The Great Battles of World War II

Starring:Great Battles of World War II
Studio: Madacy Records
Product Type: DVD

Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of China / War Comes to America

Average customer rating:

Why we fight-The battle of China-War Comes to America
The Battle of China / War Comes to America
The concluding chapters of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight"

Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of China / War Comes to America
Starring: Madame Chiang , Anthony Veiller , Winston Churchill , Douglas MacArthur , and Yat-sen Sun
Director: Anatole Litvak , and Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Documentary | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of Russia
Why We Fight World War II - Divide and Conquer / The Battle of Britain
Why We Fight World War II - Prelude to War & The Nazis Strike
The World at War - December 7th
World War II: Payoff in the Pacific

ASIN: B00000F5US
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Customer Reviews:

Why we fight-The battle of China-War Comes to America.......2006-11-04

Excellent DVD with scenes I have never seen before. Price was terrific and delivery was right on time.

The Battle of China / War Comes to America.......2005-08-06

This review is for the Goodtimes Video release.

THE BATTLE OF CHINA and WAR COMES TO AMERICA are the final two episodes in Frank Capra's `Why We Fight' series. Ordered by George Marshall to inform and inspire the troops - to tell them, as the series' title suggests, why we're fighting - the films use voice-over narration (usually supplied by actor Walter Huston) and a montage of pertinent documentary images to fulfill that mandate. More propaganda than disinterested history, the final two entries seem less urgent than the earlier films. Released in 1944 and 1945, they seem almost an afterthought, as though the project was losing a bit of steam. The quality of the transfer prints on these two is superior to the earlier ones, which might indicate that these two weren't watched as often as the previous ones.

THE BATTLE OF CHINA (1944, 65 min.)
Reprising a lot of material from PRELUDE TO WAR, the first film in the series, THE BATTLE OF CHINA shows us again the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and their slaughter of Chinese in Shang-Hai as the momentous events in the war in the east. The Tanaka Memorial, the secret Japanese document that outlined their plans for `world conquest', first mentioned in PRELUDE, is used here to expose the Japanese early attacks on China. `In order to conquer the world,' quoth the Tanaka Memorial, ` we must first conquer China.' Of course, Capra's TBOC shows us how far the Japanese fell short of that first of that first condition. Shows us in ways remarkably similar to those used to glorify our other soon-to-be Cold War foes in the earlier THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA. China's Sun-Yat Sen is favorably compared to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and the Chinese love of freedom and their generally pacifistic nature is extolled in a rather long sequence that tells us "They never waged a war of conquest. They are not that sort of people," and continues with a list of good things that `that sort of people' do and bad things that aren't done by the Chinese because, well, they're `not that sort of people.' In retrospect it's an obvious gild and whitewash job, compensated mainly by the fact that it worked.

WAR COMES TO AMERICA (1945, 70 min.)
The series wraps up with WAR COMES TO AMERICA, which again regurgitates a lot of material from PRELUDE TO WAR. The film opens with children pledging allegiance to the flag, visits Lexington and Valley Forge, surveys the militant and idealistic history of the United States before embarking on a catalogue listings of states and nationalities that would make Walt Whitman proud. After this extended, self-admiring prologue the film starts in the familiar stuff, namely the 1931 invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese. From there we re-visit one Axis atrocity after another until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and America's entry into the war. It may have been that the tide of war was turning noticeably in the Allies' favor by 1944-5, and demonizing the Axis enemies was no longer a priority. In any event, the last three films in the series concentrated a lot more on the virtues of their Allied subjects than on the atrocities of the Axis foes.

The concluding chapters of Frank Capra's "Why We Fight".......2004-06-06

The first five volumes in Frank Capra's celebrated "Why We Fight" series focused on Hitler's Nazis overrunning Europe in the first half of World War II. The final two volumes shift the focus to the Pacific Theater and those are what we have collected on this DVD. "The Battle of China: The Assault on the Great Wall" looks at the Chinese defense against Japanese aggression. Like the previous chapter, "The Battle of Russia," an important part of the intent here is to establish a sense of identification between the American people with a foreign ally. Fortunately Capra does not have to gloss over the political ideology of the Chinese the same way he did with the Communist Soviets.

This explains why "The Battle of China" provides a brief history of China and its people and then details why the Japanese wanted to conquer the country, namely getting the raw materials and slave labor necessary for taking over all of Asia. The War in the Pacific covered, showing the valiant effort by the Chinese to stop the Japanese. Also featured are General Claire Lee Chennault's famous Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group who had joined the battle to defend China. This 67-minute black & white 1944 documentary is narrated by writer Anthony Veiller (Walter Houston just does the voice of Abraham Lincoln this time) and Anatole Litvak served as an uncredited co-director. In the next volume, "War Comes to America," the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brings the United States into the war.

"War Comes to America" is the seventh and final episode in the celebrated "Why We Fight Series." Anatole Litvak was the uncredited co-director of this chapter, with music by Alfred Newman, and actors Walter Huston and Lloyd Nolan provided the narration for this 67-minute black & white documentary produced in 1945 as the war was ending. This final installment celebrates the good qualities of the United States and establishes those things worth fighting for. "War Comes to America" also looks at the history of the United States and traces how the shifting opinion of the public towards supporting the Allies against the Axis forces was clearly shifting in that direction when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. As such the film presents the mood of the American people on the eve of World War II and how the isolationist position changed in reaction to the aggressive policies of the Axis powers (a.k.a. "Death, Inc.") as traced in a revealing series of Gallup Polls. There is also a summary of Japanese aggression from the invasion of Manchuria to Pearl Harbor.

This particular chapter is one of the most interesting because Capra is going out of his way to present America as an inclusive society when Hungarians, Portuguese, American Negroes and Chinamen all work together, although it is interesting that the first two are shown more often and more progressively than the latter pair. Even Germans and Italians are included in the mix, but not the Japanese, which is not surprising given the internment camps in California (which were actually called concentration amps at the time). But we do see an indictment of activities of the German American Bund as well. The perspective here is decidedly liberal, seeing the U.S.A. as a nation proud of having trade unions and capable of correcting mistakes like Prohibition. While covering December 7, 1941, the day that "will live in infamy," Capra ends with the uplifting music of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and the idea of an inevitable Allied victory.

Description

See Germany's tank offensives and the continuous battle with the British and their Matilda II tank. See the German retreat under the command of U.S. General Patton, and on the Eastern Front, the Russians battled with their new T-54 tank, defeating the German armies. This program shows the major role that tanks played in WWII.

Customer Reviews:

A solid documentary.......2006-09-16

This DVD is composed of two smaller documentaries. The sound quality is not very good and the narrator a bit boring but the content of the narration is not too bad and the film clips used are pretty good. So while overall it is not a great documentary it is not bad either and gets the job done.

Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of Russia

Average customer rating:

"People win wars"
Battle of Russia. 1943 documentary film.
Dreadfully Bad
Propaganda? Yes. But also something else.
Viewing to be taken into historical context

Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of Russia
Starring: King Michael , Wilhelm Keitel , Anthony Veiller , General Kosakov , and General Edler von Daniels
Director: Anatole Litvak , and Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

Documentary | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( W ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Why We Fight World War II - Prelude to War & The Nazis Strike
Why We Fight World War II - The Battle of China / War Comes to America
Why We Fight World War II - Divide and Conquer / The Battle of Britain
The World at War - December 7th
The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Fighting Force

ASIN: B00005B1XD
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Customer Reviews:

"People win wars".......2005-07-24

THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA is the fifth entry in Frank Capra's `Why We Fight' series. Originally presented to audiences in two parts for its first run in 1943 it covers the years 1941-'42, and, as the title suggests, devotes most of its attention to the harsh fighting on the Eastern Front following Germany's massive attack against Russia. As always, the intent was to explain the question posed by the series' title, and not present an unbiased documentation of events.

Drawing on old movies - for instance, a number of scenes from Sergei Eisenstein's `Alexander Nevsky' are inserted - THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA begins with a historical survey of repeated invasions and repulsions, almost all invaders breaking on the gate of Moscow, defeated either by Russia's immense size or its brutal winters. The film quickly returns to the modern day and shows Germany's speedy conquest of the Balkans, including Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Greece. These are simply preparatory steps to extend the Russian front, though. Germany launches its attack on June 22, 1941 as the first part ends. The second part examines the failure of Germany's blitzkrieg style of warfare when confronted with Russia's defense-in-depth strategy. The failed sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad are show in detail. For the first time in the series the German prove not to be invincible.

In many ways THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA is the most interesting movie in the series. There was a short summer of good feelings between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted roughly from 1942 to 1947, and both nations muted their criticism of the other. This movie conveniently fails to mention the German-Russian Non-Aggression Pact of 1939, a treaty that major Allied participants in the war like Winston Churchill could never forget and never mention without revealing their lingering bitterness. For the first and one of the few times Hollywood lauds praise on the heroic people of the Soviet Union. Perhaps it's unfair to hold up the message of this movie with the later rhetoric of the cold war, but it is a little startling to hear a government sponsored movie announce that `no invincible armies (can stand) against the determined will of a free and united people' and realize the free and united they're talking about are Soviet citizens. As usual, the transfer print manages to look good most of the time, although some of the images are terribly blurry and look over exposed. It's a discount dvd, so, as always, that's more an observation than it's a deal breaking complaint.

Battle of Russia. 1943 documentary film........2004-11-14

The Battle of Russia is a documentary film covering the Soviet war with Germany from 1941 to early 1943. It was produced during the world war two, hence the cut off date at 1943. Having been made with the taxpayer dollar it is now in the public domain, and many companies are reproducing it and selling in VHS and DVD form. My review will look first at this particular version of the movie with its physical reproduction of the film, later at the film's contents.

I will start with the packaging. The box front has photos of a US soldier with frost on his face, US troops marching, and another American soldier having a chow. On the back - a British AA gun being manned by British soldiers. That is right - all photos that are not consistent with the contents of the movie - Soviet German war. This foreshadowed the effort put in by "Goodtimes" into its product.
Special Features: none. Scene index is present, however.
Reproduction quality: At the beginning of the film there is a note by "Goodtimes" about how they carefully restored the original. Unfortunately, this ended up being an ironic statement. Frames are darker. This is an issue as in a number of places the details are deteriorated because of this. The sides and the bottom of the movie are truncated. It was noticeable as I played my VHS simultaneously with the DVD to compare the two. This was a disappointment, as I wanted to upgrade my VHS copy of this film. Overall, the VHS version, recorded in EP mode, outstripped this DVD in quality. I will be looking for another DVD version of this film.

Movie's contents: The film covers battles of the Eastern Front in chronological order, incorporating into the script social and political topics. A little observation I made through the years is that documentary movies during the cold war relied heavily on this film's footage along with the German newsreels when covering the Eastern Front. Peter Batty's "German Invasion of the Soviet Union" went as far as taking the animated maps from this movie wholesale.
The footage used in Battle for Russia is not raw, but rather tape cut into segments most of which are less than five seconds. This is an unfortunate, yet common practice in documentary films. The documentary has scenes of prewar Soviet films, namely Ivan Grozny, Aleksandr Nevsky, Man with a Movie Camera (documentary), and the parade and maneuvers footage (documentary). Wartime footage presented in the film is good. It can be complemented, with some overlapping, by "Soviet Secret Archives: The Russian Front"(3 parts), Russia: "Blood Upon the Snow", or "War of the Century: When Hitler Fought Stalin" film series.
Some reviewers referred to this film as outdated; with a notion that now, we know the truth. I respectfully disagree with this. We still have a lot of appeasement in World War II history. There seems to be a lot of material out on the Soviet German Front, but if we filter for primary sources such as diaries, journals, and wartime operative documents, not that much is left. I find that facts happen at lower level, and pompous numbers and "facts" mean nothing we do not know (or care) how they were compiled/where they are coming from. This movie is the pro-Allies American view circa world war two. I keep this film on my bookshelf and enjoy the footage analysis it presents.

Four stars for the movie contents.
One star for this version of the DVD.

Dreadfully Bad.......2002-10-30

Ok, the topic is great... the Soviet repulsion of the Nazi military might. But the war-time propaganda, the lack of depth of the "documentary", the missing facts, and the poor quality of the film make this a horrific failure when one considers the title.

I don't care if this is a known propaganda film used for recruiting in the United States during WWII... it simply has no social context sixty years later. Shouldn't we be concerned with the facts of the Nazi siege and the Soviet repulsion as they relate to a deeper understanding about the two nations of the 20th century that produced the worst dictators (Hitler and Stalin)?

Consider the following facts:

1) There was a major event in the 20th century, commonly referred to as "World War II", when most of the nations of the world were at war.

2) During that event Nazi Germany terrorized all of Europe (and especially the Soviet Union), through their military might and demonic plans (the Holocaust).

3) The Nazi's invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

4) The Soviet Union repulsed the Nazi invasion.

I would guess that the mentally ill and the recently born make up the vast majority of the population that isn't aware of the above-mentioned facts. This movie is for them.

Propaganda? Yes. But also something else........2002-08-20

Yes, this is propaganda. But this is also a rare film. You will see a million WWII movies that gloss over the russian side of the story. They fought bravely with their backs against the wall and prevailed against some serious odds. The director had to work with the russian propaganda footage, and so it is a glimpse into their world at the time. It is a rare film because it does not brand the whole nation "evil". And, actually, it gives you a piece of history you don't know.

Viewing to be taken into historical context.......2001-01-17

Before viewing this film one should be historically aware of the circumstnces surrounding the reasons for its production. It is part of the "Why we fight" series that was shown to new recruits that were about to become part of this tremendous worldwide conflict. This is truly a propaganda film that was intended to show our "allies", the communist Russians, in a favorable light. The intent was to instill a purpose into these recruits that we were fighting an evil force, the Nazi Germans, together with the Russians. Anybody who is historically educated in this time period realizes that the United States government no doubt realized the horrors that Joseph Stalin himself was capable of. But to attempt to rally the recruits by villianizing our allies would not serve well, therefore kind portrayal of the communists was essential. Although the awful behavior of the German invaders is documented here, there is no mention of the atrocities committed by the Russians on their German captives. I think anybody interested in history as well as nostalgia will enjoy this film when realizing the historical context in which it was produced.

Shooting War - World War II Combat Cameramen

Average customer rating:

A great episode of history
Save your money.
Photographer's view of battle...
The best combat footage of WW2!

Shooting War - World War II Combat Cameramen
Starring: Tom Hanks , Stephen Ambrose , Russ Meyer , John Ford , and Arthur Mainzer
Director: Richard Schickel
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Price for Peace
D-Day in Color
Embedded '45: Shooting War in Germany
George Stevens - D-Day to Berlin
D-Day - The Total Story

ASIN: B0001NBLXG
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Customer Reviews:

A great episode of history.......2007-03-17

Shooting War is the incredible story of the Combat Cameramen during World War II. We always think about soldiers, civilians, and destroyed places when we hear the word 'war'. This time we can se a different side of war, told under the perspective of the cameramen. And their story is deep, sad and often tragic. But in the end, I can tell you that this men are heroes too. Their only weapons were cameras and tripods... And we didn't know about them until few years ago. I highly recommend this DVD.

Save your money........2005-10-14

This is NOT a video about WWII, but a series of interviews with combat cameramen relating their activities during the war. The video presented is incidental to that purpose. Much of the black and white film presented is actually easily available in its original color elsewhere and I already have it - in the form of numerous works that I have had for years. Some of the color they do show is of low quality and of scenes or activities that are just "filler". I get the impression the creators of this work picked it up cheap somewhere. To add to my disgust was the casual handling of accuracy, for example the claim that "7000 marines died on Iwo Jima" (vs. just over 5900 in reality). And what WWII-related work from our wonderful leftist elites in Hollywood (Spielberg et al) would be complete without a segment of whining drivel about the horrible immorality and pointlessness of using the atomic bomb? If this mediocrity is something you feel you just have to have, buy it used and don't pay more than five or six dollars.

Photographer's view of battle..........2005-09-06

I've had a great interest lately in studying both the history and background of WWII. This video came to my attention after I considered the difficulty presented to pro photographers who covered this war without the benefits of our modern equipment, and with the limitations of film. This is a very interesting account of the part photographers played in recording history. The anecdotal references do a service both to the combatants and the photographers. The details of the DDay challenges with regard to photographing the events and getting the film back to safety were enlightening. I highly recommend this video to any photographer and to those who are interested in learning how some of the more compelling photos (flag raising at Iwo Jima, for example) were captured.

The best combat footage of WW2!.......2005-02-06

I've been a military history buff all my life and I own dozens of documentaries, and this one has the best combat footage from WW2 (at least from the American point-of-view). The footage was all shot by U.S. combat cameramen who risked their lives (and gave their lives) so that we could have a permanent record of what our brave soldiers experienced during the war. From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, from the invasion of Italy to the concentration camps in Germany, this unflinching documentary has amazing footage of some of the war's bloodiest battles. Some of the footage is well-known, taken from award-winning documentaries by John Ford and John Huston. But a lot of the footage I had never seen before. The most shocking footage comes from the brutal "island-hopping" battles in the Pacific, where cameramen recorded Japanese soldiers being burned out of caves, or shot while trying to flee the U.S. Marines. You can read about these bloody battles for years, but seeing the footage makes it clear just how chaotic and bloody the battles were. For any history buffs this documentary is a must!

The Great Tank Battles World War II: Dawn Of The Titans/The Superior Force

Average customer rating:

A solid documentary

The Great Tank Battles World War II: Dawn Of The Titans/The Superior Force
Starring: Great Tank Battles of Wwii
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Great Tank Battles World War II: Death In Snow & Sand/Out-Blitzing The Blitzkrieg
Panther - The Panzer V
Tiger: Heavy Tank Panzer VI
Guns of the Wehrmacht 1933-1945
German Fighter Aircraft of World War 2: 1939-1942

ASIN: B00005KJV4
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Description

Dawn of the Titans introduces the tanks deployed in Northern France during WWII and describes the devastating effect these monsters had on an infantry confronted with them. The Superior Force continues its focus on the German tank strategies and the invasion into Russia in 1941.

Customer Reviews:

A solid documentary.......2006-09-16

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Hey! I have seen this before????

The Great Tank Battles - World War II
Starring: Great Tank Battles of Wwii
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Panther - The Panzer V
Panzer IV: Heavy Tank
Panzer III: Medium Tank
Panzer - Germany's Ultimate War Machine
Guns of the Wehrmacht 1933-1945

ASIN: B00005KJP9
Release Date: 2001-06-12

Description

Dawn of the Titans The Superior Force Death in Snow & Sand Out-Blitzing the Blitzkrieg

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2006-03-01

I was largely disappointed because they had so many facts wrong. They would show pictures or photographs of one tank, and claim it to be another. It was apparent after watching half of it, they didn't bother to do any serious research. The only upside was that they included some rare photographs and footage, much of which I hadn't seen.

Hey! I have seen this before????.......2006-02-25

I can't say what this was called originally, but its just a new voice-over an old show! I guess it was OK as a "bargain" purchase. But, I would not recommend it as you might already have it......

Great Battles and Secrets of World War II

Average customer rating:

Great Battles and Secrets of World War II
Starring: Great Battles & Secrets of Wwii
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Documentary | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Military & War | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Complete History of WWII
National Geographic's Untold Stories of WWII
The History Channel's Great Blunders of WW II
The Great Tank Battles World War II: Death In Snow & Sand/Out-Blitzing The Blitzkrieg
Big Battles of World War II Vols. 1-5

ASIN: B0000A9D2B
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Description

Pearl Harbor • P-47 Thunderbolt The Rise of The Enigma Triumph of the Codebreakers The Battle of Midway • The Battle of Britain The Dambusters Raid • Stilwell Road

Archives of War, Vol. 1 - World War I and the Interwar Years / World War II (The Leaders)

Average customer rating:

"Archives" is the key word for this excellent collection
Do not buy this DVD or any of the other volumes....

Archives of War, Vol. 1 - World War I and the Interwar Years / World War II (The Leaders)

Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Politics | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Archives of War, Vol. 2 - World War II (The Battles) / The Cold War
The First World War - The Complete Series

ASIN: B00005YUOS
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Amazon.com

This first installment of Archives of War, a collection focusing on 20th-century warfare, uses as its centerpiece a British silent film shot in the 1920s--The Battle of Ypres, which was produced to resemble a World War I documentary. The rest is an eclectic mix of newsreels shot in Europe and Asia that show how the stage was being set for World War II. The material is presented in its original languages with no translations, but the footage itself is often fascinating.

The second installment focuses on the leaders of the nations involved in World War II. In addition to Hitler and Mussolini propaganda clips, perhaps the most interesting material features Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose famed "date which will live in infamy" speech is shown in its entirety. Roosevelt also is seen delivering his devastatingly sarcastic speech lampooning Republicans, and Winston Churchill appears in a variety of newsreels. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

"Archives" is the key word for this excellent collection.......2007-01-30

Seems to me that the reviewer with the Ph.D. takes things far too seriously. He complains that none of this footage is put into context, interpreted, etc. But the point of this collection is to offer news reel and other footage that is NOT INTERPRETED AT ALL. A bit refreshing, actually. Especially for instructors and students alike who can offer their own interpretations, without being co-opted or influenced by any narration.
This collection doesn't pretend to be a documentary in the traditional sense; it simply offers the viewer a most interesting collection of archival film footage related to combat in the 20th century. And this stuff is British, not US. So it isn't the same material we are used to seeing from the National Archives, used time and again in documentaries.
As for the other reviewer's complaint about the oddly edited footage set to buffoonish music...I can hardly believe that he didn't recognize the piece as a very entertaining piece of propaganda, produced by the cheeky British at the height of the Battle of Britain.
Yes, this collection no doubt will leave viewers with some questions; but we can always go to the internet and find some answers, can't we? "Archives of War" offers no real interpretation of events -- definitely a rare occurrence in the world of documentaries.

Do not buy this DVD or any of the other volumes...........2005-03-13

The so-called Archives of War, at least as represented in this edition released by MPI, is nothing more than a cash cow. It is essentially a sporadic, sprawling compilation of assorted footage presented without commentary, continuity, or subtitles. It was, evidently, converted straight from VHS, without regard for the DVD advantages, such as division into Chapters, etc.

What purpose does it serve to watch various speeches made by Hitler in the 1930s, without any contextualization, without the knowledge of where and how these images were chosen and or spliced. (Some footage looks like it was lifted from "Triumph of the Will," though it has been some time since I've seen Riefenstahl's work, so I cannot be sure.) A knowledge of German is essential, otherwise you will not know if Hitler is talking about policies concerning "Anschluss," the Sudatenland, the Final Solution, or simply cracking a joke amongst fellow Nazis.

More disturbing is the editing (Done by MPI? Or dating from the period itself? one cannot know) of Nazi's marching to ironically whimsical and lighthearted marches. Loop effects are applied (again, by whom?) so that several images of the same "Sieg Heil" (forgive orthographical mistakes) are repeated in counterpoint to the buffoonish music.

I possess a Ph.D. in Modern European History, but, like a fool, blindly bought the complete 3 volumes, hoping to find something worthwhile to show from time to time in a university classroom. These "Archives of War" are a complete swindle, and should be marked down as rather belated war profiteering wrought on unsuspecting consumers.

Great Battles of WWII Europe: The Final Battles

Average customer rating:

Great Battles of WWII Europe: The Final Battles
Starring: Greeat Battle of World War II Europe
Manufacturer: Columbia River Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Great Battles WWII Europe: From Normandy to Paris

Average customer rating:

Great Battles WWII Europe: From Normandy to Paris
Starring: Great Battles of World War II Europe
Manufacturer: Columbia River
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Robin of Locksley

Chris Rock: Never Scared

Hell's Kitchen (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: To The Devil A Daughter

Singin' In The Rain