The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition) Reviews

• Without a doubt...the best...

  
  By A2J0U1XP6JPL9L on 2002-01-10
  Assuming that a filmmaker can't go on indefinately, let's say making a history of World War II in hundred or more hours of videotape, Jeremy Isaacs has done a masterful job of capturing the essense of World War II, including its causes and the Cold War that evolved out of its conclusion.

  Please note, "The World At War" was produced between 1971 and 1974, which means the interviews with veterans and other war survivors were filmed close to thirty years after the conclusion of World War II.

  I watched much of this series when it was first telecasted in the 1970s, and continued to view reruns of programs over the last 25+ years. I had thought that I had seen every episode two or three times, but after finishing the complete DVD collection, I'm pretty sure I completely missed some programs and saw only bits-and-pieces of others.

  What a tremendous production. Beautiful reproduced on DVD, with excellent color and superb graphics (maps).

  I especially appreciated the opening special, "The Making of..." with producer Jeremy Isaacs, as well as Isaacs' brief introductions to each of the 26 programs. I only wish he had prepared similar introductions to the supplementary material on Discs 4 and 5, but you can't have everything.

  "The World At War" is hundred times better than the typical fare found on A&E, The History Channel, and even PBS. That's not to say that quality productions are not being made today, but Jeremy Isaacs' production is just plain better than most things regularly scheduled documentaries on cable and broadcast television.

  Special mention must be made of the music by Carl Davis and the writers, who are too numerous to mention. Everyone familiar with this series knows the contribution of Sir Laurence Olivier, definitely the finest documentary narration I've ever heard.

  As an American, I particularly appreciate the British perspective, which offers a different view of the breath, scope and horror of the war. The series really puts the current War on Terrorism in perspective.

  The supplementary material begins with an extended interview/commentary by Traudl Junge who served as Hitler's secretary. She's a fascinating person, speaking calmly and thoughtfully about her former employer, especially the events leading up to his suicide.

  There is an equally interesting interview with historian Stephen Ambrose, filmed in the early 1970s. While looking 25+ years younger, Ambrose sounds almost the same as he does today during his numerous C-Span and PBS appearances.

  The most fascinating of the eight hours of supplementary material are the programs dealing with the Death of Adolf Hitler and the extended two part examination of the Final Solution.

  Thank you, Amazon, for making this wonderful documentary so accessible.

  For those of you contemplating this major expediture, you won't regret purchasing this landmark visual/aural history of World War II.

  And remember, this DVD collection will be available for your children and grandchildren.
  
  

• Excellent Series

  
  By AVH5WF1IVZ18X on 2002-01-01
  When investing in any DVD, especially a boxed set, you might ponder the question, "How often will I watch this?" Let me say that your purchase of The World at War will offer you endless viewing opportunities! Besides the 26 original episodes, all of the extra features that were produced afterwards are included in the set. There is so much information generated in over 30 hours of material that you will discover something new with each repeated viewing. Each episode will hold your attention from first to last, and they are efficiently indexed so you can easily review a map or replay a speech. Along side the emotional impact of the pictorial images, you have Carl Davis' moving score, a judicious use of period music, personal accounts from all the major powers, and Sir Laurance's strong narration, making this the most comprehensive documentary on the subject. Now if we can only have World War I, narrated by Robert Ryan, available, we would have the documentary bookends to the two most devastating wars in the 20th century.
  
  

• 2001 and 2004 editions compared

  
  By AN51BCGZSQYWY on 2004-09-24
  As best as I can determine (I only have the 2001 edition), these are the differences between the two editions (2001, 2004) of World at War. Basically, disc 11 of the 2004 30th anniversary edition has the new material. It would be nice if disc 11 were separately available so owners of the 2001 edition could update their set a lower cost.
  ***** OLD (2001) VERSUS NEW (2004):
  HBO VIDEO, released 20 Nov. 2001 VS A&E HOME VIDEO, released 24 Aug. 2004
  5 discs (2-sided) VS 11 discs
  graphics: red, splashy, each case different VS black-gray, dull, each case the same
  box thickness ca. 3" (5 DVD cardboard cases) VS ca. 4" (11 thin DVD plastic cases)
  remastered: apparently not for 2004 edition, but material rearranged, with new material on disc 11
  "Play all" option absent VS present
  episodes with 10-33 chapters VS 6-12 chapters, especially 6
  ***** CONTENTS OLD VERSUS NEW:
  1) old disc 1A = new disc 1
  Note: "Making of the series" first item VS last item.
  (2) old discs 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A = new discs 2-7
  Note: Items 1 and 2 = original 26 episodes plus "Making"
  (3) old discs 4B, 5A = new discs 9, 8
  Note: The new sequence is more logical.
  (4) old disc 5B = new disc 10
  Note: Items 3 and 4 = original bonus material (6 episodes, two double).
  (5) Each of the 10 discs of 2001 version repeat these items:
  (a) 17 biographies = on new disc 11
  (b) a brief history = ditto
  (c) photo gallery = ditto
  (d) weblinks = not on new?
  (e) WW2 timeline = ditto
  (6) new episodes on 2004 version (on disc 11):
  (a) Making the series--a 30th anniversary feature length retrospective TT122:29
  (b) Experiences of War--unseen interviews from the film archives of the Imperial War Museum TT58:25
  
  

• Anglophobia?

  
  By A3DC1HWCEN6366 on 2005-04-29
  I purchased this DVD set because I wanted to see a good WWII documentary and this one was so highly rated. It is a good documentary, maybe a great one. But it has a troubling Anglo bias that ends up being a severe character flaw.
  
  Am I being phobic here, or is America's role in the European war severly under-represented in this film? Examples abound: We become intinmately familiar with British generals Montgomery, Alexander and Horrocks. Montgomery is shown in many situations including a long-ish speech excerpt before a civilian group. Horrocks (British 30 Corps commander) is given lengthy screen time to explain how Eisenhower missed a golden opportunity to end the European war in 1944 by not putting all the Allies' weight behind Monty in the North.
  
  Meanwhile, only 4 American generals are mentioned in the whole European war part of this series: Eisenhower, who gets the bare minimum of screen time for a supreme commander, Bradley is in one scene for one second, Clark's failure in Italy is covered in copius detail, and Stilwell is shown as head of Allied forces in Burma. Notice any names missing? How the heck do you talk about the European war and not even use the word "Patton"? I dunno, but this film manages to do that. So Patton doesn't even get mentioned, but we are treated to several long interviews with Lord Avon (who the heck is that you may ask--I have no idea--I never heard of him either). Anyway, whoever he was, Lord Avon gets more screen time than all the US generals put together.
  
  Sour grapes, you say. This guy is an Anglophobe. He is too sensitive and too proud of his American heritage. Well, check me on this: If you were making a documentary about WWII, would you give the predominately British war in Burma the same amount of screen time as the ENTIRE war with Japan? No? Well, that is the "balance" assumed by World at War. The skimpy coverage of the Japanese war does not even mention Guadalcanal and covers only one of the huge Pacific naval actions--the Marianas Turkey Shoot.
  
  Another whole reel is devoted to the U-boats and the British "Battle of the Atlantic". Never mind that the US submarine war in the Pacific, that sent nearly all Japanese ships, freighters and warships alike, to the bottom, was probably the single most successful application of naval power ever. That brilliant naval victory is not even mentioned.
  
  The only "Home Front" covered on the Home Front episode is England!
  
  The reel about the atomic bomb focuses on diplomacy, never even mentions the incredible scientific triumph that was the Manhattan project, and perversely squeezes in the implication that it was Truman's failed diplomacy with Russia that lost Poland to the Soviets! Paul Tibbets is made to seem like a mass murderer, dropping the bomb in the face of overwhelming evidence that Japan wanted to surrender. The footage of Tibbetts is deliberately drawn out to make it appear that he felt casual and matter-of-fact about dropping the first nuclear weapon. The Japanese diplomat Kase is shown saying that the atomic bomb was "unnecessary". Well, he's right about that--the whole doggone Pacific war was unnecessary starting with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
  
  The funny thing about the anglo bias of this film, is that the Russians and their war are well covered. Stalin and his generals get big screen time. This is as it should be, given the overwhelming Russian role in the European war. So why is the USA's role almost deliberately downplayed? At one point, Sir Lawrence narrates to the effect that Churchill wanted one big British victory "before the Americans came to dominate the war effort". I guess my point is that American domination of the western allied war effort did eventually come. But you'd never know it from watching this film.
  
  

• The Finest WWII Documentary Ever Produced

  
  By A1PJ2G9K7VNOQX on 2001-09-15
  For History buffs and those who have a keen, deeply felt interest in World War II beyond just the military events, the World at War, produced by Thames Television (1981) and released earlier on VHS by Thorn/EMI, is a 26 episode documentary set apart from all other documentaries about WWII. No other, with the exception of Walter Cronkite's CBS series, comes close to an unbiased, analytical perspective of a War that cost perhaps 50 million lives and took an emotional and philosophical toll we are still trying to comprehend today.

  Narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier and covering all aspects of the war, this definitive series is used by many colleges and universities as a source for History and Documentary Film courses. There is an incredible depth of archive footage used; skilfully woven with interviews of major figures in the War from Britain, US, Canada, Europe and Japan. Many major eye-witness leaders and ordinary people who were still alive in 1981 contributed sometimes surprising, sometimes incredible, and sometimes haunting interviews. Yet, for all its skilful editing and historical sophistication, it is clearly presented and emotionally compelling. In my opinion, it is, along with Kenneth Clark's "Civilisation", the best ever produced British documentary.

  What makes this a stellar and overpowering account of the War is Olivier's narration. Never blustery, patriotic, or theatrical, Sir Laurence delivers pointed, thoughtful analysis with his incredible command of English and oration. Music for the series was composed by Carl Davis and even the opening credits set an unforgettable tone in a haunting image of a child in a photograph, dissolving in flames. This series is for those trying to make sense of a 6 year period when the world went mad. Five Stars PLUS.
  
  

• Unromanticized, unrelenting, unforgettable. . . .
  By A2ZNJKY01ANDHG on 1999-12-28
  Rarely does a documentary hold a viewer enthralled from start to finish, a feat which The World at War accomplishes from the opening sequence through the closing credits. The definitive film documentary of the second great global conflict, this production is first rate in every aspect. Archival footage, insightful interviews, intelligent editing and the classic narration of Sir Laurence Olivier are welded into a powerful video production focussed on presenting a visual record of the war as opposed to an editorial commentary.

  Obviously, this is a British production which leans somewhat sympathetically toward the English view of the struggle and concentrates on the European Theater of Operations. However, interviewees include representatives of all the major powers, and even relatively minor theaters of operation (such as Burma, India and others) are covered.

  The full range of expected topics are included; the period leading to war, Blitzkrieg in Poland, the Battles of Britain and the Atlantic, the Holocaust, Barbarrosa and the Atomic Bomb, naming only a few.

  The individual episodes are taut and compact, covering well-defined topics and timeframes, and work well as individual programs or, as they were intended, components in a larger picture. Much of the footage is actual combat photography; therefore much is black and white and some has less than perfect production value. However, this only adds to the overall impact of the presentation.

  There is no attempt to glorify the combat, lionize or villify any of the participants, or to second-guess leaders. Events are depicted as they developed and, where tactical or strategic misjudgements are indicated, they are usually pointed out by persons actually involved in the planning or execution to the operations.

  The World at War is a straight-forward, sobering examination of the central event of the twentieth century. No serious student of history should miss seeing it, and no student of military history should fail to include it in his or her video library.
  
  

• Excellent narration and images - truly an epic achievement!
  By on 2002-05-03
  I have watched these 26 episodes several times and the two bonus episodes are also a wonderfully informative and insightful addition, particularly the intensely expressive (albeit short) interview with Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary. The voice and powerful acting talent of Laurence Olivier truly enhances the emotional impact of these series. The facts are numerous, but, I gave these series only 4 out of 5 stars because, having read "A World At Arms", by Gerhard Weinberg (a 920-page epic account of the War), I found that some precious footage was wasted on showing too much of nothing (e.g. an entire episode was dedicated to Holland, hardly a major power in the war, even though it was a very fascinating episode indeed). There were not enough details mentioned, for example about the Desert War in Africa, nor were enough episodes dedicated to the war in the Pacific. There also should have been a much more in-depth coverage of major battles like The Battle of The Bulge, more expanded coverage of the final 9 months or so of the War in the Pacific where many things went wrong for Japan and why they went wrong. There is hardly any mention of the weak coordination of the Japanese navy and army and their constant disagreements and quarrels which resulted in a practical "turkey shoot" for the Americans in the Pacific, of Japanese supply ships sailing with no convoy protection and Japan being forced to even use their submarines to transport food out of desperation.

  There is also hardly any mention of Chiang-Kai-Shek of China and his dialogue with the allies in trying to stop enemies on two fronts - the communists of Mao-Tse-Tung and the Japanese barbars who delighted in cutting off the fingers and ears and hands and feet of Chinese civilians in places like Nanking (the Nanking massacre).
  
  But there are some excellent episodes like the one on Burma and that horrendous mud!... And everyone will remember Avadour-Sur-Glane (?), the French town where about 600 citizens, men, women and children were rounded up in 1944 when the Nazi's were in retreat after operation Overlord (Normandy) ... and shot...and the town was destroyed and stands in ruins, never re-built to this day as a dedication to the unspeakable monstrosities of the Nazis. You will come out of these series never seeing humans the same way and thinking how animals are such "angels" compared to humans. That old and mindless expression of calling someone an "animal" does not apply after you see this documentary, for animals never kill each other the way humans have done so many times in their history...

  The quality of the footage is fine and the poetic voice of Laurence Olivier permeates ceaselessly throughout the series. The episodes on the Soviet Union, with Russian songs and one particular poem is enough to make one's heart wrench (and teeth clench) and cry... Remember...

  This is not an academic documentary series but still is the best one made so far on World War II. You won't be disappointed by it.
  
  

• Not an attempt to explain the war, but to narrate its horror
  By A27CFNHYZG6WS8 on 2001-09-05
  Television documentaries are notoriously quick to date - the assumptions and methodologies of one generation are rejected as inadequate by the next. In any case, the trend has moved from sweeping panoramas, to small-scale, small-focus micro-histories.

  So, after 30 years, how does the massive 'World at War' hold up? Surprsingly well, actually. There are a number of reasons for this. Although it is a single documentary with an overall coherence, drive and tone, it is also a series of 26 discrete hour-long documentaries, each written and directed by different talents.

  As a whole, these documentaries create a totality, exploring all the connecting elements of the war: the pre-history of all the major countries; detailed accounts, analyses and reminiscnces of the major events, battles, leaders, tactics; memories of 'ordinary' civilians and combatants, as well as the big names (although the former aren't named). But individually, the leisurely detailed studies of each topic anticipates the methods of the future micro-historians, giving each part requisite dignity within the whole.

  Another reason for the programme's success is its still astonishing footage, much of it recently released from Germany and Japan, giving fresh visual evidence to old stories.

  For me, the programme's continuing validity lies in the fact that it is not really a documentary at all. 'The World at war' is an epic, tragic poem in 26 cantos, narrating the decline of European civilisation, a momento mori for the valiant dead. The narrative is constructed like a Homeric epic, an account of leaders, enmities, inevitable battles, warriors, desruction, death, aftermath.

  Laurence Olivier's narration, possibly the best thing he's ever done, is a remarkable misture of storyteller, poet, witness, disbelieving guide; the scripts ring with metre and poetry rather than grey fact. Carl Davis' continually inventive score unites and underlines the entire work; the sound-effets dramatising the footage, unforgivable in a usual context, are perfectly acceptable here. The image of the destroyed French village, its entire population murdered one afternoon by the Germans, stands as a grimly articulate symbol, not just for the war, but for this documentary, in a genre designed to record and uncover the truth, faced with questions it can never answer - how? Why?
  
  

• A milestone of civilisation: prepare to be amazed
  By A1N40I9TO33VDU on 2002-01-27
  The vast body of documentary-making about the Second World War has nothing to compare with Jeremy Isaacs' "The World At War", made for Britain's Thames Television in 1973-74. The term miniseries is inadequate for this giant of quality and quantity. It stands so far above everything remotely similar as to be in a class of its own. With some 32 hours of viewing culled from millions of feet of wartime US, Russian, British, German and Japanese newsreel and propaganda film, and unique postwar interviews, this is a MEGAseries. Sustained high quality shines through, despite the passage of a quarter century since it was made--and more than half a century since the archival footage was shot. The DVD release (I'm basing my assessment on the year 2000 PT Video PAL release, which I assume to be comparable with the US NTSC release) is a gem which everyone interested in the genre will want to own. It is no exaggeration to describe this series as a milestone of civilisation.

  The many postwar interviews gathered for this series with wartime Allied and Axis political leaders, generals, resistance leaders, diplomats, and ordinary and not-so-ordinary soldiers and citizens, are astonishing in their range, candour and insight. It is impossible here to do justice to these interviewees. Mountbatten, LeMay, Prince Bernhard, Durrell, Westphal, Manteuffel, Guingand, Galland, Warlimont, Fuchida, Genda, Galbraith, and Samuelson are just some of the famous names.

  Albert Speer, who was Hitler's architect and later his Armaments Minister, talks frankly and contritely about the coverup of the "Final Solution" and his close relations with Hitler. Statesmen Averell Harriman (US), Anthony Eden (UK), and Koichi Kido (Japan), among others, recall diplomatic and political byplay and insiders' views ranging from Churchill to the Emperor of Japan. The top WWII Japanese air ace to survive the war, Saburo Sakai, recalls the youthful patriotic fervour of his fellow fliers and the impact of Japan's reversal of fortunes. US, Russian, Japanese, Dutch and British warriors and housewives recall dealing out and receiving the horrors of war. Hitler's youngest secretary, Gertrude "Trudl" Junge, talks of the bizarre underground life in the Fuhrerbunker. Eisenhower's driver, Kay Summersby, recalls cameos of her former boss's skills and frustrations in coordinating multinational Allied command. The last prominent survivor of the 1944 Stauffenberg plot against Hitler, Ewald Heinrich von Kleist, recalls his days as a young Wehrmacht lieutenant and gives insights into why the small anti-Nazi movement failed. Admiral Karl Döenitz and U-boat ace Otto Kretschmer recall the battle of the Atlantic. General Sir Brian Horrocks, the inspirational British commander who led XXX Corps in the drive on Arnhem (played by Edward Fox in "A Bridge Too Far") talks of Operation Market Garden, the rivalry between Montgomery and Patton, and the burdens of military command. The overlay of archival footage of the actual parachute and glider drops in Market Garden make the corresponding scenes in the movie, "A Bridge Too Far", look like home movie sequences. Linking it all is a matter-of-fact commentary which soars above chauvinism and prejudice. It is read in deadpan style by the distinguished British actor Laurence Olivier--among his finest work.

  The globe-changing civilisation-shaking upheaval of the Second World War continues to fascinate an immense worldwide readership and viewing audience. If you, too, want to better understand how so much decent, intelligent and cultivated humanity descended into and in some cases survived that madness, view the grim and gripping "The World At War" series, and prepare to be amazed.
  
  

• Finally - The landmark series done RIGHT
  By A21WPQ1EF4O6UU on 2004-08-26
  Well, live & learn. I received the 30th Anniversary set today, and a thoroughly enjoyable day of watching later, I have to say - they got it RIGHT this time. This is the 5th version of the landmark BBC series "The World At War" that I've owned: I originally had it an episode here or there, taped off TV in the early days of home video - then, I splurged and bought them all - on single episode Beta tapes...(grin)... then, when it was rereleased on Laserdisc, I "upgraded". Boy, I thought I'd reached the pinnacle then... but when it was offered as a neat box set on VHS, I dropped a Benjamin Franklin on the set courtesy of a sale at a local dealer. Then, what I thought was the pinnacle of video presentation - the DVD box set. Boy, that was a pain - the first version of this series on DVD (still offered on Amazon) had frustratingly annoying menus - you couldn't play "all" episodes on a disc - you were forced to play each episode singly - and they were two-sided - a real drawback to uninterrupted play, especially in a DVD changer. And, for some weird reason, the discs frequently locked up at random intervals, in all three of my DVD players... (*sigh*)... still, it WAS the "World At War"... so, when the "30th Anniversary" edition was offered here, I bit one last time. What a delight - the discs (eleven of them!) are single sided. The menu offers "play all" (yahoo!!). And the audio and video is perfect - or at least as perfect as a 30 year old series composed of 60 year old footage is likely to be. And between Jeremy Isaac's brilliant composition, and Laurence Olivier's masterful narration, you simply couldn't ask for a better documentary on World War II. And why eleven discs? Because the set now includes a whopping dozen "bonus" documentaries - everything from interviews with Traudl Junge (Hitler's secretary) to wonderful "Making Of" discussions of the series itself. Really, I only had one quibble - there's no closed captioning offered. It would have come in handy in spots, especially when you're straining your ears to understand Polish or Russian or German place or person names - additionally made difficult by Oliver's beautifully modulated but clipped British narration. Aside from that - well, after 5 tries, I really think I have finally found the 'perfect' version of this series for home viewing... of course, let's talk again in a decade or so, when yet another video format knocks DVD into the dustbin where my beloved Beta and Laserdiscs lay...(grin)...
  
  
• The Alpha and Omega of WWII Documentaries
  By A1LP6O85Z894GT on 2003-06-10
  I'll be simple and brief: this superb documentary is nothing more than a must own for any and every person interested in the history of World War II.

  Expertly written, painstakingly researched, dramatically narrated by Laurence Olivier (giving perhaps his finest performance), and, the greatest aspect- countless invaluable interviews from survivors and veterans. Besided the miles of riveting newsreel and battle footage, World At War captures living history by preserving the oral histories of men and women from all sides of the war. Russians, Japanese, British, German, Dutch, Jewish, French civilians, soldiers alike all share their harrowing personal experiences.

  I've known several history instructors on both the high school and college campuses who have used this magnficent document as an effective basis for their World War II curriculm.

  I cannot be too effusive in praising this documentary. Hard hitting and throughouly entertaining this excellent series of DVD's is well worth every red cent.
  
  

• THE definitive WWII documentary!
  By A3VHV0NV7NKQPC on 2004-09-01
  Last Tuesday was such a great day! I was chomping at the bit to get out of the doctor's office and rush out to buy THE WORLD AT WAR-30th ANNIVERSARY DVD set as soon as I could! I remember watching every episode as a teenager during the early '90s on A&E and taping each one...so what a great gift to be able to see these commercial-free on DVD! And, A&E didn't skimp on this set either! There are 11 discs of pure documentary heaven...and for those who love to study the Third Reich...and the European theater of operations in general....it's pure paradise! The video comes in crisp and clean...the audio is very sharp. Sir Laurence Olivier sounds so British...so right...it's great! Jeremy Issac's documentary will leave you breathless....there is no greater visual history of WWII than this. Plus, the bonus features on this set are wonderful...over 12 hours of extra documentaries...mostly Euro-and Third Reich-centric...that allow the viewer to expand their minds past what they have seen in the main episodes. I am so glad that I didn't buy the earlier box set...and waited for this! It's one of the best documentaries of the 20th Century...all from the British point of view (no American fluff!) and well worth the money. If you don't believe me, get it and find out for yourself!
  
  
• Completely Indispensable
  By on 2002-11-20
  Factual, unbiased, bursting with rich historical detail, beautifully directed and peerlessly narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier; this is the definitive WW2 documentary series. Made in the 1970s it contains many, many excellent interviews with people from both sides who actually took part in he war which provide superb insight into the events being documented. The World At War is a long series but necessarily so - no consideration is missed during the course of its many hours which deliver coverage of the build-up to war, the execution of the war and its aftermath in terms of its effect on both military and civilian populations and from the perspective of all the major participant nations in both political and military terms. Not merely excellent in content, The World At War is also a flawlessly crafted piece of television - images and sound (allowing for its date of production and the inclusion of many archive clips) are excellent as are the score, script and narration - Laurence Olivier really does do a great job.

  To conclude - I can not recommend The World At War enough. If you are interested in the genre or a student of 20th century history then you should buy it: you will not regret it. If you consider the hours-of-viewing to price ratio it is also pretty good value to.
  
  

• Outstanding
  By on 2001-11-08
  Thorough, outstanding, with no important piece of footage missing, the World at War completely exhausts World War II in documentary form. A 26 part, 26 hour British production from the 1970s, it does emphasize Britain somewhat more than America (the war in the Pacific is only one of 26 episodes) but the viewer gets a great look at Churchill, and Laurence Olivier's narration is perfect. The early episodes on the rise of Germany and Japan are telling, and the build-up of the war through the 1930s is spellbinding. The battle footage from the 1940s - particularly for battles such as Iwo Jima - is stunning.

  My only beef: Why did they consider it necessary to interview Alger Hiss as an "expert" in a final, post-war episode that dishes out benign treatment to the USSR? It's biased and naive.

  Ignore episode 26 and watch 1-25 and you'll be mesmerized.
  
  

• Journalism and not history
  By A2POT13FER5L82 on 2004-11-25
  This series was made by journalists from mostly newsreel films. As a result it contains the standard journalistic mixture of important, trivial, direct falsehoods, and falsehoods of ommission with the absence of the remaining important information.
  
  The general style is called "flash and trash" within the journalism community. There are all sorts of photos of cannons firing but no or little coverage of the intellectual aspects of the war. One example of a gross omission because of this is the D day landing. It fails to explain that the reason for the initial lack of German response was caused by several things. Through espionage it was learned that the Germans expected the landing elsewhere. Elsewhere was bombed twice as much as everywhere else. During the landing, the German radars were jammed at the real landing site and airplane carrying radar spoofing equipment flew to the expected landing site and made radar returns of a large ship formation approaching it. At the same time the underground in France was signaled to attack and destroy all sorts of transportation networks.
  
  This series was made before the really important information was declassified and the results of US decoding of Soviet spy messages was made public. This latter information revealed that some of the people interviewed for this series were Soviet agents and the information they tell can now be seen to be Soviet propaganda. The 'historians' interviewed are sometimes not the acknowledged first ranking experts.
  
  
• The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition)
  By A3QS1W1GR1G1JH on 2005-12-06
  The best WW2 series I have seen.
  Be wary of the DVD set. Besides freezing discs a couple of episodes are repeated in place of the one indicated. Poorly mastered. I sent mine back and purchased the VHS set. I purchased the DVD set early and hopefully the mastering problem has been corrected.
  
  
• Many of these episodes are masterpieces -- but a few are botched
  By A2FUY4RHAPLYZJ on 2006-06-23
  "The World At War" richly deserves its reputation as the greatest WWII documentary ever produced. The deft usage of rare wartime footage and once-in-a-lifetime interviews, along with the great narration delivered by Laurence Olivier, created a powerful, harrowing, and deeply compelling portrait of the war. As far as WWII documentaries are concerned, "The World At War" is unlikely to be surpassed.
  
  But there is one major flaw with the series, and that is Episode 7: "Red Star", which discusses the war on the Eastern Front. While the episode dutifully reminds the viewer of the 20 million Soviet citizens who perished at the hands of the Nazis, it neglects to mention -- in fact, seems to deliberately gloss over -- the utterly ruthless acts of coercion and discipline that Stalin had his generals and political commissars enforce against both Soviet civilians and soldiers. There is no mention of besieged Leningrad civilians being shot by commissars and soldiers on suspicion of stealing food; no mention of Soviet soldiers being arbitrarily shot for any slim accusation of "cowardice" at the front; no mention that Soviet-backed partisan guerrila fighters would often loot Russian villages for food and supplies, leaving the villages with nothing, and sometimes forcing the residents to take refuge in frozen forests.
  
  Worst of all, the writers of this episode have Olivier narrarate, without qualification, "Collaborators were shot," when referring to partisan-executed rural peasants suspected of Nazi collaboration. The problem is, most of the time, these "collaborators" were completely innocent. But don't tell that to episode writer Neal Ascherson, who has Olivier recite lines that sound like they were cribbed from the pages of Pravda.
  
  As a recent writer on the Eastern Front has observed, with both Stalin and Hitler acting brutally, the Soviet people of the war were "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea." The episode "Red Star" seems to want to whitewash the brutality of the Soviet regime against its own citizens during WWII.
  
  
• A note about the DVD
  By on 2002-08-31
  There is little to add to what already has been said about "The World at War." But, having videotaped the series twenty years ago, when it first was shown on Thames Television, I am amazed by the quality of the picture. Created from new masters struck from the original film negative, the DVDs present an image that is pristine.
  
  
• JC
  By A11THDCEYT07U on 2005-07-23
  This is one of the best documentaries ever done on WWII; it might be the one (the first one to watch really). All the five star ratings you read are correct and there is not much more I can add to support the absolute quality work that Thames TV did with this. I watched almost the entire series during the 70s but missed certain ones because it was on late Sunday afternoon and growing up in Southern California at 12-14 years old I tended to be outside riding bikes our playing baseball. I am glad I got the series and have been able to see the whole thing in its entirety. Even after several viewings it is REALLY hard to wrap ones mind around 55 million people killed (total) during the events of the war. We still have not learned all the lessons.
  
  OK, let me say something that I have not heard and you might find useful. I recommend the re-issued DVD "Why We Fight" set that Frank Capra produced for the Army Signal Corps around 1943-44 and then compare notes to the "World At War" series. VERY interesting and you see why Capra was so highly regarded as a filmmaker, he had it NAILED down and my parents VERY much remember those films as teens during the war (they felt motivated to defend the US when seeing these). Ah, now take "Triumph of the Will" and see how Leni Reifenstall used her skills to motivate the German people, amazingly skillful and eerie. Folks, there is some education going on there and if you have kids get them to watch the three together and talk to them about people, war, and why we all need to get along in the world (and get the **** out of IRAQ).
  
  Last thing, I have to take GREAT issue with the one review talking about the `World At War Series' being "anglofied." What the ****!?
  A. British documentary and there is lots of the US there, not to worry (the BBC Rocks DUDE!).
  B. The US lost around 300,000 men compared to, for instance, 20 million Russians, maybe the Russians should be upset about the series(?), they were more responsible for winning that war more than anyone. Yes, communists, but if it were not for them we might be speaking German right now. As the Nazis said about the Red Army "they fight like DEVILS!" We would have too if the Nazis had landed in New Jersey and started slaughtering civilians like they did in the Russian coutryside. Chicago or Toronto would have been the next Stalingrad with the way the weather gets...think about it from the other side folks.
  C. The US entered the war on Dec. 7th 1941 well after Japan invaded Manchuria in the early 1930s and Hitler had invaded Poland in September of 1939. The war had been going on for a while and Britain was about to get wiped off the map. The US did not even fight on our own land (just the Pearl Harbor attack)!
  D. Not to diminish what US did during the war (in fighting) but the greatest contribution we made (clearly) was the unbelievable level of manufacturing and technology we supplied to the free world. We should be very proud but please let the British (and many Europeans) have their due on this one. They deserve it...watch, learn, and enjoy the series with this all in mind
  
  
  
• Has Some Big Flaws...but still the best documentary on WW2
  By AFCE79A2O96X9 on 2007-07-16
  
  Jeremy Issacs has won all sorts of recognition for this series, and all the plaudits are well deserved. This is by far the most compelling work on World War Two and is well worth adding to your collection. Sir Laurence Olivier's narration coupled with archival footage and crude (remember it's the 1970's) but effective graphics make this a great primer on the most destructive war in history.
  
  While the overall series is excellent, some notable highlights include:
  
  * The opening three minutes of episode one, an incredible piece of filmmaking.
  * 'France Falls' does an excellent job of showing how France was beaten long before the first shot was fired.
  * 'Banzai: Japan Strikes' does an exceptioanlly good job of explaining why Japan took increasingly agressive action in Asisa throughout the 30s. Plus offers excellent insight into what Japan hoped to accomplsih with its attack on Pearl Harbor.
  * 'Stalingrad' captures the brutality of the most brutal battle of WWII
  * 'Whirlwind' explains how military leaders struggled to understand the application of an entirely new way of war, strategic bombing.
  * 'Nemisis' brilliantly catalogues the final days of the Thousand Year Reich.
  
  Some puzzling weaknesses are:
  
  * The overall British point of view. Issacs produced this for an English television audience. I believe if Issacs knew beforehand the worldwide audience he would eventually reach, he would have made a more balanced series giving the Americans more due.
  * The episode 'It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma'. There is no reason to devote a whole episode to a side-show of the war.
  * Overall sketchy coverage of the Pacific war. Burma gets a full hour, but the battle of Midway gets 10 minutes. Guadalcanal gets less than that.
  * 'Wolfpack' tries to explain submarine warfare, but once again leaves out action in the Pacific where submarines played an even bigger part than in the Atlantic.
  
  
  I've watched these episodes multiple times. Even with some of the weaknesses, it's always compelling veiwing. A true monumnet to documentary filmaking!
  
  
  
  
• Buyer Beware
  By on 2004-06-13
  This was a wonderful documentary as originally broadcast, but I'd avoid this product if I had it to do over again: the maker's quality control is awful. Disk 1 skipped badly. And I the same problem others have reported: two copies of one of the five disks (with me, disk 5), and one disk (disk 4) entirely missing.
  
  
• A great resource
  By A2BIK37ZMXKW91 on 2006-06-29
  The 26 episodes & bonus materials (in parenthesis), in
  disc order:
  
  A New Germany: 1933-1939
  Distant War: September 1939-May 1940
  France Falls: May-June 1940
  (Documentary: The Making of the Series)
  Alone: May 1940-1941
  Barbarossa: June-December 1941
  Banzai!: Japan 1931-1942
  On Our Way: USA 1939-1942
  The Desert: North Africa 1940-1943
  Stalingrad: June 1942-February 1943
  Wolf Pack: U-Boats in the Atlantic 1939-1944
  Red Star: The Soviet Union 1941-1943
  Whirlwind: Bombing Germany Sept 39-April 44
  Tough Old Gut: Italy Nov 1942-June 1944
  It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma 1942-44
  Home Fires: Britain 1940-1944
  Inside the Reich: Germany 1940-1944
  Morning: Normandy June-August 1944
  Occupation: Holland 1940-1944
  Pincers: Aug 1944-March 1945
  Genocide: 1941-1945
  Nemesis: Germany Feb-May 1945
  Japan: 1941-1945
  Pacific: Feb 1942-July 1945
  The Bomb: Feb-Sept 1945
  Reckoning: 1945..And After
  Remember: Survivor remembrances
  (Hitler's Germany: The People's Community 1933-39) (Hitler's Germany:
  Total War 1939-45)
  (The Two Deaths of Adolf Hitler)
  (Secretary to Hitler: Traudl Junge interview) (Warrior: Reflections of
  Men at War)
  (From War to Peace: Stephen Ambrose interview)
  (The Final Solution: Part 1)
  (The Final Solution: Part 2)
  (Making the Series: A 30th Anniversary Retrospective) (Experiences of
  War: Interviews)
  
  PS: See my "Viscerally Experience World War Two" amazon guide if you
  have time. Click on my profile then onto "SO YOU'D LIKE TO..." near
  the
  bottom of the page. Cheers!
  
  
  
  
  
• Priceless collection!
  By A1IG1I6MR3HAWA on 2006-12-04
  This is a review of "The World at War", 30th anniversary collection (2004 edition). There is an older 2001 DVD version of this series floating around, but be sure to get the 2004 edition.
  
  Going by individual episodes, I would disagree with others' opinions that BBC's "The World at War" is the best documentary on the second world war. You can find more detailed and insightful documentaries on specific campaigns. A VHS tape documentary on Monte Cassino (also available at Amazon) comes to mind. But I will say that as a complete collection, "The World at War" is the absolute best.
  
  This collection brings you the atmosphere of the times the events took place. The theme music is haunting as ever. You will feel that these events happened just yesterday. More importantly, you get first hand perspectives with the interviews of the participants who survived the conflict.
  
  The overall perspective is mostly a British one which, on the Allied side, focuses on the efforts of the British, American and Russians but glosses over the contributions of many of the Commonwealth allies, including the Australians, Canadians, Indians and New Zealanders (not to mention the Free French, Poles, Yugoslavs, Kenyans and other nationalities). But it's a pretty accurate perspective nonetheless.
  
  If you are a WWII buff, this series is a "must have" for your DVD collection.
  
  
• The Gold Standard for Documentaries
  By AJ98YA4Y333BK on 2007-09-05
  I watched most of these episodes on public TV 30 years ago, and many of the interviews and footage were still vivid in my mind. Watching again makes me appreciate the brilliant job done by all concerned.
  
  The documentary was made at precisely the right time in history -- when the war was distant enough for some perspective, but not so distant that the witnesses were dead. This work is the gold standard for documentaries.
  
  The opening and end of the series keys on a massacre in France done by retreating Germans who were themselves killed a few hours or days later. The footage of the wrecked town preserved as a monument and Olivier's narration are pure artistry.
  
  Visually, the most unforgettable clips are from the air battles and bombing runs. Emotionally, I was most struck by interviews of German and Dutch citizens dealing with the guilt from being forced to collaborate on some level.
  
  The Holocaust is dealt with in one episode, which is structured perfectly to start with the Nazi racial theories, leading to wrenching interviews with survivors, and ending with the most affecting clip of the whole series (bulldozing the dead at a concentration camp). The subject probably should have been done, however, in two or three episodes. The bonus DVDs correct this by including two large segments with more survivor interviews and incredible use of German propaganda footage.
  
  An entire episode is devoted to the atomic bomb and is extraordinarily well done. It does tend toward favoring the European perspective that dropping the bomb was unnecessary, though it includes interviews making the contrary case. I tend to agree that the bomb did not have to be dropped. But the editors miss the point -- after 6 years of total war, the world was so brutalized that no one was going to hesitate to use any weapon that could conceivably advance the war to any measurable degree. The editors miss the point that it was only after the bomb was dropped that even people like Truman started having second thoughts about all the dead children -- and the world, over the years, started coming to terms with the reality of total war in the nuclear age.
  
  Not enough time is devoted to the war in Russia, which was the most determinative of the war's outcome and where most of the people died.
  
  A lot of the bonus material is just extra footage spliced in with what you've already seen in the previous episodes. But the Holocaust segment in the bonus material does add to and improve the overall work.
  
  This is a classic that is worth the time and money.
  
  
  
  
• This set is why we got a DVD player
  By A311L6YC4N0BKN on 2003-03-02
  The British, for some reason, make the most wonderful documentaries -- and this is one of the best. And DVD brings this series to the screen in crystal clarity (we already had it on VHS from when we lived in England). You will never in a lifetime see anything as good as this on the History Channel. It's way more engaging than anything by Ken Burns (sorry Ken).

  What makes this series so good, then? Well, it has a broad span of subjects. Britain is well covered, naturally, but the war in the pacific, north africa and other theatres is treated properly. Olivier's voice is well suited to the material (and includes some dry british humour, eg when he describes what the soldiers could do in cairo). But best of all, the interviews are with people who were, or were directly connected to, the powerful players in the war. So for example we have interviews with generals in the afrika korps, and one with the planner of the attack on pearl harbor.

  Some reviewers have expressed concern that the series has a socialist/pacifist slant. My family is split between democrat and republican viewers (you can imagine what happens during hannity and colmes!) and we don't see it that way. There is a sense of the madness of war; but also the imperative. I don't think that is socialism or pacifism. War means your sons coming back in body bags, but sometimes a nation simply has to do it to preserve freedom and liberty for all. The World at War points out both and lets the viewer draw their own conclusions.

  Finally, I should point out that our version of the DVD set, purchased in Feb 2003, was perfect and did not exhibit any of the disk errors reported by other reviewers.
  
  

• Simply the Best WWII Documentary Ever
  By AXP4ETEOPDX76 on 2006-03-09
  I was introduced to this series as a part of my WWII course in university. I was blown away so much from this series (no pun intended...) that I purchased it on VHS. Now with this re-release on DVD, 30 years after its original broadcast, you get the digital quality and the ability to view which episode you like - no fast forwarding needed. This also comes with some extended features as well, not shown in previous releases. I will be proud to pass this on to my children and my grandchildren. No faulty viewing problems with any of the discs either! It is perfect for the gifted scholar to anyone who just might be curious about the war.
  
  
• Top-notch documentary on aspects of WWII
  By A3CSRP3P4U9HI on 2000-06-26
  This set of videos combines excellent archival footage of WWII, the first major conflict captured extensively on film, with excellent narration by Olivier to create a stirring and chilling view of the war that set the stage for the second half of the 20th century.

  I have watched this set of videos several times. They rate, in my book, among the best documentary materials available on WWII. If you were to combine this video set with print works like "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and "At Dawn We Slept" you would have a powerful combination of documented works and video material.

  As another reviewer aptly pointed out, this series is slanted heavily to materials from the European Theater of operations. Perhaps that is because there was simply more material available on that part of the war. Maybe it's because much of the fighing in the Pacific leaned in favor of the Japanese for so long.

  While this video series is excellent, it is not, in my opinion, for everyone. I do not plan to let my children watch this until they are a bit older. They should probably be out of elem school before they see footage about the concentration camps, etc.

  There is good footage, good commentary, and a somber soundtrack that brings the project together.

  5 stars

  Alan Holyoak
  
  

• Without doubt the definitive history of World War 2
  By A10RLB8YXTMXAN on 2002-04-24
  The World at War was made back in 1973 and to this date stands alone untouched by any other contender. The sheer scale of the project alone defies belief, archive footage (many of which was un-seen since WW2) was collated from over 12 countries.
  The musical score and narration by Sir Laurence Olivier is second to none.
  The few complaints from American viewers about the lack of American involvement are totally unfounded. Every country is covered and since this is a British production you would expect there to be a saturation of the British involvement, this is not the case. Yes the island hopping in the Pacific is covered in one episode but so is the massive British campaign in the Western dessert. Had this been an American production the viewer would have had 26 episodes telling us that America won the war single handed and Britain and Allies "helped out a bit".
  And NO America did not win the Battle of Britain.
  The inclusion of James Stewart on the "Whirlwind" episode was quite apt, Mr Stewart flew 25 daylight missions with the 8th Airforce.
  All round we have a stable telling of events from a world-wide background and not from just one point of view.
  The interviews add a face to the outstanding combat footage and "Remember" is as moving as any hollywood production.
  Quite simply no other production comes close to the horror and compassion. Unmissable viewing.
  
  
• Almost complete
  By A1TR5ER4K4TRCL on 2003-03-24
  Omitted from this collection is the poignant plea from Sir Lawrence Olivier to watch the episode, "Genocide." However, the extra bonus material, probably not shown on television since the original series was aired in the 1970s, ALMOST makes up for this omission.

  Even though I already own the entire set on tape, I purchaed this set for the bonus material.

  Fans of the late Stephen Ambrose may enjoy viewing his young long-haired countenance as he expertly dissects the causes and effects of the Second World War. My favorite quotes of him include his analysis of the Potsdam Conference and his describing the end of World War II as the culmination of a "European Civil War."

  Many of the interviewees appeared in later documentaries, but "World At War's" presentations are by far their best.

  Some negatives:
  While it may become tiresome to hear Jeremy Isaacs repeating his "Welcome to the World At War" greeting at the start of each episode, his short explanations of the processes and difficulties encountered in the production of the series are fascinating.

  The disks ara all double-sided, which may be irritating to viewers with DVD changers, i.e., one must constantly turn over the disks in order to maintain the continuity of the series.

  I wish there was a CD of the series' score.
  
  

• We-e-e-ll, I guess Clarence gets his wings anyway
  By A27KNXAROMSJ7A on 2005-01-09
  I have always wanted this collection but never was motivated to plop down $100+ for it until I broke my arm. My mother and temporary caretaker could not find anything we could agree on to watch. Now, war documentary is the last thing my mom would watch if not tied down with a gun pointed to her head, but I convinced her that when I saw this on TV in the seventies, Jimmy Stewart was on this show all the time talking about his squadron leader experiences, she said, "OK, let's watch it." And indeed, Col. Stewart is one of the interviewees credited. Problem is, we watched 2 2-sided DVD's before seeing Mr. Stewart's very fine, but brief, explanation of the reason for strategic bombing and its effectiveness. And off he went to shoot the "Shootist" or fly to the "Airport 77" set or whatever. HE NEVER IS SHOWN AGAIN. I guess I was so impressed at the age of 12 simply by the fact that an actor who was already a star would risk everything to go and fight in this war that I remembered him being in every real.
  
  N'importe! as our sometime ally would say. There is no star in World at War. Unless it is the documentarist, Jeremy Isaacs, or the crowds of civilians in film from Leningrad, Dresden, London, etc., as they wake up to death and devestation, rebuilding and reshoring themselves instead of allowing themselves to feel defeated.
  
  Today WAW is difficult to watch because we are used to the Ken Burns style of using acting and sound effects to bring the protaganists "alive". Any guest interviewees are expected to keep within the dramatic framework. In WAW, what we get is newsreel-type film and a bunch of talking heads, not chosen for their acting ability (although the aforementioned Col. Stewart might be there for a Hollywood draw). So it takes some patience to listen to. But it is well worth it. If you want to know anything about World War II, you want to hear Mitsuo Fuchido talk about the details before and after the Pearl Harbor attack. You want to hear Albert Speer tell of how, from the inside, the rotting of the great Third Reich became obvious to all within, even as the Allies were closing in. You want to hear Mrs. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's first nauseating understanding, from a fellow market customer in Berlin, of where the "resettlers" were really being taken in the crowded freight trains they saw daily. Perhaps it was she who told her husband, the great theologian, eventually hung for attempting to kill the Fuehrer.
  
  Then there is John Kenneth Gilbraith, Kay Summersby (Ike's secretary and possibly a leetle bit more), and oh. Ladies. You haven't lived until you've seen Stephen Ambrose with a ponytail.
  
  But the most poignant talking head...and she who seems to remember the most detail of the key personage of the war...is Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary during the last 2 years of his life. Given her appearance in 1973, she could not have been more than 17 at the time. And since of course there are no newsreels to complement her story, she tells it all. And very well.
  
  WAW was long, but it was written as a season-long television series. In some ways, it's better viewed piece by piece, if only because of the more disturbing reports. It is said that if citizens could see what was going on in World War II as it happened, it would have ended sooner. I don't know if it would have ended sooner (sometimes the best way of ending a war is winning it); but WAW brought WWII in our living rooms in the same way Vietnam had come into our living rooms in the 70's, providing a chance for a great deal of debate that had been absent in discussions hence about that conflict.
  
  

• The First World War - The Complete Series
• Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
• The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
• BBC History of World War II
• The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns