Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
by M. Clay Adams
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DVD details
Director: M. Clay AdamsBrand: AAE
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Black & White, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 690 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product features:
- Considered the most influential documentary in television history, VICTORY AT SEA, in the words of Harper s Weekly, "created a new art form." The 26 half-hour episodes were culled from over 13,000 hours of footage shot by the U.S., British, German and Japanese navies during World War II. Narrated by Leonard Graves and set to a score by Richard Rodgers, this program offered a remarkable look at the
DVD Reviews of Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
DVD Review: Style quite dated & often annoying but the content often provides a different perspective on aspects of WW2
Summary: 2 Stars
This DVD uses ancient reviews to substantiate its claim to being an excellent video. Whilst it might in its day have been the epitome of excellence, the whole production now seems excessively melodramatic with the accompanying music far too loud & dramatic. This aspect tends to detract from ones viewing pleasure.
I am always wary of productions produced so soon after the war as the emotions were still too raw to allow for a balanced factual account of the events. This video must plead mea culpa to this charge. Certain episodes are more prone to this weakness. The one on the island hopping campaigns comes across as subliminal propaganda & with even a hint of jingoism. It would probably rate one out of ten for objectivity. This is extremely irritating & distracting.
In addition a number of scenes are clearly re-enactments after the fact but the video itself makes no mention of this fact.
On the positive side, there are a number of episodes where fresh views, from this reviewer's perspective, were obtained of events, albeit minor in the greater scheme of events. Despite the tone of the episode on the Leyte Gulf battle being inappropriate, this is the first complete exposition of this climactic sea battle that I am aware of on video. In the battle, the Japanese navy staked all to achieve the destruction of the American fleet. This entailed the convergence of no less than four Nippon battle groups. The Oriental nation's aims were easily thwarted often with a dollop of good luck but the American fleet prevailed. The capture of the Philippine islands meant that their umbilical cord to the oil & other raw material was irrevocably severed. The lack of this vital sustenance would ultimately & ineluctably mean the demise for Japanese military aggression & its political construct, the so-called Greater Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere.
The time dwelt on each aspect covered bears no relation to its importance in the war but rather, one suspects, to either available footage, the producer's proclivities or American bias. Certain actions deserve more focus due to either their importance to the war effort or because of its consequences or lessons learnt. An example which quickly springs to mind is the battle of D-Day which is scantily dealt with. Nowhere does one get a sense of its significance.
This is the most comprehensive account of the naval dimension of WW2. This focus provides a peek into a different component of the war. One gets no sense of the strategic thought processes in this video but one is rather shown a series of unrelated events with no binding central theme apart from its naval dimension. The purchase of this DVD is not recommended unless one is an aficado of naval history. For the rest of you, rather wait for another version which, given the enduring interest in all matters relating to WW2, cannot be long in coming.
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Description of Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 09/30/03
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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