Product Description
-------------------
A groundbreaking chronicle of the Second World War culled from
over 3,000 hours of high-definition, full-color film footage,
this miniseries attracted over 21 million viewers during it's
five-night, 10-hour run. With the glorious high definition
visuals, full color film footage (no colorization techniques have
been used) and immersive 5. 1 surround sound make WWII in HD
stands out from the many dozens of documentaries that came
before. The miniseries also offers a remarkably personal account
of the war, as the episodes are told from the point of view of 12
soldiers whose never-before-seen diary entries (diaries were
illegal for US soldiers to carry, but these men did so anyway)
form the basis of the involving narrative. LL Cool J, Rob Lowe,
Ron Livingston, Steve Zahn and many others give voice to these 12
soldiers, while accled actor Gary Sinise wraps the whole
production together with an engaging narration.
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At first glance, the very concept of WWII in HD seems like an
oxymoron. After all, isn't the footage from back then nothing
more than grainy black-and-white newsreel? And really, how much
definition can be added to film that was more than 60 years
ago? The answers: no, and quite a lot, actually. The quality of
much of what is seen in the course of these 10 episodes (each
around 45 minutes long) is surprisingly good. Add to that the
fact that most of it is in color (not colorized, but originally
recorded in that medium, some at the behest of the United States
government), and the result is nothing short of astonishing. It's
not easy viewing; there are sequences that are shockingly graphic
(vivid examples include the carnage on view after major battles
and the s of Japanese civilians on the Pacific island of
Saipan hurling themselves off cliffs to avoid capture by American
troops). But all of it has been put to good use in what is
undoubtedly one of the most compelling accounts of World War II
ever produced.
Other documentaries have chronicled the same events seen here,
from the earliest days of the war (when Hitler was overrunning
Europe and the ill-prepared Americans were still years away from
becoming involved), through Pearl Harbor, the major
confrontations with the Japanese in the Pacific theater (like
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the
incomparably bloody Iwo Jima) and with the Germans in Europe and
North Africa (the invasion of Tunisia, D-day, the Battle of the
Bulge), and straight on to victory in Europe and finally the
Japanese surrender after Hiroshima and Naaki. But what
separates WWII in HD is the filmmakers' decision to view these
events through the experiences of a dozen individuals who were
actually there, including a couple of war correspondents (one of
whom, Richard Trekis, was the author of the seminal
Guadalcanal Diary); an Austrian immigrant who escaped the Nazis
and almost immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army; a nurse with
General George Patton's Third Army; an African-American pilot who
was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen; a Japanese-American medic
who fought heroically while his family was held in an internment
camp; and others from the rank and file. All of them are voiced
by such actors as Rob Lowe, Amy Smart, Steve Zahn, Josh Lucas,
and LL Cool J; and with Gary Sinise providing voice-over
narration, the whole piece comes off as a dramatic film as much
as a straight documentary (an effect also enhanced by some
brilliantly creative juxtapositions of words, images, and music).
Not all of these men and women made it through the war (those
still alive also appear in on-camera interviews), but none could
ever forget the horrors they witnessed, and while those of us who
did not serve will never really comprehend the sacrifices they
made, this remarkable program may be as close as we can get.
--Sam Graham
Stills from WWII in HD (Click for larger image)
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Review
------
dramatic images so crystalline as to appear surreal --Los
Angeles Times
fresh edge and excitement through newly restoried color
footage...vivid rush of images --People Magazine
extraordinary visual record that should not be missed
--Multichannel News
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