World War II

Starring:Various
Studio: Hep Cat Records
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Band of Brothers
The Eagles Nest people, the Eagles Nest...
Band o' Blood.
BoB is true greatness
The Best Docu-drama

Band of Brothers
Starring: David Frankel , Tom Hanks , Damien Lewis , and Ron Livingstone
Manufacturer: HBO Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition)
Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00006CXSS
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com

An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose, the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers' journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elete rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered 150 percent casualties, and whose lives became legend.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features:Weblinks to the orignal Band of Brothers website and more!
Documentary:"We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" - 80 minute documentary featuring interviews with the real men of Easy Company
Featurette:30-minute "The Making of Band of Brothers" The Premiere On The Beaches of Normandy - includes interviews with Easy Company vetrans and heads of state for the United States, Great Britian, France and Canada.
Interviews:Ron Livingston's Video Diaries - The experience of making "Band of Brothers" through the eyes of one actor.
Other:Interactive "Field Guide": An extensive reference feature that details the people, places and events associated with Easy Company's campaigns through Europe, and World War II as a whole, including sections such as: soldiers, timelines, maps, chain-of-command and glossary of terms.
Scene Access

Customer Reviews:

Band of Brothers.......2007-07-08

We had the Band of Brothers of VHS tapes which my father in law had described as the closest movie out there that actual shows what truely happened. In this day and age everything is now DVD. I was so happy to be able to purchase this through Amazon as I trust Amazon and its vendors. The Band of Brothers has special meaning for my husband since my father in law passed away and I was pleased to be able to receive it in time for father;s day. Band of Brothers is a very good movie especially when you know someone who has served in the war. Everyone needs to see it and remember what occured and what we went through

The Eagles Nest people, the Eagles Nest... .......2007-07-03

This is the Holy Grail of WWII movies. If you are a fan of Saving Private Ryan, Letters to Iwo Jima, Flags of our Fathers, Schindler's List, Tora Tora Tora, Enemy at the gates, or any other classic WWII movie (Kelly's Heroes, ahem!), and have not seen Band Of Brothers...than you need to stop what you are doing and order it right now and watch it...If you can't get it fast enough, still order it and rent it while you wait for your very own copy to come in the mail. I like Saving Private Ryan, but this smokes it out of the water. Smokes it people, smokes it....puff puff glub glub...

Band o' Blood........2007-07-03

I bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas and he was so thrilled to get it . Him, being in the military, loves it for being realistic, and also being a true story that's well played out.

I watched the first disk and was impressed by it, but having a weak stomach, I was squirming every so often, trying to avoid someone get blown up.
Four stars for the gore.

But this collection is a must own for every guy in the military, military buff, or just a guy who loves war stuff.

BoB is true greatness.......2007-07-03

This is one of the best WWII depictions I have ever seen. So many stars in many great roles.

The Best Docu-drama.......2007-07-03

With Shogun a distant 2nd (and that was phenomenal), this is by far the best docu-drama/miniseries filmed to date! In context alone, watching this not only informs the viewer of the hardships of WWII, but of the sacrifice of Easy Company and the soldiers just like them! Thanks for your service gentlemen!!

Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Expectations Unfulfilled
The American Way
2nd Film is better but this has its merits
BORING AND DEPRESSING
Too much bouncing around

Flags of Our Fathers (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Ryan Phillippe , Jesse Bradford , Adam Beach , John Benjamin Hickey , and John Slattery
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Letters from Iwo Jima (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Casino Royale (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Blood Diamond [HD DVD]

ASIN: B000M4RG42
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Amazon.com

Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities - and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

As the surviving flag-raisers reluctantly play their public roles as "the heroes of Iwo Jima" during an exhausting (but clearly necessary) wartime bond rally tour, Flags of Our Fathers evolves into a pointed study of battlefield valor and misplaced idolatry, incorporating subtle comment on the bogus nature of celebrity, the trauma of battle, and the true meaning of heroism in wartime. Wisely avoiding any direct parallels to contemporary history, Eastwood allows us to draw our own conclusions about the Iwo Jima flag-raisers and how their postwar histories (both noble and tragic) simultaneously illustrate the hazards of exploited celebrity and society's genuine need for admirable role models during times of national crisis. Flags of Our Fathers defies the expectations of those seeking a more straightforward war-action drama, but it's richly satisfying, impeccably crafted film that manages to be genuinely patriotic (in celebrating the camaraderie of soldiers in battle) while dramatizing the ultimate futility of war. Eastwood's follow-up film, Letters from Iwo Jima, examines the Iwo Jima conflict from the Japanese perspective. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Flags of Our Fathers

Other World War II DVDs
Essential DVDs by Director Clint Eastwood
Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

Stills from Flags of Our Fathers (click for larger image)

Product Description

From Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven) comes the World Was II epic Flags of Our Fathers, produced by Eastwood, Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List), and Rob Lorenz (Mystic River), and from a screenplay adapted by William Broyles, Jr. (Cast Away) and Oscar winner Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash).
February 1945. Even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. The inspiring photo capturing that moment became a symbol of victory to a nation that had grown weary of war and made instant heroes of the six American soldiers at the base of the flag, some of whom would die soon after, never knowing that they had been immortalized. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory.
Flags of Our Fathers is based on the bestselling book by James Bradley with Ron Powers, which chronicled the battle of Iwo Jima and the fates of the flag raisers and some of their brothers in Easy Company. Bradley's father, John "Doc" Bradley, was one of the soldiers pictured raising the flag, although James never knew the full extent of his father's experiences until after the elder Bradley's death in 1994.

Customer Reviews:

Great Expectations Unfulfilled.......2007-07-09

With Clint Eastwood as director and Steven Spielberg as producer I was really expecting to watch a movie that would be on par with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, I was severely disappointed!

Let me start by saying that I have the utmost respect for those that fought on the Battle if Iwo Jima, I can't imagine the real horror it must have been to be there.

In telling the story of the "flag", which was probably very accurate I felt that the movie was very disjointed in its bounces between timeframes. From the battle to the fund raising events, back and forth, back and forth I was not able to enjoy any continuity in the story. Just when I was starting to bite my nails in a combat scene it would jump into some stadium full of people and a reenactment of the flag raising. I would slump in my seat and wonder why I had let the tension build up inside only to be let down like this.

Watching a drunken American Indian rant and rave throughout the movie was most disappointing. While that may have been the fact, I didn't find the portrayal anything but depressing, which in many ways was the way that I left the theater, depressed, wondering in whose pocket my $10 would land.

I'm guessing if you read the book and saw the movie you might be very happy with the performance. My expectations far outweighed this movies ability to deliver any type of gripping story, fulfilling battle scenes (as both director and producer have delivered in the past) or feeling that at the end I was a better person for having watched such a sad reel of film.

The American Way.......2007-07-05

This was a very thought-provoking piece. Extremely well played by actors previously unknown to me. The direction was spot on allowing the story to unfold with no histrionics. Gory - yes, but that's what war is. Well worth a second view. Oh yes the music was very fitting and poignant.

2nd Film is better but this has its merits.......2007-07-02

Though not as good as it's companion piece, Flags takes a unique perspective of WWII. War is depressing, tragic, and horrible. It may be something that we have to participate in because of circumstances, but I think the message is that it isn't a simple solution and the price is high. The film does suffer from lack of good characters which is surprising for an Eastwood film. I liked the battle scenes and thought they were well done. Overall Saving Ryan was better in some respects, but then it suffered from the contrivance of the German soldier killing the American soldier after he was let go. So yes the film is flawed but still worthwhile.

BORING AND DEPRESSING.......2007-07-01

I like war films like Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor, but I found this film depressing, hopeless ("everything is a lie!") and downright boring. It seems interesting but after a while you just feel aweful about your own country and feel fooled. I love you Clint but you should have just changed directions of the film from the beginning

Too much bouncing around.......2007-06-30

I'm a little bit of a history buff and like to watch movies about different periods of history to learn a little bit. I was disappointed with this movie. Seemed like we were bouncing around a little too much and it was hard to track events and people. In the end, I felt the movie was more about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome than about Iwo Jima or the war.

I would probably pass on this one and watch something else, unless you are really curious about it.

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

EXCELLENT PARODY ON SUPERPOWER GOVERNMENTS
Dr. Strangelove
One of the Great Black Comedies
Watch This Movie and Sleep Better At Night
Peter Sellers heads up a great cast

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Starring: Peter Sellers , George C. Scott , Sterling Hayden , Keenan Wynn , and Slim Pickens
Director: Stanley Kubrick , and David Naylor
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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2001 - A Space Odyssey
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ASIN: B000055Y0X
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Amazon.com essential video

Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick's cold-war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with "the purity of precious bodily fluids," mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so- called "Doomsday Device," and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about "acceptable losses." With dialogue ("You can't fight here! This is the war room!") and images (Slim Pickens's character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick's film regularly appears on critics' lists of the all-time best. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

EXCELLENT PARODY ON SUPERPOWER GOVERNMENTS.......2007-07-06

This work is a wonderful parody on how the so called super powers of the world (past or present) poster themselves.

It shows all that although the governments may try to be oh so serious, they end up looking like bumbling idiots falling all over each other with the ultimate destruction of all as a result.

Riding the bomb rodeo style was a nice touch - GREAT WORK!

Dr. Strangelove.......2007-06-27

The most inspired piece of Cold War satire ever and one of the screen's supreme black comedies, Kubrick's 1964 "Strangelove" confronted jittery audiences in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and not long after the advent of the H bomb. With Kubrick's twisted genius as director and screenwriter in full bloom, and peerless performances by Peter Sellers (in three roles), Scott, and the unhinged Hayden, the film is unbearably funny and extremely disturbing all at once.

One of the Great Black Comedies.......2007-06-21

This work doesn't need much explaination. It is a true classic black comedy. It uses humaor to show how ludicrous and easily corrupted our governments truly are. It simultaneously shines a homorous and frightening light on nuclear war. In my opinion, this is well worth your time. And if you are interested in nuclear war, World War III or end times works, I highly recommend the book Mysteries of the Universe... it is shocking, controversial and frightening! Here's tha amazon page link: Mysteries of the Universe: A Revolutionary Commentary on UFOs, Aliens, Angels, Pyramids, Bible Codes, Reincarnation, the Antichrist...

Watch This Movie and Sleep Better At Night .......2007-06-12

This movie offers the best tongue and cheek commentary on the absurdities of war. I am sure this movie has been heavily "borrowed" from by Hollywood. The "Survival Kit Content Check" scene reminded me alot about the more recent "duct tape your windows" survival tactics. If you believe that the end of the world will come in a flash of light, this movie will validate you.

Peter Sellers heads up a great cast.......2007-06-08

Peter Sellers heads up a great cast in a very funny movie. Worth having in your Peter Sellers collection!

Average customer rating:

Black and White Movies Can Be Colorful
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Daylight Bombing of Tokyo!
Great item.
Perfect!

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Starring: Spencer Tracy , Van Johnson , and Robert Mitchum
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NTPG6Q
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

There is no more ringing title among World War II movies than Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, and the mission it celebrates was unquestionably historic: a 400-mile bombing raid to carry the war to Japan itself mere months after that nation's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet the film is less memorable than many WWII pictures with less exalted factual basis. At the time, critic James Agee eloquently defined both its virtues and limitations as "a big-studio, big-scale film, free of artistic pretension ... transformed by its not very imaginative but very dogged sincerity into something forceful, simple, and thoroughly sympathetic in spite of all its big-studio, big-scale habits." That remains true today, but perhaps the movie--and its unimpeachably noble, admirably life-sized characters--wouldn't seem so stuck in the amber of a bygone era if Mervyn LeRoy and company had pumped a little "artistic pretension" into it.

Spencer Tracy--as James H. Doolittle, architect of the raid--rates the most towering screen credit, and he's superb. But his role's an extended cameo; the emotional core of the film is B-25 pilot Ted Lawson (Van Johnson) and his wife, Ellen (the glowing Phyllis Thaxter). Lawson's bestselling memoir (with Bob Considine) of his training for the secret mission, his group's launching from the aircraft carrier Hornet, and his crash landing and protracted ordeal in China--where he lost a leg--has been faithfully served. The film is long on homely detail and all-American decency (including a remarkably outspoken regret over the unavoidability of civilian casualties) but achieves its greatest impact in the raid itself. That sequence, in addition to boasting Oscar-winning special effects, is mostly shot in riveting silence. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

First B-25's in training for bombing mission over Japan, under General Jimmy Doolittle's command.

Customer Reviews:

Black and White Movies Can Be Colorful.......2007-07-09

I saw this movie once on TV and really liked it but could never find it anywhere for sale until recently. Not only does it give a lot of insite into how Americans viewed themselves and their place in the world shortly after the war, it also has a great story line and beautiful scenery. The movie was so well done that I didn't really notice it was in black and white. It's a period piece that will memorialize the Doolittle raid on Tokio launched in response to Pearl Harbor. I would recommend this movie for anyone, but especially people who are interested in World War II in particular and war movies in general.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.......2007-06-27

Outstanding world war II movie made in 1944, about the Doolittle raid over Tokyo. Stars Spencer Tracy,Van Johnson, Robert Mitchum and Robert Walker. If you like the old black & white war movies from the forties, this one is a must have.

Daylight Bombing of Tokyo!.......2007-03-03

This is the true story of the Doolittle Raid on the Japanese home islands just after Pearl Harbor. 16 B-25 bombers under the command of Col. Jimmy Doolittle take off from American aircraft carriers off Japan and bomb numerous Japanese cities. They fly on to China and are eventually sent back to the States. Several crews were shot down or crashed and were captured by the Japanese. Based on the Book of the same name. The raid did little damage but was a huge propanganda success in the USA. Stars Spencer Tracy as Doolittle, and a very young Robert Mitchum. One of the very best of the WW2 movies. Don't miss this one..!!!

Great item........2007-01-09

Super fast ship and item was exactly as described. GREAT SELLER!!!

Perfect!.......2006-02-05

With the camera in the Bombadier's cockpit and this roaring
B-25 screaming, dipping and rising, toward Tokyo - I get chills everytime I watch these scenes.

The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

No closed captions/provisions for hearing impaired
Greatest WWII overview
Surely the best?
Just okay ...
World at War--Good look at history!

The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)
Starring: Laurence Olivier , Sir Max Aitken , Vannevar Bush , Christabel Bielenberg , and Edward Butler (II)
Director: John Pett , David Elstein , and Hugh Raggett
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The First World War - The Complete Series
Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
BBC History of World War II
World War 1 in Color
The Nazis - A Warning from History

ASIN: B0002F6AH0
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Amazon.com essential video

Sir Jeremy Isaacs highly deserves the numerous awards for documentaries he has earned: the Royal Television Society's Desmond Davis Award, l'Ordre National du Mérit, an Emmy, and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. His epic The World at War remains unsurpassed as the definitive visual history of World War II.

The Second World War was different from other wars in thousands of ways, one of which was the unparalleled scope of visual documents kept by the Axis and Allies of all their activities. As a result, this war is understood as much through written histories as it is through its powerful images. The Nazis were particularly thorough in documenting even the most abhorrent of the atrocities they were committing--in a surprising amount of color footage. The World at War was one of the first television documentaries that exploited these resources so completely, giving viewers an unbelievable visual guide to the greatest event in the 20th century. This is to say nothing of the excellent, comprehensible narrative. Some highlights:

A New Germany 1933-39: early German and Nazi documentation of Hitler's rise to power through the impending attack on Poland
Whirlwind: the early British losses in the blitz in the skies over Britain and in North Africa
Stalingrad: the turning point of the war and Germany's first defeat
Inside the Reich--Germany 1940-44: one of the most fascinating documentaries that exists on life inside Nazi Germany, from Lebensborn to the Hitler Youth
Morning: prior to Saving Private Ryan, one of the only unromanticized views of the Normandy invasion
Genocide: this film is one of the most widely shown introductions to the Holocaust
Japan 1941-45: although The World at War is decidedly focused more on the European theater, this is an important look into wartime Japan and its expansion--early 20th-century history that lead to Japan's role in World War II is superficial
The bomb: another widely shown documentary of the Manhattan Project, the Enola Gay, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki

The World at War will remain the definitive visual history of World War II, analogous to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. No serious historian should be missing The World at War in a collection, and no student should leave school without having seen at least some of its salient episodes. Rarely is film so essential. --Erik J. Macki

Customer Reviews:

No closed captions/provisions for hearing impaired.......2007-07-07

The miniseries was terrific but the DVD has one unacceptable (for me) flaw: It has no provisions for the hearing impaired. There is no closed captioning. I bought this as a gift for someone who is hearing impaired and was forced to return it.

Such a cheap, shoddy decision for production is unworthy of the fine miniseries.

Greatest WWII overview.......2007-07-05

We have seen several very good overviews of the 2nd world war. This one is the yardstick that we measure them by. So many people are trying to rewrite history that young people can't really understand how it was. 'World at War' and 'Victory at Sea' give the even handed history that we need today.

Surely the best?.......2007-06-25

For me, as a British viewer this is almost like the `authorised' documentary television series about The Second World War. Considering the fact that most of the participants in this conflict, as young men and women were now middle-aged at the time of the production of this series in the early 1970's; they could relate their individual experiences which for them would have been recent memories.

American viewers criticize the lack of emphasis on the war in the Pacific. At the time, long before the concept of home video, cable and satellite television was conceivable I'm sure it was thought very unlikely that this excellent series would ever tempt the American broadcasting networks to buy it. So therefore it is not surprising that the series emphasises the war from the British point of view.

As there was little British, or British empire participation in the Pacific theatre it can hardly come as a surprise that the bitter conflict in Burma, Malaya and New Guinea should hold our primary attention. Should the series be made today, with the avowed intention of making a documentary series that would have to be sold around the world to recoup production costs alone, the story would more encompassing in its scope.

Please don't forget that the war began for Britain and France when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and the security of the British people and homeland did not finally arrive until the surrender of Germany in May 1945. Our focus was on the war in Europe and the Soviet Union. The war in the Pacific was a dim and distant event for the "Blacked-out" and severely rationed British people more concerned with the daily struggle just to keep body and soul together.

Just okay ..........2007-06-19

The very first episode was great ... after that it was hit and miss. I found multiple times I wanted to fall asleep on some episodes, but stayed awake out of some desire to feel I watched the whole thing. It is also narrated from a British perspective, and so as an American, I found little to entertain my appetite. Especially Pacific theatre combat with the Americans was almost none existent, as if British combat and especially in Burma was the only real thing that happened. It does have good insights into the Nazi's and rewards itself here and there, but overall I think the British slant and focus ruined the series.

I also found it humorous that the narrator tried to label Hitler as "right-wing" when he was a Socialist dictator. What?

World at War--Good look at history!.......2007-06-18

World at War is a classic! The combination of high-level policymakers' viewpoints and individual citizens' and soldiers' viewpoints gives excellent understanding of the events and issues. I highly recommend it for individuals or classes who want to learn about WWII.

Letters from Iwo Jima / Flags of Our Fathers (Five-Disc Commemorative Edition)

Average customer rating:

terrible boring unwatchable nonsense
Iwo Jima
Great buy, and worth the wait for the whole set to arrive
FLAGS AND LETTERS FROM IWO
Present

Letters from Iwo Jima / Flags of Our Fathers (Five-Disc Commemorative Edition)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition)
Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series)
Blood Diamond [HD DVD]
The Last King of Scotland (Widescreen Edition)
The Queen

ASIN: B000P1XITE
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Flags of Our Fathers
Thematically ambitious and emotionally complex, Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers is an intimate epic with much to say about war and the nature of heroism in America. Based on the non-fiction bestseller by James Bradley (with Ron Powers), and adapted by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis (Jarhead screenwriter William Broyles Jr. wrote an earlier draft that was abandoned when Eastwood signed on to direct), this isn't so much a conventional war movie as it is a thought-provoking meditation on our collective need for heroes, even at the expense of those we deem heroic. In telling the story of the six men (five Marines, one Navy medic) who raised the American flag of victory on the battle-ravaged Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23rd, 1945, Eastwood takes us deep into the horror of war (in painstakingly authentic Iwo Jima battle scenes) while emphasizing how three of the surviving flag-raisers (played by Adam Beach, Ryan Phillippe, and Jesse Bradford) became reluctant celebrities--and resentful pawns in a wartime publicity campaign - after their flag-raising was immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in the most famous photograph in military history.

On the DVDs
The two-disc special edition of Flags of Our Fathers offers a fine balance of behind-the-scenes production features and archival history. Disc 1 is entirely dedicated to Clint Eastwood's acclaimed wartime drama, paired with an abundance of special features on disc 2. First up is a three-minute introduction by Clint Eastwood, who explains his attraction to James Bradley's nonfiction bestseller, how he partnered with Steven Spielberg to coproduce this ambitious production, and the themes of wartime valor and misguided celebrity that he wished to illuminate. Next, author Bradley recalls the process of seeing his book translated to film (including interview clips with screenwriters William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis) and his involvement with the production as an authoritative consultant. In the 20-minute featurette "Six Brave Men," the actors who played the celebrated Iwo Jima flag-raisers speak about their characters, how they fit into the history of Iwo Jima, and the responsibility of honoring their memories with historically accurate portrayals. "The Making of an Epic" is a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary covering all aspects of production, from the decision to film in Iceland (where black volcanic sand matched the barren beaches of Iwo Jima) to the individual contributions of key personnel, most notably cinematographer Tom Stern, editor Joel Cox, costume designer Deborah Hopper, the late, great production designer Henry Bumstead, and Eastwood's longtime casting director, the late Phyllis Huffman. (The making-of feature is dedicated to Bumstead and Huffman, who both succumbed to cancer shortly after production was completed.) "Raising the Flag" (running a little over three minutes) focuses on the cast and crew's meticulous re-creation of the second Iwo Jima flag-raising, demonstrating the reverent care with which each soldier's movements were duplicated in exacting detail. "Looking into the Past" is a nearly 10-minute assembly of 1945 newsreel footage, showing many of the actual events that were dramatized in Eastwood's film, and demonstrating the impressive efforts that went into making Flags of Our Fathers as authentic as it could possibly be. The 15-minute "Visual Effects" featurette provides a detailed analysis of Digital Domain's diligent efforts to achieve convincing photo-realistic images in the film's epic-scale battle sequences, home-front bond rallies, and other sequences where CGI wizardry was required. The original theatrical trailer for Flags of Our Fathers is also included. --Jeff Shannon

Letters from Iwo Jima
Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatize one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanize "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honor against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of color) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Like the film itself, the two-disc special edition of Letters from Iwo Jima is predominantly Japanese in content, and that's as it should be. Disc 1 presents the film in a flawless widescreen transfer, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack that perfectly captures the film's wide dynamic range. The optional subtitles can be turned off for those wishing to immerse themselves in a completely Japanese viewing experience. Disc 2 opens with "Red Sun, Black Sand: The Making of Letters from Iwo Jima," a 20-minute behind-the-scenes documentary that concisely covers all aspects of production, from director Clint Eastwood's initial decision to create a companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, to interview comments from principal cast and crew, the latter including Flags screenwriters Paul Haggis and Letters screenwriter Iris Yamashita, costume designer Deborah Hopper, editor Joel Cox, cinematographer Tom Stern, production designer James Murakami (taking over for the ailing Henry Bumstead), and coproducer Rob Lorenz. "The Faces of Combat" is an 18-minute featurette about selecting the Japanese (and Japanese-American) cast of Letters, and how they were chosen through the international collaboration of Eastwood's long-time casting director Phyllis Huffman (who turned over some of her duties to her son while struggling with terminal illness) and Japanese casting associate Yumi Takada, who filled important roles with Japanese celebrities (like pop star Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays "Saigo") and unknown actors alike.

"Images from the Frontlines" is a 3.5-minute montage of images from the film and behind-the-scenes, set to the sparse piano theme of Eastwood's original score. The remaining bonus features chronicle the world premiere of Letters in Tokyo on November 15, 2006. The premiere itself is covered in a 16-minute featurette taped at the famous Budokan arena, where we see the red-carpet procession, a full-capacity audience despite cold November weather, and introductory comments from the film's primary cast and crew, many of them quite moving with regard to the satisfaction of working on a film that helps Japanese viewers come to terms with a painful chapter of their history. The following day's press conference (at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo hotel) is a 24-minute Q&A session covering much of the same territory, with additional testimony from principal cast & crew. Throughout this two-day event, it's clear that Eastwood (referring to himself as "a Japanese director who doesn't speak the Japanese language") was warmly embraced by the Japanese, and that Letters from Iwo Jima had served its intended purpose, reminding us of the horrors of war while uniting both Japanese and Americans in somber reflection, 61 years after the battle of Iwo Jima. --Jeff Shannon

On the bonus fifth disc is an A&E documentary Heroes of Iwo Jima from 2001 narrated by Gene Hackman, and "To the Shores of Iwo Jima," a 1945 short film that was Oscar-nominated for best documentary short.

Description

5 Disc Commemorative Collector's Edition includes Flags of Our Fathers 2-Disc Special Edition Letters From Iwo Jima 2-Disc Special Edition and bonus disc including 1) Heroes of Iwo Jima (History Channel documentary hosted by Gene Hackman) 2) To the Shores of Iwo Jima (Academy Award nominated 1945 UA short)

Customer Reviews:

terrible boring unwatchable nonsense.......2007-06-29

more boring bad filmmaking from this over rated stoic and sadly incompetent director-- i grant you- million dollar baby was great-- i guess because hillary swank was in it and even clint eastwood couldnt ruin her incredible devotion to perfection---but these two movies dispLay eastwoOds usuaL MISSTEPS AS A DIRECTOR-- CAMERA ALWAYS IN THE WRONG PLACE-- NO BUILDING OF TENSION--hence NO RELEASE OF TENSION-- WHICH I THInK HE STRIVES FOR BUT ALWAYS MISSES --- HE CANT TELL A STORY AND APPARENTLY HAS NO CLUE HOW TO DIRECT ACTORS ---IF HE CASTS A GENIUS LIKE SWANK HE MIGHT GET LUCKY W THEM AND NOT RUIN THEIR WORK--OTHERWISE HIS INCOMPETENCE IS OVERWHELMING--NO PACE NOT A CHARACTER THAT ISNT WOODEN--LIKE HIMSWELF-- I FOUND THESE TWO MOVIES LITERALLY UNWATCHABLY BORING AND ILL CONCEIVED----so many american movies are so bad its doubly pATHETIC that this untalented guy is raised to such a high level by so many but understandable i guess when u consider the competition---are there any consistently great american directors anymore----w clint eastwoods paultry talents on top its a sad commentary indeed ---I LOVE WAR FILMS--- ARMY MOVIES I USED TO CALL THEM-- GUNS OF NAVARRONE-- DIRTY DOZEN-- BACK TO BATAAN---PEARL HARBOR !!!!LAWRENCE OF ARABIA ! BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI--- THE STORY OF GI JOE COMING HOME APOCOLYPSE NOW BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY IN COUNTRY JACKKNIFE--- BLACK HAWK DOWN AND THE MASTERPIECE OF THEM ALL-- THREE KINGS !!!! AMONG MANY MANY OTHERS-- MADE BY TALENTED FILMAKERS WHO KNeW WHAT THEY ARE DOING-- I HAD GREAT EXPECTATIONS W THESE TWO MOVIES--- BUT THE LACK OF PACE, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT STORY LINE--ALL THE THINGS THAT MAKE MOVIE MAKING COMPELLING-- ALL ABSENT HERE---- MORE DRIVEL FROM THIS PATHETIC DIRECTOR !!!! I SAY TAKE HIS LICENSE AWAY !!!!!!

Iwo Jima.......2007-06-29

I am not a Clint Eastwood fan but these two films are really great. Seeing them together is the only way to get a full appreciation of the horros of war from both sides - the aggressors and the liberators.

Great buy, and worth the wait for the whole set to arrive.......2007-06-27

Also included is the special DVD with Gene Hackman hosting a look back at the battle. I've seen that before on the History Channel or the Military Channel, can't remember which. But I believe there are a few interviews in there with Charles Lindberg, who just recently passed on at 86 years of age. He was one of the first flag raisers, the one carrying a flame thrower.
Anyway, Awesome collections of two awesome movies.

FLAGS AND LETTERS FROM IWO.......2007-06-27

I thoroughly enjoyed both films. But I was particularly struck by the film "Letters from Iwo Jima". I have studied World War II history but this movie offers a different viewpoint of how the Japanese lived, fought and died. The lesson can be applied to today and future conflicts. The Japanese Commander was a patriot, bound to duty and yet was conflicted by his emotions and his duty to his country. Good lessons in leadership.

Present.......2007-06-27

This was given as a gift for my dad and he was so happy. I know he enjoyed the movies and I can't wait to borrow it too!

Average customer rating:

Regardless of what others say...
Be Forwarned!!!
Better than advertised.
Entertaining Docudrama
No cliches just a slice of history.

Flyboys (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: James Franco , Scott Hazell , Mac McDonald , Philip Winchester , and Todd Boyce
Director: Tony Bill
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000LAZE8C
Release Date: 2007-01-30

Amazon.com

World War I aviation action gets an impressive digital upgrade in Flyboys, a welcome addition to the "dogfight" sub-genre that includes such previous war-in-the-air films like Hell's Angels, Wings, and The Blue Max. While those earlier films had the advantage of real and genuinely dangerous flight scenes (resulting, in some cases, in fatal accidents during production), Flyboys takes full (and safe) advantage of the digital revolution, with intensely photo-realistic recreations of WWI aircraft, authentic period structures, and CGI environments requiring a total of 850 digital effects shots, resulting in an abundance of amazing images, many of them virtually indistinguishable from reality. Unfortunately, the film's technical achievement is more impressive than its screenplay, which conventionally and predictably tells the fact-based story, set in France in 1916, of the daring young pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille, a pioneering French air-combat unit that welcomed American enlistees prior to the United States' entry into the war.

There's a familiar cliché to match every thrilling scene of aerial combat, but director Tony Bill manages to keep it all interesting, from the romance between a young American maverick (James Franco) and a pretty French girl (newcomer Jennifer Decker) to the exciting action in the air, which includes a stock variety of heroes (many of them composites of real-life WWI pilots) and an intimidating villain known only as "The Black Falcon," whose Fokker Dr-1 triplane (one of many in the film) recalls the exploits of German "ace of aces" Manfred von Richtofen, the dreaded "Red Baron" of legend. With impeccable production values that will impress even the most nit-picking aviation buffs, Flyboys (like Superman Returns and Apocalypto, also released in 2006) was also one of the first feature films to be shot with Panavision's state-of-the-art Genesis digital cameras, resulting in beautiful images that meet or exceed the visual nuance of film. Flyboys also benefits from painstaking attention to physical detail, making it easier to forgive its shortcomings as a generic and formulaic slice of romanticized history. So while some viewers may have wished for a more realistic and grown-up depiction of the Lafayette Escadrille, it's safe to say that Flyboys will be thrilling its target audience for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

Extras from Flyboys

Director Tony Bill on Filming Dogfight Sequences
...On throwing away the script for pilot training
...On the real-life stunt pilot who stars in the film

Beyond Flyboys

More "War in the Sky" Films
SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille: American Volunteer Airmen in World War 1

More "Military and War" Films

Stills from Flyboys

Description

Inspired by the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille, this action-packed epic tells the tale of America's first fighter pilots. These courageous young men distinguish themselves in a manner that none before them had dared, becoming true heroes who experience triumph, tragedy, love, and loss amid the chaos of World War I. Hang on for the ride of your life!

Customer Reviews:

Regardless of what others say..........2007-07-08

This is a very good movie. Being an aviation buff for many years, I am so glad that movie making technology has reached the state it has today when aircaft have a chance to be represented at least CLOSE to what they actually looked like. Just look at some of the previous movies where enemy aircraft have been represented by aircraft which they did not even closely resemble: P-51 Mustangs painted gray to represent Me-109 German aircraft in WWII movies or AT-6 aircraft marked with Japanese insignia. The reason: they were not available anywhere either in flying condition or even for display on a flying field. Maybe the aircraft in "Flyboys" weren't completely historically correct in markings or the combat scenes weren't what you would expect but how many of the reviewers of this movie are historical experts or have ever seen a Neuiport 17? Maybe the computer folks who made this movie needed to do a little more research on markings and such before they released this movie but at least their techniques are a start. Give them credit for that. As far as the story line goes, Hollywood will ALWAYS be Hollywood and action and love stories sell. If you don't like what you see on screen maybe you should try reading a book.

Be Forwarned!!!.......2007-07-08

I usually do not review films, but in this case I feel it neccessary. I have been a World War I aviation buff for many years. When I first heard that someone was making a film about this subject I knew that I had to see it. My disappointment when I finally saw the film can hardly be imagined. It's not just that they drag in every movie cliche thats ever been used in this type of story; there is literally not a single authentic detail or presentation of such detail in this film. The airplanes are wrong, the airplane paint jobs, markings. armaments are wrong. The clothes and uniforms are wrong, even the airfield that these guys are flying out of is wrong. It appears that the film makers, instead of researching information on life as a volunteer in the french air service of that period, opted for looking at old hollywood movies on this subject. Watch this film for whatever entertainment value it may have , but not to get an idea of what World War I aerial combat was like.

Better than advertised........2007-07-08

I hadn't heard much about this movie and I hadn't heard of any of the actors before so I was reluctant to watch it, but it's a great medium-budget movie! I love all war/historical movies that are based on real people. This movie follows about 7 military pilots in WWI that are based on real Americans or on composite characters. It's not as dramatic and over-the-top as a big-budget war movie, but that makes it a lighter form of entertainment. I'm going to buy the DVD so I can watch it again and share it with other people, whereas I couldn't stomach re-watching Private Ryan. If you've ever enjoyed an airshow, you'll love the old-time planes in the movie. The pilots are exposed to the elements, sticking out of small paper-wing airplanes with prop engines that need to be started by hand, and glide to a stop in open fields. One of the characters says "planes were only invented 10 years ago!" All the pilots had interesting life stories, one an aristocrat, one the son of a slave.. there is also a love story with the James Franco/Blaine character which I liked (he's quite handsome!).

Entertaining Docudrama.......2007-07-07

Every movie that's I've seen that is based on a true story has it's flaws, however, I like the entertainment and often how afterwards it drives me to learn more about the history behind the movie. This was very entertaining and even at times realize how bad war really is. I could relate to the characters and each of their internal conflicts that they were battling.

Definitely worth the time to watch and I'm still considering keeping this film to watch again.

No cliches just a slice of history........2007-07-06

This isn't a great movie. It's a good movie. It's worth the time and money. I liked it for two reasons: It provided a look at an remarkable piece of history and gave the viewer a sense of how loss effected the new fliers. It's applicable today. I came back with another new distinction about life.

Letters from Iwo Jima (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]

Average customer rating:

Great historical WWII film
Excise the PC section...
Definitely Worth Watching
Good movie, not historicly correct
Worst I've seen by Clint Eastwood

Letters from Iwo Jima (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]
Starring: Ken Watanabe , Tsuyoshi Ihara , Nae Yuki , Shidou Nakamura , and Ryo Kase
Director: Clint Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Brothers
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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

General | HD DVD | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000O77RL4
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Amazon.com

Critically hailed as an instant classic, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima is a masterwork of uncommon humanity and a harrowing, unforgettable indictment of the horrors of war. In an unprecedented demonstration of worldly citizenship, Eastwood (from a spare, tightly focused screenplay by first-time screenwriter Iris Yamashita) has crafted a truly Japanese film, with Japanese dialogue (with subtitles) and filmed in a contemplative Japanese style, serving as both complement and counterpoint to Eastwood's previously released companion film Flags of Our Fathers. Where the earlier film employed a complex non-linear structure and epic-scale production values to dramatize one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and its traumatic impact on American soldiers, Letters reveals the battle of Iwo Jima from the tunnel- and cave-dwelling perspective of the Japanese, hopelessly outnumbered, deprived of reinforcements, and doomed to die in inevitable defeat. While maintaining many of the traditions of the conventional war drama, Eastwood extends his sympathetic touch to humanize "the enemy," revealing the internal and external conflicts of soldiers and officers alike, forced by circumstance to sacrifice themselves or defend their honor against insurmountable odds. From the weary reluctance of a young recruit named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) to the dignified yet desperately anguished strategy of Japanese commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi (played by Oscar-nominated The Last Samurai costar Ken Watanabe), whose letters home inspired the film's title and present-day framing device, Letters from Iwo Jima (which conveys the bleakness of battle through a near-total absence of color) steadfastly avoids the glorification of war while paying honorable tribute to ill-fated men who can only dream of the comforts of home. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima tells the untold story of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film Rolling Stone calls "unique and unforgettable." It is the powerful companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.

Customer Reviews:

Great historical WWII film.......2007-07-07

Well I never learned any of this in history class!! An Amazing look into the hearts and minds of the Japanese. Really wonderful and lovingly done. My heart broke for them, for the way they fought even though it was a complete loss. A great companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers.

Excise the PC section..........2007-07-07

And you would have had a decent picture of the Japanese side of Iwo Jima. But, a thoroughly unneccesary section of the film where first a captured Marine is treated humanely by Baron Nishi, and then shortly thereafter, surrendered Japanese prisoners are executed by another Marine, sits in politically correct smugness smack in the middle of an otherwise decent film. It may make the "anti-war" message, but it rang false, and at that point the film faltered. True, earlier a Marine captive was shown beaten and bayoneted, but this was juxtaposed with another Japanese being burned to death, as if the Marine captive was being punished for that death. The reality of these battles was something else.

The historian William Manchester was a young Marine in the Pacific and in his book, Goodbye Darkness, about his experiences said that there was a tacit understanding between the Marines and Japanese in the island campaigns: neither side took many prisoners. At least while the battle was raging. That was just the way it was. Each campaign was a fight to the death. He also pointed out that the Marines always had help from native islanders against the Japanese, not because the islanders loved Marines or even knew what an American was, but because they hated the Japanese because of their brutality toward these conquered peoples.

Too bad, because otherwise this was a fine film pretty fairly showing the view from the other side of the cultural divide. It demonstrates the crazy waste and harshness of the Bushido code, most especially as it is sternly and unthinkingly applied to the average drafted Japanese soldier. It illustrates how these unyielding notions caused the needless sacrifice of their own troops in forced personal suicide and suicidal frontal assaults on fixed positions. It also showed the human dimension of these men left to do nothing else but die on that sulfurous rock. I had no problems with those elements of the film that depicted the common humanity of men with families and love of their country.

I liked the view of the unconventional General Kuribayashi's strategy, often undone by the willfully obtuse views of his own officers, and the equally effective view of life as lived by the common soldier, often starved and beaten by these same latter day samurai. The action scenes, as in Flags of Our Fathers, were well done and the production design I so admired in that film is, of course, still present here.

I liked the actors and the interplay between them. I admire the production values and this is often a quiet and interesting film. I certainly have no problem with seeing the flip side of the battle depicted in Flags of Our Fathers. I think the film was doing quite well in depicting the humanity of soldiers who, by and large, would rather be home or anywhere else. It didn't need any extra "message" slipped in, and while it might not bother others, I found it an unneccessary excess plea, and a bit disingenuous. At any rate, the film is worth seeing.

Definitely Worth Watching.......2007-07-05

Letters From Iwo Jima is dark. It is claustrophobic. It is gritty and painful and full of rocking explosions and the clatter of machine guns. It tells the story of Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima fighting for honor and to return home.

The characterizations were moving and original. The people in the film truly were human and showed the impact that war takes on the spirit. The atmosphere communicates completely the desperation and hopelessness of the soldiers and the numbing feeling of being so long in battle.

The script and the acting were both excellent and believable. I applaud the casting of Ninomiya Kazunari as Saigo, one of the main characters, a young soldier who just wants to return home to his wife and unborn child. Though the blurb on the back of the DVD case doesn't even mention Saigo, his story is part of the main focus of the story. I am very proud of Nino for being cast in this role. He is one of the reasons I saw this movie and I was not disappointed.

All in all, Letters is not a fun movie to watch. It's dark and bleak but it's a movie that most people, at least in the U.S. and Japan, should see. In the end, it is heart-wrenching and I was very glad that I'd seen it. It humanizes the war and makes you face the reality that our enemies of the time suffered as much as we did. As many have said, it tells the "other side of the story," and it's a story that we need to hear.

Good movie, not historicly correct.......2007-07-04

Not as good as Flags of Our Fathers, it doesn't show the true brutality of the Japanese. Its view is very sympithetic to the Japanese, but still a good movie.

Worst I've seen by Clint Eastwood.......2007-07-04

Watched for 1hour 14 minutes in disappointment. The script is terrible. Don't make the mistake of watching this movie. Why all the hype? How can this be a Clint Eastwood directed movie? Firstly, this movie makes fun of sacrifice. It makes fun of the Japanese commitment to Japan. For sure I do not know precisely what happened at Iwo Jima, all I know is that 22000 fought till only 216 remained. That is a victory. As big as the firefighters of 9/11. It is something, it seems that Clint Eastwood, that willingly directed this movie, will never understand. Having no choice in life but to die honorably.

Iwo Jima was a last-stand before the enemy reached Japan, much like the Alamo. Soldiers don't harbor anti-war sentiment when your home and family is threatened - you pull together. Fight and die together. I didn't get the idea that there were 22000 soldiers on the island. The American forces were realistically depicted. This is a clear anti-war movie - only problem is that it makes fun of the commitment of a die-hard enemy facing destruction.

Average customer rating:

Instant Teen Classic
It Takes Two Hands To Handle A WOPR
EXCELLENT 80's movie!:)
Am 80's classic.
another escape piece

War Games
Starring: Matthew Broderick , Dabney Coleman , John Wood , Ally Sheedy , and Barry Corbin
Director: John Badham
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0792838467
Release Date: 1998-04-29

Amazon.com

Cute but silly, this 1983 cautionary fantasy stars Matthew Broderick as a teenage computer genius who hacks into the Pentagon's defense system and sets World War III into motion. All the fun is in the film's set-up, as Broderick befriends Ally Sheedy and starts the international crisis by pretending while online to be the Soviet Union. After that, it's not hard to predict what's going to happen: government agents swoop in, but the story ends up in the "hands" of machines talking to one another. Thus we're stuck with flashing lights, etc. John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) directs in strict potboiler mode. Kids still like this movie, though. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, director commentary, optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Description

Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) star in this compelling drama filled with action, suspense and high-tech adventures! Featuring superb performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin, WarGames is "brilliant...funny...and provocative" (New York)a fast-paced cyber-thriller. Computer hacker David Lightman (Broderick) can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and mastereven the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department's war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportionsWorld War III! Together with his girlfriend (Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius (Tony AwardÂ(r) winner John Wood), David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

Customer Reviews:

Instant Teen Classic.......2007-06-28

In the era when nuclear threat was real and era of the Personal Computer birth, this film with an excellent story played by the wisecracking young Mathew Broderick and the really young Ally Sheedy (What happen to her she was really good and pretty) introduce us to the world of computers and hacking in the era of Cold War Tech with two countries fighting for supremacy and they stuck in the middle.

This film makes me go to college and study Computer Science, John Badham excellent direction and the Art Background is superb.

This Classic has to be in your collection if you where young in that time and if you haven't see it, would be educational to see what computers look like in the early eighties and what they could do.

It Takes Two Hands To Handle A WOPR.......2007-06-10

All storytelling revolves around three themes: Man against Man, Man against Nature, and Man against Himself. In the latter half of the Twentieth Century, a fourth paradigm was added, that being Man Against Machine. Largely told in the cinematic mode, Man against Machine has given us any number of low-budget American International Pictures releases, as well as such classic films as FAIL SAFE, DR. STRANGELOVE, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the TERMINATOR films, THE MATRIX and its sequels, and WAR GAMES.

WAR GAMES is a late Cold War Era entry (1983), and probably the only Teen Angst movie of this kind. Despite the inherent weaknesses of the Teen Angst genre, WAR GAMES manages to have been (and remain) satisfyingly entertaining, even after a quarter century. WAR GAMES remains timeless.

David Lightman (played by a pimple-faced, squeaky Matthew Broderick) is an underacheiving teenage computer genius who spends his time entertaining himself by hacking into the school computer and changing people's Grade Point Averages. Somehow, David manages to hook up with the pretty and popular Jennifer (played by a presumptively virginal Ally Sheedy). While trying to impress Jennifer with his pocket-protector machismo, David hacks into what he believes to be an online War Gaming site. Presented with a whole plethora of possible games, David, of course, skips over such boring choices as tic-tac-toe, poker, chess, and even the intriguingly named Falken's Maze to play Global Thermonuclear War.

David HAS hacked into an online War Gaming site. Unfortunately for David, and for us, it's NORAD. Having just completed a study showing that human button-pushers won't push their buttons in the event of an attack, NORAD has given the ultimate responsibility for button-pushing to a new computer, WOPR (the acronym is a little vague). WOPR doesn't realize that David is a hacker. WOPR also doesn't know that it's all a simulation. So WOPR starts World War III. David and Jennifer, realizing that it is all a terrible misunderstanding, spend the rest of the film trying to turn off the rambunctious little toaster oven. The ending is a Cold War parable.

After two and a half decades part of the fun of watching WAR GAMES is looking at all the quaint high-tech antiques. The computer geeks are an army of screaming, whining, barely toilet-trained four-eyed migraine makers. David's modem is a hard dock model that basically swallows telephone receivers. Reel-to-reel tape drives still look impressive. 5.25 disk drives are on the cutting edge. PCs as such don't exist, but 8088 integrated monitor-dual floppy drive-keyboard models are everywhere. No one's heard of the Graphical User Interface yet, and everything is reduced to green typing on black screens, the equivalent of computer cuneiform. DOS doesn't and Windows wasn't. Amazingly, David's home dinosaur can turn the typed word into an audio feed, allowing WOPR to talk. Tres cool, man!

As for the WOPR itself, it is appropriately named, being about a third of the size of a typical Burger King restaurant. Very well endowed with more beeping and flashing things than a Vegas Casino, WOPR has about as much computing power as an abacus, and works just about as well, but it is pretty to look at.

Even though the WOPR couldn't play a DVD, your computer can, and WAR GAMES is a fun popcorn-and-soda flick that's worth having in your collection.

EXCELLENT 80's movie!:) .......2007-05-12

This movie was (and still is) one of my favorite 80's movies, and NOW it's my daughter's favorite movie:) Wasn't the 80's awesome in terms of movies and music?:)

Am 80's classic........2007-04-19

In the 80's when computers were becoming popular alternative to human personnel the govt choices to swap personnel for an artificial intelligence that controls of all things the defense nuclear missiles. A crafty high school teen, savvy in the ways of hacking finds a "backdoor" into the database and initiates what he believes is a game. Without knowing, he inadvertently started a simulation of nuclear war which the computer thinks is real. The teen with the help of his friends must prove his innocence while trying to prevent a real nuclear missile strike from occurring.
This is a fun and exciting film. It brings you into a world of possibility. A favorite piece of the fun is the old PC he has at home, complete with talking speaker and on the hook modem. You remember those? You had to take the phone off the hook then place the ear piece and receiver on a caddy so it could speak through the modem. Its wild. This title is hard to find so if you're an 80's lover add this movie to your collection.

another escape piece.......2007-03-08

This movie is cute and intelligently presented. It is an old film, yet an escape for some young people who are overwhelmed with so much talk about war in the world. Broderick does an excellent job of portraying a typical teenager, wanting to play and try different computer games, coming across something larger than life.

The First World War - The Complete Series

Average customer rating:

Disappointing and biased
Fully satisfied.
First world war The Complete series
The Best War Documentary Ever Made
A Good introduction to the nervous breakdown of Europe

The First World War - The Complete Series
Starring: Jan Smuts , Jonathan Lewis , Philippe Pétain , Hermann Göring , and Erich Ludendorff
Director: Corina Sturmer , Marcus Kiggell , and Simon Rockell
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Documentary | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

World War 1 in Color
The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)
BBC History of World War II
The French Revolution (History Channel)
The Complete Story: World War I

ASIN: B0009S2K9C
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

This definitive ten-part series offers insight and analysis to provide a coherent and strategic military narrative of the worldwide conflict that changed history.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing and biased.......2007-07-07

Perhaps it's because I've seen the PBS series "The Great War" before this, but I was disappointed and unimpressed. The series is incoherent in sections, with very little attention paid to chronology. The Great War is longer, but it's also far more compelling. The First World War also contains a definite British bias, as it pays significant attention to the well-known German atrocities--the civilian bombing, the unlimited submarine warfare--but makes light of the British outrages such as "enlisting" soldiers from far-reaching countries such as Australia, Kenya and Canada and then using them as little more than cannon-fodder. The American involvement is seen only as a footnote, not the pivotal event in a 4-year-long war of attrition and stupidity. Gallipoli is glossed over without mentioning that the British high command left the Australians stranded on the peninsula with little support because the admiralty (primarily Churchill) didn't want to risk the ships to supply them. The series also glosses over the fact that as early as 1916 all sides wanted to end the war and didn't know how. Persico's 11th month, 11th day, 11th hour is a far better look at the war, with a much more rounded and incisive perspective; I recommend it highly.

Fully satisfied........2007-06-13

This complete series covers the important issues of the first world war very well. The historical events, geogrphical details and political turmoil are well explained with amazing footage and illustrations. How WWI started, who were the allies, the trenches, the innovations, the facts and detail of battles, abdication of the Kaiser, murder of Russian czar and his family, the senseless end of the war (more likely a twenty years break till second world war)are the information I gathered watching only once. I would love to watch it again and again.

First world war The Complete series.......2007-05-13

First comprehensive world war 1 series I have seen

The Best War Documentary Ever Made.......2007-05-10

At the fumbling beginning of World War I, someone said it was "a ghastly mistake". This documentary clarifies the clashes between the various Empires, as well as each ego-driven or careless counter-move that led deeper and deeper into the morass that killed more European troops than World War II, and introduced modern warfare to our century. One cannot understand the cultures of Eastern Europe and/or contemporary affairs such as the Serbian conflicts without understanding the forces that led to World War I. This documentary should be mandatory for all Americans, especially students, in order to broaden the mind and educate a poplace that is too often seen (from the European point of view) as insular and selfish.

A Good introduction to the nervous breakdown of Europe.......2007-04-16

This DVD series is a good overview of one of the great turning points of World History. It has a few flaws in that it does not go into any real detail about the war's campaigns and major battles. Also the American intervention is given short shift. That and one gets tired of the guilt theme thru out the film.
It does how ever give some good insight into the absolutely horrible leadership both in the Upper echleons of Civilian and Military. Churchill was the only one that showed himself able to think outside the box. Its a pity that the Dardanelles campaign was placed in such poor hands to execute it. One the plus side he did put his weight behind developing the Tank as a the stalemate breaking weapon.
Altogether I give this film a B-.

DVD: