| | |  | Carry-Ons | Home » » » The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | The War will be a seven - episode series, produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, that will examine the myriad ways in which the Second World War touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America. By telling the stories of ordinary people in four quintessentially American towns – Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne, Minnesota – the series will portray this enormous worldwide catastrophe on an intimate, human scale. The War will intertwine vivid eyewitness accounts of the harrowing realities of life on the front lines with reminiscences of Americans who never left their home towns, and who tried their best to carry on with the business of daily life while their fathers and brothers and sons were overseas. The film will honor and celebrate the bravery, endurance, and sacrifice, of the generation of Americans who lived through what will always be known simply as The War. | | | Product Details: | | | Director:
| Ken Burns | | Format:
| Anamorphic, Widescreen, Subtitled, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 6 | | Studio:
| PBS | | Run Time:
| 900 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| October 02, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 338 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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 History gets personal.Jul 27, 2010
As the years pass, a documentary such as this will become ever more priceless, as fewer of the Greatest Generation will be around to remind us of how terrible war can be, and always has been. Never before have I seen as deeply into the heart and soul of war as I have in watching this series. Many may put "The War" down as lacking in historical completeness, but that's not the focus anyway. Others may say that it puts too much emphasis on racism, but I think that was to show how people were willing to sacrifice themselves for our nation, in spite of how they were treated by it. Without talking directly to one who has been there, you cannot get a clearer view of the human side of "The War" than this.
If, however, your questions are more historical in nature, I highly recommend the global perspective on the trials and atrocities of WWII found in the BBC series, "The World at War".
Both are excellent documentaries I suggest at least giving a try.
Wonderful Gift for my husbandJul 20, 2010
I purchased this set for my husband for his birthday and he loved it. He is a War History buff and he said there were things in this film he had never heard before. I was very happy to see him so happy with it.
DDDJul 20, 2010
Great Film -- I bought this for my husband for Father's Day. He's a history buff, but said he learned a lot from this documentary. Everything Ken Burns puts together is high quality.
Great SeriesJul 14, 2010
This is an excelent series that takes a different approach to portraying the war from the peoples perspective and how their lives were affected. Some of the best photos and footage I have ever seen in a war documentary. Highly recommend.
Amazing, Emotional, and the 1st Time WW2 Seemed RealJun 12, 2010
As a 20 something WW2 always seemed like a faraway black and white occurrence - something you study in history books. Movies like Saving Private Ryan & Shindler's List helped somewhat in bringing reality closer to a younger generation but in the end you still knew it was Hollywood (though at its very best).
It wasn't until I watched Ken Burn's The War that WWII seemed real and tangible. Some critics state Ken Burns made a mistake by hardly mentioning FDR, Churchill, and other famous figures of era. I think this is Ken Burn's best characteristic. I can see documentaries of the politicians of the Era anytime of the day on cable - there is a plethora of those around. Here Ken Burns bring in veterans and family members discussing their own personal stories bringing alive history in a personal way.
There is some mention of a liberal anti-war slant to the movie. Yes, it is there but it is very subtle and honestly I doubt anyone is going change their viewpoint of war after watching this. None of the people interviewed were anti-war, actually some interviewers said they were zealously for fighting the war w/one dvd in the series entitled A Necessary War.
I was literally brought to tears from the stories told by pilots Quentin Aanenson and Earl Burke, who somehow beat the odds on the bomber planes, a most dangerous job were most only lasted an average of 14 flights & an average of 600 men were lost on each mission (think Memphis Belle but with the real life people retelling). The infantrymen interviewed also told of their Omaha Beach landing.
The footage is breathtaking because it is not all grainy black and white but colored home videos and news footage underlining the point these are people just like us. Tom Hanks, Bobby Cannavale, and Adam Arkin are among the narrators who are perfectly cast.
The War is an emotional rollercoaster where you feel pride at the United States and their industrial workers, anger at the incompetent policy, horror of the staggering deaths, and awe of men who rushed onto the beaches of France knowing full well they would probably die. The War is living, breathing history which finally illustrates why they were the Greatest Generation.
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