Customer Reviews

National Geographic's Ultimate WWII Collection [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This video does an excellent job of telling the story of the Pearl Harbor Attack by using actual footage as well as testimonials of survivors. Again, National Geographic has solicited the help of Dr. Robert Ballard in hopes of finding a sunken Japanese midget submarine which tried to enter the harbor during the attack. Dr. Ballard has been featrued in other National Geographic videos dealing with the search for the U.S.S. Yorktown, the German Battleship Bismarck, and the ships of Ironbottom Sound. I own all of these other videos and I particularly enjoy Ballard's approach to finding sunken ships, so I was anxious to see how he would do in his search for the Japanese submarine. Survivors of the U.S.S. Ward, an American destroyer on patrol on December 7, 1941, are interviewed in this video. Their ship was the actual one which fired on and sank the sub that Ballard is searching for. I have always enjoyed the way that National Geographic has blended together the actual war footage along with the stories of the survivors, and this video keeps up the tradition. Perhaps my favorite part of this video was seeing the first images taken from inside the U.S.S. Arizona. It was really someting special to see. I would highly recommend this video to anyone who enjoys underwater adventures as well as Pearl Harbor readers/viewers.

I viewed this documentary two nights ago and was deeply impressed by the work done here. Tom Brokaw does an excellent job of narrating. The search for one of the midget Japanese subs was a nice addition to this piece. Listening to the accounts of the survivors make this NG piece so poignant and heartfelt. Words simply cannot do justice to this superb documentary. I will be viewing this DVD again and again.

Words cannot describe the emotional impact of seeing veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack tell their stories, of lost friends, of survival, of their families back home. Completely incredible video of the interior of Arizona. I consider myself a big, strong "he-man" who doesn't get emotional about such things as the endings of movies and television shows. But my wife and I found ourselves with tears in our eyes watching this tape, to the point of sobbing. This is much more than just a documentary. ... it's worth at least double the price. Buy this tape if you care anything at all about Pearl Harbor, World War II, history in general or if you're simply fascinated by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Another very impressive documentary by director, Kirk Wolfinger, director of other shows such as "To the Moon" and "Hitler's Lost Sub". "Pearl Harbor - Legacy of Attack" is an eye-watering and incredible mix of stories from the soldiers at the harbor, to the loved ones at home, to the depths of the Japanese mini-submarines and their commanders to the quest of a salvage research team in search of the alleged sunken Japanese mini-sub, supposedly to have been hit by an American Naval artillary shot. Maybe America fired the first shot of The Attack on Pearl Harbor after all. A film that we can all relate to since September 11.

Robert Ballard's search for the Japanese sub fired upon by the Ward an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor and the promise of the first look inside the sunken USS Arizona may be the featured selling points for this wonderful National Geographic special, but it is the personal stories of Pearl Harbor survivors that makes this a moving, incredibly rewarding video experience. This special, hosted by Tom Brokaw, was filmed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the reprehensible sneak attack, and it is definitely one of the most impressive Pearl Harbor documentaries I have seen.

The video deals almost as much with the present as it does the past, switching back and forth between then and now in a pattern which basically takes you through the overall sequence of events on the day that will forever live in infamy. Personally, I could have done with much less footage of Ballard's search for the Japanese midget sub; it's certainly interesting, but the search fails to provide us with any important new information. The footage taken by robotic vehicles from inside the Arizona was also interesting; this was, after all, the first time the interior of the ill-fated battleship has been seen since the morning of December 7, 1941.

I won't quibble very much about the description and footage of the attack. Obviously, this one video could not go into all of the tragic events of that day, but it does offer a good overview of the situation, does great honor to those who died that Sunday morning as well as those who survived, and gives mention to several facts that aren't mentioned all that often - e.g., the fact that a sub was spotted approaching Pearl Harbor four hours before the attack (and three hours before a second sub was sighted and fired upon by the Ward). It also describes the senseless positioning of naval forces on that morning, making US ships and planes sitting ducks to the overpowering air attack. It does not go so far as to cast blame or ask who knew what in advance, but it does drive home the point that Japanese forces gave themselves away three times in the hours preceding the attack, but no action of any kind was taken by anyone on Oahu. It should not be a secret by now, of course, that the depth of the disaster that day had as much to do with American military incompetence as it did the actual Japanese attack.

The heart of Pearl Harbor, though, is the stories of the victims and the survivors, and this documentary does a great service to all those young men and women. Personal stories of bravery, such as that of Dorie Miller, are told, but these are far surpassed in emotional terms by a number of personal stories of victims - these are stories some men carried with them for decades, and few can relate them now without shedding tears of horror and heartbreak. One survivor had come to Pearl Harbor for the first time in six decades, finally opening up and telling his story because he knew he had only a few months to live. All of those men who suffered and died must never be forgotten, and they must never be relegated to mere numbers. Hearing the personal stories of survivors, no matter how horrible the things they describe witnessing, brings the importance of every individual soul lost that fateful day into the proper perspective. I daresay there are very few men and women who can watch this National Geographic special without becoming emotional themselves - it is a powerful presentation that I think every American should see.

Nobody who has been to Pearl Harbor and the 'Arizona' memorial is untouched by the experience. I had always wanted to visit it since I was a child, and finally did so in 2002. Even after all the planning and anticipation, it was still far more emotional and moving that I could have imagined. This DVD is like that, too, although on a smaller scale. Even if you have read about Pearl Harbor, this documentary still has the power to draw tears to the eyes of viewers.

The DVD is multifaceted. In part it showcases Bob Ballard and his quest for a Japanese midget sub. That is interesting enough, but that isn't the real attraction of the documentary. The more important part of the film are images of the December 7, 1941 attack, the haunting footage of the 'Arizona' as she is now (including unbelievable interior shots), and most powerfully of all, the interviews with Pearl Harbor survivors. There are also some interactive maps, a behind the scenes feature and extended survivor interviews as bonus features.

I really must emphasize the importance of the survivor interviews. These interviews are unstructured, and they tell the audience what they think is important. It is all important. I can't imagine that anyone can listen to these men recount their experiences without feeling a huge debt of gratitude to them. They are true American heroes. This DVD is about sacrifice and the things that are good about the United States. It is hard to watch what they went through, but it is important that we never forget.

Buy this DVD and remember the lessons of Pearl Harbor.

I gave Pearl Harbour to my Dad last week for his 74th birthday, and when I spoke to my mum this evening he was watching it again, for eighth time. Quoting my father: "I see something different every time I watch it!" and, " This will be a collectors item in ten years!". It's fun buying him things he likes.

I got this video as a part of a three DVD National Geographic set of WWII related topics. What interested me the most about this video was the combination of original film with elderly veterans giving a first person account of what they experienced at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. There is a third aspect to this DVD having to do with a modern underwater search for a sunken Japanese mini-sub. There were times that this story was somewhat interesting but mostly it interfered with the rest of the program. As I understand it, this search was the reason that the National Geographic took on this project. If so, I guess this documentary had to give that search SOME coverage. However, I would have preferred more of the interviews and the the original film of the attack and its' aftermath. History is presented well in "Pearl Harbor; Legacy of Attack" and it is aided by the excellent narration of Tom Brokaw. Overall I give this DVD a "4.5" but it could have been a "5".

I can't find captions or subtitles anywhere on this DVD, and I've looked a number of times. There's no caption symbol or mention of them on the DVD cover, so I can only assume they're just not there. This is a particular shame given that the DVD is otherwise so excellent, and this is inexcusable in this day and age. I would give the content 5 stars, but I have to mark my rating down to 3 for this apparent omission.

On a different note, I also wish the DVD came with an update on the search for the minisubs, which I find intriguing. The inside view of the Arizona was amazing, with the officer's desk, papers and items still perfectly in place, was striking.

I avidly follow Dr. Ballard's expeditions, and usually buy anything related to his work, but this one falls a bit short. Yes, it goes into personal recollections of the attack, yes, he looks for underwater wreckage, and yes, there is some great footage of the Arizona.

But....

There is altogether too much footage of ROV's being lowered into the water, a very high level background on the attack, that doesn't even talk about each of the midget subs involved, and a very short intro into the sub he's looking for.

There is much more to find Dr. Ballard, How about clearing up the Fuso/Yamashiro questions?, or the Shoho and Lexington? Or even another try for the Japanese carriers off of Midway.