Product Details

• Actors: Joan Allen, Jordan Bridges, Christopher Gehrman, Michael Hagiwara, David Hyde Pierce
• Directors: Robert Kenner
• Writers: Robert Kenner, Andrew Carroll, Paul Taylor
• Producers: Robert Kenner, Melissa Robledo
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• 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: Pbs Home Video
• DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000640UE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,995 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
In every American conflict from the Revolution to the Persian Gulf War, American military men and women have captured the horror, pathos and intensity of battle by writing letters home. In 1998 in an effort to preserve this correspondence, editor Andrew Carroll set up the Legacy Project which subsequently collected 50,000 war letters. Using the most compelling and enlightening of these missives and newly discovered home movies, War Letters tells the story of American wars from the viewpoint of the men and women in the front lines and those who waited at home. The film features breathtaking eyewitness accounts of famous battles, intimate declarations of love and longing, poignant last letters written only days before soldiers were killed, and many profound and memorable expressions of exhilaration, fear, whimsy, exasperation, anger, and patriotism. Full of poetry, compassion, humor, determination and raw emotion, the featured letters ultimately transcend the subject of war and address some of the most powerful contradictions of the human condition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing... touching..., May 28, 2002

By	TallGuyMe (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This is 60 minutes that will leave a lump in your throat. It will make you sick to your stomach, feel patriotic, and humbled all at the same time.

In a nutshell, various actors read real letters written during war time. These letters span many years, from many different conflicts... from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, up to the Gulf War... these are letters written from GI's to parents, brothers, wives, and girlfriends back home. More often than not, there is a grim footnote attached to some of the readings about how this or that particular GI died a day or two after writing the letter just read. Shocking. Touching.

The only drawback is that some of the actors (such as Bill Paxton, Eric Stoltz, and Kevin Spacey) are used repeatedly for multiple readings. It would have been nice if each letter received individual treatment. Other than that, this is a class act production.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Affective Minimalist Documentary., November 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Actors read real letters against a backdrop of authentic images. That's all, and yet it moved me to tears. At this writing, George Bush II just swept the mid-term elections and American rheoric is moving to a second war against Iraq. I just watched this on public television. I wished I had taped it to send my young teen nephews, as an effective essay against war - all wars. Then I read here a 5-Star opinion from one who comes from another perspective on war, and I realize that for or against the Bush wars, this dvd is very moving. Authentic letters and moving images, nothing more. Minimalism at its most effective. See so for yourself. WARNING: Beware some graphic pictures of the dead. Also, one scene details a soldier smoking opium after a battle where he expected to die. It confirms the anguish.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing.., December 5, 2005

By	M. Skyring (US NAVY (GUAM)) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a current NAVY sailor, this movie really hit me. No matter how big or how brave you are, this movie will affect you, leave you pondering, and leave you in aww. Its amazing to hear from letters what the people during battle were thinking and feeling. I reccomend this movie to any person in the military, or just anybody you think would enjoy this..

OOOoooh Rah Navy!!