bobbd
Auditioning
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2007
- Messages
- 7
- Real Name
- Bob Drummond
I am always amazed at how little information or discussion can be found about these two mini-series from the ‘80s, even on the internet. I guess I’ll kick-start a thread here, and hopefully others can add some meaningful insight or information or opinion.
For those who don’t know or remember “Winds or War” (WoW) and “War and Remembrance” (WaR) were two big mini-series broadcast on ABC in the US. They were directed by Dan Curtis (of Dark Shadows fame) and based on 2 novels of the same names written by Herman Wouk. They tell the story of the fictional US Naval Officer Victor Henry (Robert Mitchum) and how his friends and family intersect with many of the major figures and events of the Second World War.
WoW (broadcast in 1983) was released on DVD in 2004 by Paramount. The video quality is quite good for an early ‘80s TV show. It appears to sport a brand-new digital transfer from original film elements. Those original elements appear to be a bit dirty at times, especially on shots featuring obvious optical printing, like subtitles or superimposed effects. But overall I’m quite please with the video quality. The audio is clear, but rather bland. It’s a mono track with very little dynamic range. I suppose that is par for the course for a TV production of that vintage.
WaR (broadcast in 1988) was actually released on DVD first in 2003 by MPI. Ironically, this younger series features a much worse video transfer—quite possibly the same transfer used on the VHS release from the ‘80s. It’s dark and dreary, with no contrast or detail. Not completely unwatchable, but a big disappointment after the WoW transfer. The audio seems like an improvement, at least at first. The first several discs contain a stereo track—at least the musical score is in stereo. There are even some moments of actual dynamic range in the score, but the dialog and sound effects seem to be mixed in the center. However, several discs into the series, the sound seems to revert back to mono.
So is there a snowball’s chance in hell of some better releases in the future, especially for WaR? The fact that both series were released on DVD with about zero fanfare seems to suggest that we’ll have no more releases anytime soon (I think I found 1 or 2 reviews for the WoW set and absolutely nothing for the WaR sets). I think it would be a shame if this is the best we’ll ever get. Yes, the series can be rather slow paced, it lingers in soap opera territory at times, and there are some casting misfires, especially in WoW, but overall I think it is a grand epic and possibly the biggest example of the bygone era of the major mini-series. It also contains about the most graphic and horrific reenactments of the Holocaust you’re ever likely to see. All in all, I’m rather surprised both series seem to have been all but forgotten.
Also (one can dream) what about an HD release? I imagine both series were finished completely on film, making an HD release a relatively easy thing to accomplish, no? Perhaps WoW’s new DVD transfer was actually an HD one? Do the big studios do any non-HD transfers nowadays?
For those who don’t know or remember “Winds or War” (WoW) and “War and Remembrance” (WaR) were two big mini-series broadcast on ABC in the US. They were directed by Dan Curtis (of Dark Shadows fame) and based on 2 novels of the same names written by Herman Wouk. They tell the story of the fictional US Naval Officer Victor Henry (Robert Mitchum) and how his friends and family intersect with many of the major figures and events of the Second World War.
WoW (broadcast in 1983) was released on DVD in 2004 by Paramount. The video quality is quite good for an early ‘80s TV show. It appears to sport a brand-new digital transfer from original film elements. Those original elements appear to be a bit dirty at times, especially on shots featuring obvious optical printing, like subtitles or superimposed effects. But overall I’m quite please with the video quality. The audio is clear, but rather bland. It’s a mono track with very little dynamic range. I suppose that is par for the course for a TV production of that vintage.
WaR (broadcast in 1988) was actually released on DVD first in 2003 by MPI. Ironically, this younger series features a much worse video transfer—quite possibly the same transfer used on the VHS release from the ‘80s. It’s dark and dreary, with no contrast or detail. Not completely unwatchable, but a big disappointment after the WoW transfer. The audio seems like an improvement, at least at first. The first several discs contain a stereo track—at least the musical score is in stereo. There are even some moments of actual dynamic range in the score, but the dialog and sound effects seem to be mixed in the center. However, several discs into the series, the sound seems to revert back to mono.
So is there a snowball’s chance in hell of some better releases in the future, especially for WaR? The fact that both series were released on DVD with about zero fanfare seems to suggest that we’ll have no more releases anytime soon (I think I found 1 or 2 reviews for the WoW set and absolutely nothing for the WaR sets). I think it would be a shame if this is the best we’ll ever get. Yes, the series can be rather slow paced, it lingers in soap opera territory at times, and there are some casting misfires, especially in WoW, but overall I think it is a grand epic and possibly the biggest example of the bygone era of the major mini-series. It also contains about the most graphic and horrific reenactments of the Holocaust you’re ever likely to see. All in all, I’m rather surprised both series seem to have been all but forgotten.
Also (one can dream) what about an HD release? I imagine both series were finished completely on film, making an HD release a relatively easy thing to accomplish, no? Perhaps WoW’s new DVD transfer was actually an HD one? Do the big studios do any non-HD transfers nowadays?