Hundminen Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 My local video store has the History Channel WWII The War Chronicles Box Set (narrated by Laurence Olivier)on sale for $50 ($72 Canadian). It is 7 videos with two episodes per video. Does anybody know if it is any good? Is it good footage and details, or just basic stuff we all know? That's more dough than CM so I wanna be sure. Hundminen [This message has been edited by Hundminen (edited 02-10-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 IMO it still today remains the best single documentary series covering all of WW2 ever produced. I'd grab it if you can afford it. Los Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolColJ Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 Or you can watch it on cable ccj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Seimerst Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 LOS is right!! We used it to every day when teaching WWII to the cadets at West Point-- lots of superb footage and an excellent narration. Pricety but worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EScurlock Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 Only 14 episodes? The actual series has 24 (or was it 25?)! BTW the series as sold by the History Channel and Amazon.com has 9 volumes. You can see the correct packaging if you go to Amazon.com. If it's legit, you've got a real bargain there. I'd buy it at that price. ------------------ He who gets there the fastest with the mostest wins. [This message has been edited by EScurlock (edited 02-11-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 Yes good point. I haven't seen it sold anywhere in one BIG package it's usually sold in two sets. SO make sure they have the second set also. Los Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakko Ichiu Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 Definitely worth watching. It's an excellent overview at the "big picture" level. Covers politics, home front, effects on civilians as much as the military angle. Narration and scripting are excellent (hey, it's Larry Olivier, so what do you expect). The only thing is it's a little dated -- maybe 30 years -- and historical knowledge has advanced a lot since then. Some areas aren't covered at all e.g., Enigma and other Bletchley Park stuff, while others are somewhat glossed over, like Stalin. Still eminently watchable and very informative. Ethan ------------------ Das also war des Pudels Kern! -- Goethe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerLeader Posted February 11, 2000 Share Posted February 11, 2000 Excellent. You should buy it, I personally own the first two volumes(39-42) and so far it's been incredibly immersive and well done. I plan to get volume 3 soon. The original music particularly caught my attention, you don't get that kind of stuff on the Discovery Channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted February 12, 2000 Share Posted February 12, 2000 It's actually a 12 video set with 26 episodes (yes I have them all). Is very good at giving you a broad look at the war in total. Doesn't get too nitty gritty but has lots of interviews and comments by veterans from all sides. Definitely worth US$50. Reg's Fen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hundminen Posted February 12, 2000 Author Share Posted February 12, 2000 Actually, the box set they have remaining is not the World at War (they sold out of that one), but is called WWII The War Chronicles. It is also from the History Channel. I wonder if it is a smaller version of the World at War series. Hundminen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captitalistdoginchina Posted February 12, 2000 Share Posted February 12, 2000 Hi there everyone, maybe i can shed some more light on this for you. Actually there are 2 versions of this great documentary from the BBC. One is a US version (NTSC) and one is for Europe (PAL). The US version is available as 26 seperate videos or as a set of 9 volumes, but the set of 9 from Amazon.com is not the complete 26 episodes so beware. In the UK it is available as 4 parts, each a set of 6 or 7 episodes hence the confusion over how many videos/episodes/volumes make the complete set. The best value is the British set which costs 100 pounds sterling for all 4 parts (26 episodes + 2 free videos containing 3 bonus episodes making 29 episodes in total) but you must have a video and tv that can play PAL system tapes.....or a multisystem TV and Video, this set is available from WWW.theworldatwar.com alternatively the NTSC set can be pricey, it is listed as US$ 699.95 (complete set of 26 videos - one per episode) at www.adhostnt.adhost.com The PAL set also comes with the bonus double video special as previously mentioned, the last of the series and not included in any previous sets - the double video (which i also have) called "The 2 deaths of Adolf Hitler" which investigates whether Adolf shot himself or took cyanide pills, it includes interviews with the autopsy teams from Russia and europe. It also includes the episode "The Final Solution" about Auschwitz and "Hitlers Germany"..all in the great traditional style of The World At War. I hope you can find this helpful, save your money and buy these instead of The War Chronicles set, or better still buy both! Best regards, CDIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hakko Ichiu Posted February 12, 2000 Share Posted February 12, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Captitalistdoginchina: [snip for brevity] The best value is the British set which costs 100 pounds sterling for all 4 parts (26 episodes + 2 free videos containing 3 bonus episodes making 29 episodes in total) but you must have a video and tv that can play PAL system tapes.....or a multisystem TV and Video, this set is available from WWW.theworldatwar.com alternatively the NTSC set can be pricey, it is listed as US$ 699.95 (complete set of 26 videos - one per episode) at www.adhostnt.adhost.com [snip]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> For $699.95 you could a buy a mighty fine multi-standard video player and the complete PAL set of W@W (£100=~$160). Surely it must be available more cheaply? Ethan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamo Posted February 13, 2000 Share Posted February 13, 2000 I am still haunted by the music score they used in this series. They always ended with a freeze frame of some tragedy and rolled the score...Man...very powerful stuff. Buy it. Zamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hundminen Posted February 13, 2000 Author Share Posted February 13, 2000 Ok,I think I finally got this figured out. Thanks for setting us straight Capitalistdog. War War II Chonicles (History Channel) is a 7 video set, 500 minutes in all. Amazon's own reviewer pans it. Apparently not consistent in presentation of maps, video doesn't match narrative, but lots of things get blown up real good. World at War (HBO) is a 9 video set, 1,000 minutes long, 26 episodes. The same Amazon reviewer plus all 5 customer reviews describe it as a landmark acheivement - the definitive WWII video account. What seems to impress is the range of interviews, the footage, the narrative (Olivier), and the musical score is used to great effect. Well, my local video just got World at War back in stock ($90 Candian or US$60). That's where I'll be spending my hard earned dollars. I only wish I could find 1,000 minutes Hundminen By the way, the World At War is reviewed at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/video-customer-reviews/0783107 986/ref=pm_dp_ln_v_1/102-4588313-0550434 [This message has been edited by Hundminen (edited 02-12-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captitalistdoginchina Posted February 13, 2000 Share Posted February 13, 2000 Hi there, If the 9 video set in your local store includes all 26 episodes then its an absolute bargain, good luck with your purchase and prepare to be riveted in your armchair for the next few weeks! CDIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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