BBC History of World War II (1 Viewer)

[PaulP]

Anyone seen these documentaries, collected in this 12-disc set coming out in July?



This looks very interesting, but the price is pretty steep.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Yes - well, most of them, anyway. As far as I know, all the documentaries are available separately already.

The Nazis - A Warning from History is probably the best TV treatment of the rise of the Nazi party ever. Auschwitz - Inside the Nazi State is also superb. The discs of both these series should be on the shelves of anyone who is interested in 20th century history. The remaining documentaries are excellent and generally even-handed treatments of other facets of WWII. However, unless you are very interested in WWII history they may not be as essential a purchase as the first two documentaries I mentioned.

I would say that if WWII is your thing or you simply like good documentaries and you have the spare cash, then you wouldn't regret buying this boxed set. If you just want to cherry pick, the two titles I specifically cited are IMHO the cream of the crop.

However, if you are looking for an overall coverage of WWII, then I'd say go for The World at War, and if you want something similar in style about World War I, then try The Great War (made in the 1960s when many of the surviving combatants were still alive, and the inspiration for The World at War).

 

[PaulP]

I'm hugely interested in WW2, so I've placed an order over at DVD Pacific for both this set and the 30th Anniversary Edition of The World at War (both for under $200!). Too bad it won't come in time for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, but that's okay. The Great War, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be on DVD though.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

I have the "Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State" set and it's excellent. It’s actually history, absolutely everyone should see it! What I like about it also is the way they had made and cut together documentary and scenes played by actors.

I have not seen "The Nazis - A Warning from History" yet but I'm intending to get it.

 

[Kain_C]

Dang, I already bought Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi state! Wish I would have known about this set before buying it by itself. I am a huge WW2 buff as I have the very well made World at War DVD set and the Frank Capra Why We Fight series (in a very poorly made Madacy box set) and several other loose change documentaries not to mention countless war films. I am surprised there isn't a huge 60th anniversary of the end of World War 2 thing going on this year.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Sincere apologies - I thought it had a R1 release but it must be R2 only at the moment. The following

link will at least let you see what it's about.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Kain,

A better alternative (and even cheaper) to the Madacy "Why We Fight" is the boxed set by Goodtimes. It has much improved quality and editing. See for example http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.c...16&promotion=y

 

[PaulP]

Anybody seen the documentary being released by Image on August 2?

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3385

 

[RoyGBiv]

My local PBS station (WGBH in Boston) is showing Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State this month. I don't know if they plan on showing any of the others in this series. People who haven't seen any might look for this on their PBS stations and then decide if they might want to buy this huge set.

SMK

 

[Kain_C]

Thanks for the heads-up, Dennis. I just saw your reply.

That's a terrific deal and I can't believe how cheap it is! Do you happen to own it because I'd like to know if it has chapter stops. The Madacy version didn't even display the time nor allow the resume feature to function! Suffice to say I couldn't finish it.

 

[PaulP]

So nobody knows what The First World War set is? It's kinda cheap, for a 4-disc set, so I wonder if it's worth getting it, or maybe wait for something more definitive.

 

[TimJS]

I'd like to hear from someone who saw the broadcast of WW1, but if no testimonials are forthcoming, I will probably buy based on the companion site , which you might want to check out if you haven't already.

Tim

 

[Ira Siegel]

Hi guys,

Thanks for bringing these documentaries to our attention.



Actually, the set will, if released in July, be released in time for the 60th anniversary. All the major combatants except Germany (USA, GB, USSR and Japan) were still slugging it out into August, 1945.

 

[Paul Butler]

The Nazis - A Warning from History - the theme tune for this series when shown on the BBC was quite a surprise when I first heard it but is VERY appropriate once it grows on you.

The series is superb stuff from beginning to end, very chilling and very informative!
Paul

 

[Manendra]

How do these two (World at War & BBC HOWW2)series differ? If I want a definitive history which should I go for?

If I buy both, would there be a lot of overlapping material?

How well is the Battle of Britain and U-boats covered in each of the series?

Thanks.

 

[PaulP]

I'm getting both myself, as these seem to be very different bosets. While World at War is a miniseries of sorts, BBC's boxset is just a collection of documentaries focusing more closely on different aspects of the war.

 

[PaulP]

Well I got both sets as I'd said, and have been watching mostly the classic World at War, but also some of the new set's. Just excellent. World at War is a must-buy for anyone who's at least interested in the subject.

Relatedly, here's a review of the new First World War documentary: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=17619

 

[Manendra]

Paul,

Could you please check and let me know whether or not World at War has English subtitles?
I have the BBC History of WWII box set and that has.

Thanks a lot.

 

[PaulP]

I will check, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't, nor Closed Captioning.

EDIT: Got home and checked. Sorry, no subtitle nor CCs.

 

[PaulP]

Amazon has a great deal on The World at War: 51% off, just $72.97!