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World At War - Complete Series Box Set [VHS]

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World At War - Complete Series Box Set [VHS]

VHS ~ Laurence Olivier

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product details

Actors: Laurence Olivier, Anthony Eden, Averell Harriman, Albert Speer, Siegfried Westphal
Format: Box set, PAL
Language English, French, German, Japanese
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
VHS Release Date: 9 Oct 2000

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

ASIN: B00004Z2YF
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 5,162 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)
Popular in these categories:
#43 in Video > Television & Documentary > Documentary > Military
#55 in Video > Box Sets > Television & Documentary

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, for many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live: the programme-makers were only just in time. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running time to a truly epic 32 hours. --Mark Walker

Synopsis

Includes a five disc set containing 'A New Germany 1933-39', 'Distant War 1939-40', 'France Falls: May-June 1940', 'Alone - Britain: May 1940 - June 1941', 'Barbarossa: June - December 1941' and 'Banzai: Japan Strikes', 'Desert - The War In North Africa', 'Stalingrad', 'Wolf Pack', 'Red Star' and 'Whirlwind', 'Tough Old Gut', 'It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow', 'Home Fires', 'Inside The Reich - Germany 1940-44', 'Morning' and 'Occupation', 'Pincers', 'Genocide', 'Nemesis', 'Japan 1941-45', 'Pacific - The Island To Island War', 'The Bomb', 'Reckoning' and 'Remember'.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needs to Be Seen., 19 Sep 2002

By	E. A. Redfearn "eredfearn2" (Middlesbrough) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

I first saw this series when it was originally broadcast in the 1970s by Thames Television. It was a wonderful achievement and should be seen by everyone. Depicting the real horrors of war, the destruction of towns and cities, and even whole races amidst the ovens of Auschwitz and others camps alike. The war which changed the face of Europe forever, creating a divided Germany, political and social divisions between East and West, and the birth of the European Community which we know so well today.

The Pacific Theatre of War is well covered too. The bitter conflict between Japan and the United States of America led to horrendous casualties which are still felt today.

My only criticism however, is that the Battle of the Atlantic is not well covered; there is no mention of the Bismarck and other German battleships of the time for instance. Still, there is more than enough material for any student of the war who wants to learn more about the conflict which changed the world forever.

Picture and sound are very good. One must not forget the marvellous narration by Sir Laurence Olivier; his contribution must never be understated.

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13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find out what really happened!, 2 May 2001

By	Roger Cruse (Herts, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was original made in the 1970's and has become "The" template for documentary making. Laurence Olivier provides the commentary with lots of clips of newsreel footage plus many interviews with the people who were there made before the became too old. If you seen Saving Private Ryan and couldn't beleive what ordinary people did, then get WaW and see why they did it.

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9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's not forget Mr. Olivier, 4 Sep 2002

By	D. G. Bradshaw "Scistorian" (london United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The World at War. Oh yes, The World at War: one word to describe it? it's got to be "moving".
I'm not the sort of bloke given to outbursts of emotion but when I heard Olivier reading that Russian soldier's poem in the episode about the siege of Leningrad, well I was moved to tears.
That has got to be testament to the pure genius of Olivier. His narration forms the linch-pin of the whole series, with its bleakness, but then with it's wit, some of it sarcastic, some of it ironic, some of it hillarious; with it's huge range of regional accents; with it's empathy provoking sentiments; etc.; etc.
Nice one Olivier. Long may you rest in peace along with the guys you narrated about.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A View Of History
WW2 was such a multifaceted episode of human history that even an epic documentary of this length cannot truly encompass it. Read more

Published on 6 April 2007 by ianrmillard

5.0 out of 5 stars An education
Still the benchmark for all serious documentary work.
The Holocaust episode should be mandatory viewing for everyone in their late teens, to make sure that nothing like it ever... Read more

Published on 9 Jun 2004 by Rich

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