Customer Reviews

WWII: The Ultimate Collection

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

 

 

In WWII - THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, the camera tells the story of the most momentous event of the 20th century far better than any historian or scholar could. Besides the many highly-regarded vintage documentaries, this set also includes a captured Nazi film on the war in Poland, Soviet coverage of the Nuremburg Trials and a U.S. Army Air Force training film that features a future U.S. president (no, not Eisenhower!).

Several of these titles may also be found on the WAR CLASSICS 50 MOVIE COLLECTION. This excellent DVD set covers WWII in greater detail, again by using 1940's documentaries.
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The following program list offers 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll ratings (where available), country of origian (if other than USA), years of release plus narrators and/or directors.
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DISC 1--

(7.9) The True Glory (1945) - Dwight D. Eisenhower (narrator)/Garson Kanin (director)

(5.8) Know Your Enemy: Japan (1945) - Frank Capra (director)

(6.8) Target For Tonight (UK-1941) - Harry Wyatt (director)
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DISC 2--

(6.8) December 7th (1944) - John Ford (director)

(5.6) Campaign in Poland ("Feldzug in Polen" Germany-1940) - Fritz Hippler (director)

(???) DZ Normandy: The Employment of Troop Carrier Forces (1945)

(???) D-Day (episode of "The Big Picture" TV-1953) - U.S. Army

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DISC 3--

(7.2) Prelude to War (1942) - Frank Capra (director)

(4.2) Adolf Hitler ("Will It Happen Again?" 1948) - Dwain Esper (director)
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DISC 4--

(6.7) The Battle of Midway (1942) - Henry Fonda (voice)/John Ford (director)

(7.3) The Fighting Lady (1944) - Edward Steichen (director)

(7.1) Desert Victory (1943) - J.L. Hodson (director)

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DISC 5--

(7.0) Nuremberg Trials (USSR-1947) - C. Svilov (director)

(???) The Great Generals: General Bradley (1948)

(???) The Great Generals: General Patton (1947)

(???) The Great Generals: General Eisenhower (1953)

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DISC 6--

(7.1) Appointment in Tokyo (1945)

(7.5) The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944) - William Wyler (director)
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DISC 7--

(7.8) Nazi Concentration Camps (1945) - George Stevens (director)

(???) The Smashing of the Reich (France/USA-1962) - Perry Wolf (director)
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DISC 8--

(7.1) Thunderbolt (1947) - John Sturges/William Wyler (directors)

(5.5) Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter (training film 1943) - Ronald Reagan/Craig Stevens (both uncredited)
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DISC 9--

(6.2) Combat America (1944) - Clark Gable (narrator)

(6.9) War Comes to America (1945) - Walter Huston (narrator)/Frank Capra (director)

(???) Warsaw Ghetto (1942)

(7.7) Let There Be Light (1946) - Walter Huston (narrator)/John Huston (director)
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DISC 10--

(???) Kamikaze (1945)

(7.3) Battle of San Pietro (1945)

(7.1) Report from the Aleutians (1943) - John Ford (director)

I am pleased with the quality of these films. Considering these were made during World War II they have held up well. The sound and the picture quality are fine considering when these were made. In addition some of the longer films are broken into chapters--such as the Battle for San Pietro.

The disks are double sided disks. Once you open the box the disks are arranged in 10 plastic sleeves. There is a detailed description of the contents of the disks on the outside of the box and on the inside as well. I am not a fan of double sided disks but considering the price and the number of disks I don't mind.

The films are documentaries that were meant to both educate and influence the public and soldiers during a time of war. (There were a few exceptions such as a documentary on the Nurenberg trials.) The films are both interesting alone as well as interesting as pieces of history. Great directors like Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and others made many of the films and some even won academy awards.

I won't go into detail about the films on the disk since a previous reviewer did a superb job in listing all the films in the collection.

I am pleased with my purchase.

The advertising for this product is a bit misleading. Actually, most everything on the disks is documentary or US military training films. Very few movies as in "Dramas." I was kind of disappointed. When I hear "movie" I personally think of entertainment with actors, actresses, plot, story, dramatic presentation not narrated pictures of bombed out buildings and endless air and ship attack footage. I like that stuff too, but if I want a documentary I'll buy one that is advertised as such.

We need to know the tiltles of the movies on the 10 DVD discs before we buy theem - don't want to buy "pigs in a poke"
Rajmundek, a Video Collector

I have no idea what is in the package, sounds great but don't know what the 10 titles are. Will change reveiw once I understand what is in the package.