The War: A Ken Burns Film
Documentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick bring the harrowing history of World War II to life through the personal accounts of a handful of participants from four "typical" American towns -- proving nothing was typical during this terrible time. Historical footage and photographs combine with realistic sound effects to create visceral scenes of the battles at Omaha Beach, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and more in this seven-part PBS presentation.
Feedgeist
» Recommended for 251 people
» Reviewed by 4 people
This series paints a very colorful picture. Viewers beware, it's realistic, with plenty of gruesome photos and video of people, dead or dying. The interviews that draw on 60 year old memories may not be perfect in a historical sense, but they make it a personal experience, and drive the points home. The parts that are based on letters or newsprint from that time serves to give an impression of what people felt rather than historical fact. It is pointed out that information was frequently withheld from the general public, even by soldiers themselves. On the whole this series appears to be designed to take you back to what people felt and thought at the time, and as a byproduct it is also a history lesson outlining a subjective (but fairly large) selection of facts. Part of the focus of this series is the racial strife within the United States at the time. Some other reviewers are complaining about this pandering to "political correctness", but I think they might be misinterpreting the reason why that content is there. It provides the inconvenient truth that, but for the lucky chance of our leadership at the time, Hitler Germany could easily have been ourselves. It's a scary thought. Americans were certainly angry and racist enough. Let's say Woodrow Wilson had been our president in 1939, instead of 20 years earlier: Things might have worked out differently. Of course we fought the Germans during his presidency as well, but that was a very different war. I realize you have to know your history ahead of time to appreciate these parts of the series, but even if you don't care for this, you might appreciate the rest of the series. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. But beware - if you're looking for cold hard regurgitation of historical facts, prepare to be disappointed.- rqx 1503126
Amazing. I've never thought about how the events during the war directly affected towns in the USA. Usually WWII is told in a linear manner sticking to the events in the various theaters. I've never thought about how those events played out at home. Very interesting.
- Craiglet
You should always expect quality from a Ken Burns project, and he most certainly delivers on that promise here. This multi-episode documentary series provides the sort of details about WWII that you cannot find anywhere else, except perhaps within a select handful of top-notch literature. The re-telling of individual experiences is the highlight of this project. This is an incredibly unbiased view of the war, taking into account larger historical, economic, cultural and social issues within all nations involved, and indeed further examines the sub-cultures within those nations as well. In addition to the smaller stories being examined, there's a wealth of detail concerning the events of the War itself. I most definitely highly recommend this for anyone that has even a slight interest in this period of history.
- Photo Heathen
The War is probably the most comprehensive WW2 documentary ever made. It's not surprising since it comes from Ken Burns. His documentaries tend to be more thorough than a proctologist. What makes this documentary interesting is that it doesn't just focus on the military actions but it covers the home front as well. Having been born during Vietnam not WW2, I don't have first-hand experience of what life was like then. The War investigates aspects and experiences that only someone of that era would know. Focusing on four typical American towns, The War reflects the human element of warfare. It chronologically explores every aspect of the great war from military maneuvers in the European and Pacific theaters to the war effort at home. If you are not interested in WW2 in the first place, I would not suggest this documentary. But if you have an interest in the human side of history and 15 hours to spare, I would recommend it.
- pterosaur