Blu-ray Review: Powerful ‘WWII in HD: Collector’s Edition’

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – “The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now…” Sounds threatening, doesn’t it? I’m not sure I want to see WWII the same way the heroic people on the ground did. And yet I realize there’s an audience deep into material like this — that which makes history feel present and alive. For WWII historians, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better holiday season gift than the 4-disc Blu-ray set for “WWII in HD,” the History Channel series brought to amazing HD life complete with two feature-length specials.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Narrated by Gary Sinise, “WWII in HD” aired on The History Channel almost exactly two years ago and focuses on twelve American servicemen during the conflict. The producers combine interviews with a TON of archival footage that has been remastered into high definition. Having been raised in an era when the only war footage we ever saw was on PBS or in the classroom and the quality was so questionable that it looked like it had been found in a dingy basement in Germany, this is stunning to watch. It really brings history to the present in a unique way in that you’re reminded more than ever how much the kids that went to protect our country halfway around the world were not unlike ones today.

The eleven episodes (with names like “Edge of the Abyss” and “Day of Days”) are harrowing and fascinating enough that this would make an interesting gift for a WWII fan in your family but New Video and the History Channel have included two extra discs, each with a feature-length documentary — “The Battle for Iwo Jima” and “WWII in HD: The Air War.” Bonus material is scant — “Character Profiles” and two featurettes — but one would expect it to be on a release like this one. It is the episodes/films themselves and the way they act not unlike a time machine that makes the release a special one.

It’s downright scary at times to experience WWII in a way that hasn’t been capable since the actual action of it but perhaps that’s what war should be. Ultimately, this is a great historical document, a way to appreciate the sacrifice for world peace made by brave young men in a way that wasn’t on the market before.

WWII in HD
Photo credit: History

Synopsis:
The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now… Seventy years in the making. Three thousand hours of color footage few knew existed. The first documentary to show original color footage of World War II in immersive HD, the world premiere History series WWII In HD uses the journals and accounts of those who served in the war’s biggest battles to create a personal, introspective and detailed look at life on and off the front lines. Follow 12 unforgettable Americans, and experience the war through their eyes, in their own words, as it really looked and sounded. WWII In HD transforms their stirring journey into a tangible piece of history. Culled from rare color film found in a two-year worldwide search and converted to HD with meticulous technique, WWII In HD provides a picture of World War II as it has never been seen before.

Also included is The Battle for Iwo Jima, an immersive look at the momentous battle using gloriously restored, full-color footage, some of which has never seen before. History details the entire action of the battle, from the first landing of a crippled B-29 to the conflict’s bloody conclusion in a jungle of lava rocks.

This collection also features WWII In HD: The Air War, the untold story of the American 8th Air Force’s bloody battle to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the months leading up to D-Day. Told through the gripping, first person accounts of three American airmen and Stars & Stripes reporter Andy Rooney, this special showcases breathtaking aerial combat—original, color footage, never before seen by most Americans—of the B-17s Flying Fortresses, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs on missions such as Regensburg, Schweinfurt and Berlin. The 8th Air Force suffered more than 26,000 combat deaths—more than the US Marines lost in all of World War II.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com