Customer Reviews

WWII in Color: 2 Tape Set [VHS]

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

 

 

I now have both this DVD, and the "WWII: The Lost Color Archives" (LCA) and they are both superb. This one is a bit cheaper than TLCA but it complements it quite well, as it has far more coverage of the Pacific Theatre as well as European material not seen on TLCA.

This is a bit more graphic than TLCA, but it shows some incredible battle scenes in both N.Africa and Europe that are incredible! It makes you wonder how did the cameraman survive being right there in the middle of the battle, with tanks rolling around him (her?) and machine gun fire only a few feet away. The bombing runs of the Memphis Belle, from the perspective of those flying, are also here in spectacular fashion. The scenes of the gunners firing away at incoming fighters are truly exceptional.

Though I would rate this a very tiny bit below TLCA, it is definitely worth getting, and is highly recommended. A must buy for the WWII enthusiast and/or historian.

The only other documentary available of WW II utilizing color footage, that I am aware of, is the incredible one by George Stevens Jr, "D-Day to Berlin." It was therefore a revelation to purchase "WW II In Color" (from Amazon, I might add). I was surprised to see footage of both the European and South Pacific theaters (but some of it far too graphic for the eyes of children). If this documentary had the extraordinary script (narration) and musical score that "D-Day to Berlin" has, it would be of equal emotional impact. Regardless, this a most valuable look at WW II as it actually was seen (or much closer, that is). Included is footage taken and/or directed by Hollywood directors, John Ford, William Wyler, and both repeated and new footage from the camera of George Stevens (re: "D-Day to Berlin"). The reproduction of the color is quite excellent and the sound, often a problem with WW II documentaries, is very good here. Highly recommended.

I had expected long, raw, and uncut footage that would speak for itself, but found little of that here; "In Color" is perhaps something more appropriate for a high school history class.

First, insightful and fascinating footage is cut so that most segments last no longer than a few seconds. (Was this done to cram as much as possible into two 45-min. tapes?) I would have preferred more depth, less breadth; the edits are distracting.

Second, these brief segments are strung together almost willy-nilly to flush out an uninspiring, sometimes patronizing narration (complete with a music score to let us know that what we're seeing is grave and important). The footage is fascinating enough to stand on its own, without sophomoric narration and certainly without background music and retro-fitted sound effects.

Third, the film is rather sanitized. We see dead German and Japanese soldiers (burnt, putrescent, etc.) up close, but American ones (intact and with no visible wounds) from a distance. The soldiers shown are either alive or dead; there's almost no footage of anyone dying. I mention this not because I enjoy seeing death, but because I bought "In Color" expecting to see a head-on, unflinching picture of war--the heroic and the brutal, the banal and the terrifying.

(Also, having seen ABC TV's recent "Shooting War" documentary, which used some of the same footage, I can see how much potentially "troubling" material has been left out. For example, "Shooting War" showed a Japanese woman, evidently terrified by the approaching American Marines, throw her infant off a cliff and into the surf and rocks below, just before she herself jumps. In this film, the segment involving the infant is cut; we see only the woman jumping.)

So should you buy it? Well, yes. If you're looking for a brief chronology of important battles in World War II, a chronology that uses actual footage, you will not be disappointed. And if you're looking for more than that--well, all the above gripes notwithstanding, buy it anyway. Just watch it with the sound off.

This is a compilation of very high-quality color footage of various World War II battles. Particularly gripping are scenes from the battle of Tarawa and allied bombing raids over Germany. Emphasis tilted to footage of the Pacific theatre versus european. Recommended for WWII buffs.

It is very different to watch WWII movies in color. Most of us are accustomed to the black and white scenes that are so very familiar.

World War II in color is rather chilling. To see the war, its graphicness, its horror, even the mundane in color you get a more realistic view.

The Video, which is actually two tapes concentrates mainly on events in the Pacific Theater of Operations. I found this to be disappointing since the European Thearter received such a lack of attention. But the scenes dealing with Europe are good, especially scenes of the V-2 rocket.

Should you buy this video? If your main interest in World War II lies in the Pacific then yes. If not then this video is not a "must have".

I have seen many documentries on WWII. Most of those in black and white. This surpasses much of the footage I have seen. Finally being able to see it in color adds a whole new dimension on the war. It makes you realize that this war was fought not that long ago, and the people who fought it, either at the front lines or on the home front are still alive today. I am very glad to see it the way they saw it, raw and brutal and yet they are shown in alot of the footage with high spirits. The footage of the poor Japanese lady and the cliff in the Saipan chapter will always haunt me. This is the way war really is, and should be seen to fully understand its impact on those who fought it.

This is the fifth ww2 colour dvd that I have added to my collection, and I can say that it is easily the best. While mainly focusing on the oft neglected Pacific theatre of war, the main feature has some absolutely amazing shots, including colour footage from cameras mounted in the nose of american fighters in vicious dogfights over the pacific ocean, closeup action of intense combat and unseen images of Hitler and his entourage in the Eagles Nest. The dvd is put together very well and while footage for some areas of the war are missing, the gaps are filled in well with informative commentary. The combat footage is easily the most unedited I have ever seen, and is not for the faint hearted. The only glitch in this otherwise perfect WW2 dvd is the American focus, which we have to accept so often when it comes to documentaries. (I recommend "The British Story" as an alternative view)

I`m writing because a reviewer said that the woman throwing her child and then herself off of a cliff was because of her fear of the American Marines. This is not the truth at all. This happened on Saipan, the Japanese commander of the island ordered all the civilians to comment suicide. The Marines had a interpreter that was begging the people from a loudspeaker to choose to live, a few did most didn`t. I learned this when I watched the documentary (OUR TIME IN HELL narrated by Lee Marvin) an excellent film.

I purchased this DVD today and found footage that just has to be seen. There are things I've only pictured that are justthrown point-blank at you, and in color. Sometimes, it seems there are areas not as well depicted, but I guess they just didn't have/couldn't get enough footage of those particular events, thus creating the AIrcraft Carrier segment to show off what they could get... I'm not sure why, but seeing these things in color just makes it far more powerful sometimes.
I definitely think this is a great deal.

As the other two reviews on this page attest, this is a well-produced documentary that will be enyoyed by anyone interested in World War II. The home movies of Hitler taken by Eva Braun at Berchtesgaden are paticularly interesting. Although the material on the cover indicates that the colors have been restored, that task has been performed so professionally as to not be noticeable.

Perhaps because the program is relatively short (two 48-min. tapes), it provides very little analysis of the war or the events leading up to it. It is simply action -- lots of it and in color. Highly recommended.