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Newer (cheaper) set of The First World War out 13 May 2014 (1 Viewer)

Dennis Nicholls

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The classic British 10 part series The First World War has been out on an Image DVD set for some time now, currently priced at $45.

A re-release of this set is due out on 13 May 2014 from "Entertainment One", whoever they are. The pre-release price at Amazon is only $30 so this appears to be a cheap way to pick up this set.

http://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Complete-Series/dp/B00IS6WPT2/

Does anyone have any comments about what to expect from an Entertainment One release?
 

theonemacduff

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The truly classic series was the one aired by the BBC around 1964, i.e., 50th anniversary. I think it was 24 parts, but each was only about 30 minutes long. The film was projected at the correct speed, intelligent commentary, good show all around. The one listed on Amazon is a recent series, probably more au courant with history trends today, but surprisingly little has changed in some respects, in the historical interpretation of the war.
 

Squashy

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Ive only seen the american version, which obviously they edit more, i will have to check into this one. Thanks
 

Dennis Nicholls

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My copy arrived the other day. Amazon didn't really give the technical specs but the new copy is different than the older OOP Image set. The Image set was listed as 1.33:1 AR but the new set is 16:9 widescreen anamorphic. The film comprises original WWI vintage BW film intermixed with still photos and recent color footage of the towns and countryside of interest as they appear today.

Entertainment One got the set onto 3 discs whereas Image required 4 discs. If the Image set truly was 1.33:1 AR then the new set is vastly superior as the film makes extensive use of the widescreen format in its composition. The quality of the BW film footage varies but the modern color footage is of high quality.

Ten episodes of 50 minutes each. I've watched the first three thus far.
 

Dennis Nicholls

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I pulled this out and started watching it last night.

Note that the Amazon link above now says the studio is Sony, so I guess that "Entertainment One" is a Sony brand. The original Image pressing is still listed at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/First-World-War-Complete/dp/B0009S2K9C

The contemporary video is so clear that I had to check to see if it was a Blu-ray.

Little is discussed about this series at IMDB other than the fact it dates from 2003. IMDB doesn't shed light on whether it's 4:3 IMAGE or 16.9 SONY.
 

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