down the war into four parts: (1) "Making of a Blood Bath" covers the first stage, when the unexpected attack by the North Koreans drove United States and United Nation forces back to the Pusan Perimeter; (2) "Triumph to "Tragedy" begins with MacArthur's brilliant counteroffensive of the landing at Inchon and ends with Chinese troops crossing the Yalu River to up the ante on the war; (3) "Retreat From Hell" tells of the retreat of the UN forces from Chinese troops during a brutal winter; and (4) "Bitter Standoff" traces the two-year stalemate that end with a negotiated peace and everybody right back where they started, with the 38th Parallel dividing Korea.

"The Korean War: Fire and Ice" combines historic black & white footage with a virtual army of talking heads, consisting of veterans and historians, who put the war in both historical and personal perspective. The four-part division works perfectly with the Korean War, which clearly had four distinct stages. However, in addition to providing a clear sense of the ebb and flow of the war, "Fire and Ice" fills in the details with personal recollections and concise analysis. Part of it might be that I had only a basic knowledge of this "police action," but I certainly learned a lot from watching this documentary this morning.

This is one of the best war documentary series arround.
I collect documentaries and this series is A+

I remember this product sold as in "great condition or almost like new" and it looks shaby and like it was handled a lot to where the case shows it. Not too happy about this purchase. I will be more careful next time

Probably the best video set of the Korean War out there, at present. Bought it used because a new set wasn't available and have no regrets that I did. Arrived quickly and in excellent condition.