Customer Reviews

War and Remembrance, Vol. 1 (Boxed Set) [VHS]

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Without doubt the most stunning work of filmmaking I have ever seen, "War and Remembrance" is a massive experience to watch that will haunt you always. This last great miniseries dramatizes the ENTIRE Second World War, and does so at times with a raw honesty unseen before or since on network TV.

Shot on location around the world, the soap opera stories are always intriguing as we follow the various members of the Henrys, an American Naval family as they encounter every major event of the war.

The heart, though, is the central plot of Jane Seymour, in a heartbreaking career-best performance as an American Jew trapped in Europe, and John Gielgud, mesmerizing as her uncle. As they are slowly, inexorably pulled into the Holocaust we follow them, step by agonizing step, to the final horrors of Auschwitz, filmed entirely on location.

The movie is aided by a brilliant, unforgettable score by Bob Cobert, especially the main theme which seems to encapsulate every single emotion of the thirty hours into its two minutes.

It may be a bit of a commitment to watch this, but it is worth it. "War and Remembrance" is as close to time travel as is possible, and makes that dark period of history come powerfully alive.

War and Remembrance, the sequel to The Winds of War, starts off where the first ended. It's December 15, 1941 and the U.S. has just been attack by the Japanese Navy. Just like Winds, the historical content is extremely (and sometimes distubingly) accurate. The acting is great, and the battle scenes are as impressive as any ever filmed. If there is any downside to this series it's that Robert Mitchum is just too old here for the part of Pug Henry. In Winds he seemed to fit perfectly, however by the time Dan Curtis got to filming W&R Mitchum had begun to truly look his age. It's a small distraction, but it's there none-the-less. Upgrades in the casting from Winds include Jane Seymore taking over as Natalie Jastrow from Ali McGraw, Hart Bochner as Byron Henry (originally played by Jan-Michael Vincent) and Sir John Gielgud as Aaron Jastrow taking over from John Houseman. Downgrades include pretty much the whole German contingent (with the exception of Jeremy Kemp). In Winds Hitler and Goring were dark, sinister, and downright scary. Here they are portrayed as pompous and overbearing, but also stumbling through the war almost by accident. Probably not the most accurate of portrayals. I would recommend this to just about anybody who is interested in WW II and is looking for a great story. Just be forewarned: This mini-series has some of the most disturbing scenes EVER filmed for TV. The mass murder of the Jewish people here is as graphic and violent as you can possibly imagine. Add to that the journey that Aaron, Natalie, and her son are forced to endure so that the author, Herman Wouk, can show us the horrors of the holocaust, just absolutely rips your heart. This mini-series is NOT for the faint of heart.

War and Remembrance starts out strong with actual marines (not actors) raising the flag at Pearl Harbor shortly after the attack on it. But the viewer soon realizes that this is not the "Winds of War."

Several actors have been changed for this sequel including Jane Seymour replacing Ali McGraw as Natalie Jastrow. Seymour does not look or act like the dark and dusky character from the book, which may be the director's doing. Yet, her acting is far superior to McGraw's, so it is an overall improvement.

However, the story does seem to labor with small intrigues and bureaucratic bumbling that was not in the first story that sets the stage for the Henry family being flung world-wide by the "Winds of War."

The most interesting part for me was Victor Henry and his son in the historic battle of Midway, which was one of the three most pivotal battles of the war. (According to Wouk, this the greatest victory in American naval history and the war's best "general," Admiral Raymond Spruance are almost lost in naval archives.)

It comes down to this. How curious are you to find out what happened after the "Winds of War" ends? Chances are you will want to find out what happens to them all. In that case, you will buy it, or at least borrow it.

Wouk is a better than first rate writer who insists that this production faithfully follow the book, but he, fails to surpass himself in this effort.

Herman Wouk and Dan Curtis score highly in what is one of the best "historical novel" to "screen adaptations" ever. To begin with, Wouk's books are a masterpiece. Curtis managed to faithfully capture the heart of the written work as War and Remembrance continues where Winds of War left off.

As a historical primer, War and Remembrance powerfully continues to introduce you to key characters that drove World War II. From Hitler to Stalin, Churchill to Roosevelt, they are all there. At the same time Wouk developed some of the most poignant vignettes that fully illustrate the savagery of the "Final Solution." These scenes rival those appearing in films such as Shindler's List.

The chemistry in casting shifts a bit from the first mini-series. With this continuation we are introduced to some changes. Barry Bostwick and Sharon Stone heat it up on the screen with a tempestuous affair in the sub-plot as Byron Henry's commanding officer "Lady" Aster and widowed sister-in-law Janice. Of course with Stone being so notable these days, watchers of the mini-series are going to take notice of their performance. Polly Bergan continues to perform flawlessly as Pug Henry's wandering, lush wife. There are others simply too numerous to mention.

The five year hiatis between the two installments was a bit too much for some of the already strained age differences. One result-- we now pick-up Jane Seymour and Hart Bochner as key characters Natalie and Byron Henry. Some great solo performances at times emerged especially as the plot shifts to Natalie's internment, but Seymour never really mastered the fierce independence written into Natalie's character or portrayed in the previous mini-series. Together Bochner and Seymour were not as enjoyable to watch. While Robert Mitchum "is" perfect as Victor Henry, it becomes much more difficult to put aside his actual age by this installment. In spite of that, Mitchum and Victoria Tennant (as Pamela Tudsbury) play to perfection opposite each other.

Having said that, the Winds of War-War and Remembrance combination remains to this day as the best mini-series ever produced. It is worth saving for to have in a home library. Our family continues to revisit it again and again.

All the massive reviews here that point out bits of weak acting, regard the series as too long, bemoan the over-dramatization of Hitler (although honestly I have no idea - he obviously wasn't sane), cliched plot twists and some improbable plot elements are right. But they miss the point.



Despite its moments of dated narration, War and Remembrance really does transport you back to the 1940s. The length of the series precludes you from watching much else, so in a way you do participate in the war as an observer of the Henry clan. The main problem with history, in general, is that it happened to people we don't know. Through immersion, this film starts to erode that barrier. I.e., as Aaron and Natalie slip down the slope of Nazi persecution, you can't help but care about what happens. Ditto for the Henry men fighting in the Pacific - you want them to come home safe, because you've spent enough time with them to have felt like they were your siblings or children.



With regard to acting, Mitchum continues to be Pug Henry. I don't know how anyone else could have played that role. He's stoic, but in Wouk's books Pug isn't exactly a bubbly kind of guy. Jane Seymour is a much less obnoxious Natalie - I believe Ali McGraw would have been a distraction in this role, whereas Seymour conveys true fear and anxiety. John Gielgud, as others have mentioned, is riveting - just superb. Peter Graves looks out of date - somehow he has just always looked 1970s, and he doesn't quite fit here. You could argue that Polly Bergen (as Rhoda Henry) is superficial and that her romantic swings are trivial against the backdrop of world events. But Wouk probably knew this, and the truth is that even in desperate times a lot of us are more focused on our own heartbreak and loves, so even that soap opera -- poorly acted, in my opinion -- fits here.



Others have commented about how this series omits or glosses over the internment of Japanese Americans, the huge casualties in China and other aspects of the war. Honestly, I think this is ridiculous critique. What is amazing is how Wouk was able develop such a vast scope for his work and cover as much as he did -- Russian front, Pacific Theatre/Pearl Harbor, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the UK, the Desert War -- I mean, it's staggering. Someone will doubtless complain there wasn't enough emphasis on womens' role in the armed forces, and you could probably make that argument. But in the context of War and Remembrance it's a piffling complaint.



So now that I've written another massive review, and probably not as good as the others, I would set forth War and Remembrance as one of those films that everyone should see. With all its flaws, it succeeds brilliantly at animating an era slipping from out collective memories, in a way that has value as a history lesson and nonetheless pulls you in emotionally. Five stars, not because it's perfect, but because it's unrivalled in its effect.

Yes, I've seen hundreds of WWII/Holocaust films. No other has the emotional impact as well as the realism of War and Remembrance. Of course it is the longest such film ever made at over 30 hours, which gives director Dan Curtis the time to portray everything of Herman Wouk's book. Made as a sequel to the miniseries Winds of War, this is superior in many ways. The first half on this DVD set covers the years 1941-1943, beginning with Pearl Harbor and weaving the Henry family into all the events of the war. Jane Seymour is excellent as Natalie and John Gielgud perfect as Aaron as they play cat and mouse as American Jews stuck in Europe while Aaron's "good friend" Beck keeps tracking them.

With a cast of thousands, an exhaustive list of stars, and on location in ten countries, a lesser director could never have pulled it off, and Dan Curtis rises to the occasion of recreating the events to a tee, including graphic depictions of the Holocaust. A few different storylines run through. Most interesting to me is that of Natalie and Aaron and their attempts to escape Europe. Gielgud and Seymour cannot be praised highly enough for believability and complexity, their plight being the most emotion provoking. Milton Johns gives a chillingly intense portrayal of Eichmann. The next of interest is Slote (David Dukes) as a U.S. official in Europe trying to bring the Holocaust to the attention of Roosevelt, but to no avail. Pug (Robert Mitchum reprising his Winds of War role) has an interesting segment in Russia, but the Pacific War, submarine battles and all, though well done, didn't hold my interest.

Prisoners at Auschwitz attempt to smuggle out film to the Allies, and the depiction of Holocaust events is realistic beyond belief. Volume 1 contains the Baba Yar massacre, Himmler observing a "Special Action", and the digging up of mass graves.
Volume 2 is even more graphic. Steven Berkoff as Hitler is great with his over-the-top ranting and raging...hey you can't BE too over-the-top in portraying Hitler. Volume 1 ends after living in relative luxury with Aaron and Natalie being transported to Theriesenstadt. On the way a lady says, "We bought an apartment there with a view by the lake". Needless to say there was no lake.

War and Remembrance towers over Schindler's List in every way. Up to the present W&R is the most realistic dramatic portrayal of the events. Some have learned the lessons of WWII and the Holocaust. Those currently running the world have not.

This film, along with its second part, was the last of a now almost-extinct species--the TV miniseries. Nowadays, networks use that term for two-parters like "Patton", which is about all the easily-bored type of viewer can handle. Critics, who tend to speak for that constituency, said that "War and Remembrance" was the last straw. But how can you get a story about a family who fights in both theaters of operations of World War II, in the air, on and under the sea, takes part in the diplomatic aspects, the entertainment industry of the day, has as in-laws politicians, physicists working on the a-bomb, and holocaust survivors, covers over a thousand pages each in this story and its prequel "Winds Of War"--how are you going to cram that onto two lousy VHS tapes? Actually, there are a few scenes that weren't in the books. If you missed this saga when it aired, or any parts thereof, this is your chance to see it again (or to fill in the gaps). Seems like a lot of money, huh? Hey, come on, remember back when a one-tape flick cost almost this much?

WAR AND REMEMBRANCE picks up right where THE WINDS OF WAR left off. Story-wise, part one of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is every bit as good as THE WINDS OF WAR, too.

However, there are a number of major cast changes here which are a bit disconcerting. The switch from Ali MacGraw to Jane Seymour is the one I found the most troubling; Jane Seymour may be a better actress overall, but her Natalie lacks the confidence and self-reliance of Ali MacGraw's Natalie. The change from Gunter Meisner to Steven Berkoff as Hitler is also a bit of an adjustment, as is seeing Sharon Stone as Janice.

On the other hand, there are some improvements. Hart Bochner is a better Byron than Jan-Michael Vincent, and Sir John Gielgud is truly amazing as Aaron Jastrow. It does take some time to get used to seeing different actors in all these roles, especially if watched back-to-back with THE WINDS OF WAR.

Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, David Dukes and Victoria Tennant are all perfect in their roles, as they were the first time around. Like THE WINDS OF WAR, WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is just a pleasure to experience, with an epic scope juxtaposed with the intimate details of the lives of the Henry and Jastrow families.

Dan Curtis does not shy away from the realities of war and the Holocaust here, and some scenes are visually and emotionally intense. This only adds to the realism, though, and serves to make the story that much more compelling.

And, of course, Part 1 of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is only part of the story -- the middle of the trilogy, so to speak. Part 2 has to be seen in order to complete the story, which makes me wonder why both parts weren't simply packaged together for DVD.

This is an excellent series and I would buy the complete set if the price was reasonable and complete. Unfortunately, War and Remembrance is only half complete, yet at the same price as the Winds of War. If the price was $120.00 for the complete DVD series of both I would buy it. It is definitely over-priced for an incomplete series.

I'm a huge fan of Wouk's work, and watched the two miniseries when they ran in primetime. I eagerly awaited this release, and bought it the day it came out. I am disappointed with my purchase.
The video looks as though it was digitized with a PC and run through a cheap DVD creation program. The interface is ordinary and out-of-place given the DVD content.
One other reviewer has pointed out that this series ends rather abruptly with episode 7. Only by carefully reading the small print on the packaging is it possible to determine that the entire series is not contained within! The 'extra' DVD, which features the story of the making of the film, is counted as one of the six DVDs in the set. The producers might just as well have made it into another couple of episodes...at least the ending would not be so untoward, and I'd feel as though I'd gotten some semblence of my money's worth.
The really bad thing, for me, is that I enjoy this series so much that I'll probably buy part 2 when it appears next spring. Maybe the music score CD it is slated to contain will be something of a redeeming factor.