WWII in HD

[Weiss Pinguin]

Did anyone else watch tonight's premiere? Supposed to be going all week on the History Channel, and I have to say it looks pretty good. (Especially compared to some of the HC's more recent 'documentary' stuff ;))

It's amazing what they've done with the footage... Some pretty raw and upfront film as well. That's just me though, what did the rest of you think?

[Rilder]

I refuse to watch the history channel. I don't care whats on it.

[SteamWake]

Why just last night they had "9/11 conspiricy theorys fact or fiction" how could you not watch that :haha:

[Weiss Pinguin]

lol no, I'm with you both there about the History Channel (Don't get me started on the so-called "Dogfights"), but anytime I can watch actual footage, I'm in. I was just surprised to see that kind of thing on History... Which is kind of depressing, if you think about it. :rotfl2:

[SteamWake]

I have the 10 disk set of Time / Life Documentary made a few years back.

What made it so good that it had many first hand accounts from people whom were still alive at the time.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Yeah, no matter how much you dress it up, nothing compares to watching a veteran recount his experiences.

[SteamWake]

Indeed one of the most riviting episodes is where they interview Hitlers former secretary and her recounting of the final moments.

[Jimbuna]

For me The World At War 35 1/2 hour 11 disc box set takes some beating.

[SteamWake]

For me The World At War 35 1/2 hour 11 disc box set takes some beating.

This may actually be the set I'm talking about.

[Jimbuna]

This may actually be the set I'm talking about.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-At-War-Complete-Disc/dp/B00008WQ9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258403395&sr=8-1

[Letum]

Everytime I watch a history documentry I think "that was good, but it could have done with more pixels".

[Jimbuna]

The History Channel have been showing the convoy battles in the Atlantic recently and I must admit to not being overly impressed.

[SteamWake]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-At-War-Complete-Disc/dp/B00008WQ9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258403395&sr=8-1

That is probably it but the box art is very different. Ill look when I get home tonight.

[Jimbuna]

That is probably it but the box art is very different. Ill look when I get home tonight.

Could well be...the narrative/foreword is by Sir Laurence Olivier

[XabbaRus]

It's come down in price then.

I might buy that for a christmas present to myself.

[Oberon]

Sweet mother, that HAS come down in price. Have to keep a butchers on that, might have to get it myself. Damn good series, easily THE series on World War Two, none other has come close. :salute:

[TFatseas]

For me The World At War 35 1/2 hour 11 disc box set takes some beating.

No kidding, that series in my opinion is the pinnacle of all WWII documentaries.

[Torplexed]

I'm anticipating the new series, Decline and Fall of the History Channel. :nope: Ancient Aliens, 2012, and Ice Road Truckers....gimme a break.

[HunterICX]

if you ask me as soon a documentary starts with a hollywood exciting trailer voice I turn it off immediatly..I can't bear narration like that.

World at War is by far the best WWII documentary I've seen
also the serie called ''The Great War'' from 1964 about World War 1 is one of my favorite documentaries.

The Great War Documentary - Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_War_%28documentary%29)

HunterICX

[kiwi_2005]

I seen one 6 part WWII documentary can't remember what the name of it was called now but it was the best ive ever seen of WW2. What I liked about it is even tho was old footage most blacknwhite some in color none of the gory bits were left out. None whatsoever, guys crushed by tanks, one unknown pilot shooting down a pilot that was parachuting to the ground. Guys found dead in lifeboats after weeks at sea some still gripping to the side bobbing up and down in the water like yo yo's with their eyes missing from seagulls

Best episode of Stalingrad ive seen, showing German snipers taking out soviet troops - them getting hit in the back falling down and dieing then only to hear a second shot and his head flinch, one of the snipers was laying in wait for soviets troops to run pass only about 20 feet away & would pick off the last man. Cause of the noise of bombs going off and gun fire no one would know that the last guy in line was being picked off, as the guys in front of him just kept on running ahead not knowing what just happened. Shooting the enemy in the back!

Totally blew me away - at some of the snipers tactics getting up very close and taking out their targets not like the 500 yrds aways you see in Hollywood movies.


That doc showed the realities of war, something that should be shown in universities over here.

[Jimbuna]

Sweet mother, that HAS come down in price. Have to keep a butchers on that, might have to get it myself. Damn good series, easily THE series on World War Two, none other has come close. :salute:

I bought my set about 6 years back when it was a LOT more expensive :stare:

[sharkbit]

I know it is hard to believe, but the History Channel is actually showing something on history. :woot:

Anybody check this out on the History Channel?
http://www.history.com/content/wwii-in-hd

It has numerous episodes. I watched a couple last night. There was some pretty good footage and some of it was quite graphic.

:)

[SteamWake]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=158259

;)

[AVGWarhawk]

I got to watch 2 hours last night. It is very good. The narration is great with the mix of the actual person who experienced the events. Last night the showing of Saipan and taking it from the Japanese was excellent. It is astonishing that close to 1000 civilians jumped to their death instead of giving up to the Americans. The Japanese really ingrained into these folks that Americans will do all manners of atrocities to them if caught.

[Weiss Pinguin]

The footage of some of the civilians jumping (And the aftermath) was pretty gut-wrenching.

I got to watch 2 hours last night. It is very good. The narration is great with the mix of the actual person who experienced the events.
Aye, and I'm loving the music as well. Easily the best thing to come out of the HC in a while. (I know that says a lot :smug:)

[AVGWarhawk]

The footage of some of the civilians jumping (And the aftermath) was pretty gut-wrenching.


Aye, and I'm loving the music as well. Easily the best thing to come out of the HC in a while. (I know that says a lot :smug:)

What was more sad was the fact that a Japanese gentlemen was given the mic to a bullhorn to advise these folks that all is well. They would be fed and clothed if the just came forward. Such a shame. What was really gut wrenching was the kids. There was some footage of an Asian boy who was just shivering from fear or cold. An American GI was offering him water. Watching this footage really puts a different face on the war.

Yes, the music is excellent.

[longam]

I've been catching half of what they play the night before at lunch time. It must start about 11 EST. I think there playing them back to back during the day. Some really good footage.

[sharkbit]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=158259

;)

My bad. :oops:
Please lock.

[Jimbuna]

It is really quite amazing how simple it was for the propaganda specialists to paint whatever picture they wanted to into the minds of so many innocent civilians.

[Oberon]

Hate is easy.

[sharkbit]

I watched some of it last night(episode on the landings on Iwo Jima). A lot of the footage is pretty good and pretty graphic. The stories from the veterans are quite moving, especially the one from the GI from the 84th Infantry Division who got seperated from his unit and ended up slitting a German soldier's throat. To see how that affected him was amazing. :cry:

I'm still waiting on a well rounded documentary on WWII though that doesn't make it seem that the US was the only country fighting the Axis and won the war all by itself.

World at War is the only documentary to really do that. Although dated(made in the early seventies), it is still the best documentary out there. It gave a good history of the war along with the human impact.
It is pretty much the yardstick I measure WWII documentaries with.

:)

[AVGWarhawk]

Sharkbit,

I think the footage is just from the US camermen and any footage from American GI. I would venture to guess other countries did not get inquires for any footage they might have of their men in battle. I agree though, there were many fronts and many nationalities in the war. I would like to see footage of Russian soldiers defending their cities. From what I read this was the most brutal of the fight.

[August]

I think it's pretty tough to cover every nationality in the war sufficiently enough to give a well rounded and accurate portrayal in one show. Take this one for example, it's what ten episodes just to cover the the war from just the US point of view and even that will be incomplete.

I wonder how many more hours would it take to cover, say, the Soviet POV to a similar degree. WW2 in HD would need it's own channel! Hmmm.:hmmm:

[nikimcbee]

Sharkbit,

I think the footage is just from the US camermen and any footage from American GI. I would venture to guess other countries did not get inquires for any footage they might have of their men in battle. I agree though, there were many fronts and many nationalities in the war. I would like to see footage of Russian soldiers defending their cities. From what I read this was the most brutal of the fight.

Speaking of that, I've read from several sources, that a lot of the Russian footage had been staged.:-?

I have been watching this now and its pretty interesting. I love the first hand stories.