First released in January 2010, The History Channel’s WWII in HD has received a repackaged reissue that includes some very nice additions. This new collector’s edition includes a fascinating hour long documentary on the brutal battle for Iwo Jima, including extraordinary footage of the relentless pounding naval ships inflicted on the island before the Marines launched a full scale assault. What followings is truly amazing and heartbreaking footage of the fierce fight the Marines undertook against a well-prepared and deeply entrenched Japanese force. Also included here is The Air War, a ninety-minute documentary which first aired on The History Channel on Veterans Day 2010, covers the difficult and deadly fight the American 8th Air Force fought against the German Luftwaffe and fortified anti-aircraft defenses in their effort to take the fight to Germany in advance of the D-Day invasion.
The series, split into chapters, uses color footage shot during World War II and puts it all into context as narrators tell us the personal experiences of twelve different veterans who served: Jack Werner (Justin Bartha), Rockie Blunt (Rob Corddry), Richard Tregaskis (Tim DeKay), Archie Sweeney (Mark Hefti), Jimmie Kanaya (James Kyson Lee), Charles Scheffel (Ron Livingston), Shelby F. Westbrook (LL Cool J), Robert Sherrod (Rob Lowe), Bert Stiles (Josh Lucas), Jack Yusen (Jason Ritter), June Wandrey (Amy Smart), and Nolen Marbrey (Steve Zahn) each share their personal experiences through journal entries from that period, while narrator Gary Sinise helps to fill in the blanks and keep things moving.
World War ll had been raging in Europe and North Africa since 1939, but it wasn’t until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that America became fully involved. That sneak attack stiffed the nation’s resolve and opened up a massive front in the Pacific theater. Having declared war, the United States was forced to take was then a fairly small armed forces and turn them into one of the finest fighting machines the world had ever seen. Anxious to do their civic duty, many soldiers signed up to serve. Others were drafted and headed overseas to fight the axis powers.
Gary Sinise provides a straightforward, neutral cadence and tone; he does employ a certain gravity which provides hints of the despair and desperation involved when necessary, as well as the thrill of accomplishment. Sinise’s narration provides a steady guide through the largely linear path from Pearl Harbor, to Japan’s reluctant surrender several days after the second atomic bomb destroyed Nagasaki.
Our European allies sacrificed countless lives, and their contributions, though not discussed specifically, are weaved throughout the stories that are told. With the understanding that this is a documentary from the American perspective, what The History Channel has put together here is nothing short of amazing. A marvel of editing, it must have taken countless hours to cull together various pieces of footage from around the globe into a compelling, engaging and thoughtful documentary. Images of the dead; fields of fallen soldiers and civilians killed in the throes of battle, or in some cases, caught in the crossfire, strike a solemn tone frequently throughout the more than seven hours running time. None of these images are easy to swallow, but they serve as a reminder of wars’ unforgiving cost. The inexplicable mass suicides on the Island of Saipan and the emaciated bodies of Jews; survivors of Hitler’s holocaust are perhaps the most distressing images. The polar opposite is the joyful images of victory. World War II in HD takes the viewer from one emotional pole to the other.
Disc One
Episode 1: Darkness Falls
Episode 2: Hard Way Back
Episode 3: Bloody Reserve
Episode 4: Battle Stations
Episode 5: Day of Days
Disc Two
Episode 6: Point of No Return
Episode 7: Striking Distance
Episode 8: Glory and Guts
Episode 9: Edge of the Abyss
Episode 10: End Game
Disc Three:
The Battle for Iwo Jima
Disc Four:
WWII in HD: The Air War
Shown here over two discs in 1.78:1 and enhanced for widescreen televisions, the footage has been cropped to fit the widescreen frame, thankfully the images look quite good. As one would expect, the overall image quality varies because this is real time footage. Naturally, you’ll notice some damage, wear, tear, and fading, but the meticulous effort to remaster things is clear. The image here looks remarkably good, the footage was screened and shot with Red camera to digitally store the image. and was shot at a higher resolution to preserve the quality since quite a bit of what is visible in the original frame is cropped for this presentation. What is shown is remarkable, and the stories so vivid and engaging that the footage that has suffered the most over time doesn’t take away from the overall experience.
The DTS-HD 5.1 audio track is fully immersive. The zipping sounds of bullets from rifles and machine guns rage from front speakers to surrounds – the explosive boom of mortar fire, grenades, and the massive shells fired from the awesome American naval fleet, frequently punctuate and pound. The roaring engines of American fighter planes, and the heavier, slower, bombers, growls and prowls, and the narration from Gary Sinise (and Rob Lowe in The Air War) is always clear in the center channel, as are the voices of the guest actors providing dramatic audio of the 12 lives.
No subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- Character Profiles (14:55): Profiles of those followed in the series are examined – including additional footage of the conversations with them.
- Finding the Footage (2:28): A brief look at the effort to research and find original color footage shot during WWII.
- Preserving the Footage (1:55): A brief look at the effort of transferring the footage to a digital medium.
