List Price: $129.99You Pay Only: $79.99 You Save: $50.00 (38%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
EAN: 0841887052122
Format: Anamorphic, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: PBS
Manufacturer: PBS
Number Of Items: 6
Publisher: PBS
Region Code: 1
Release Date: October 02, 2007
Running Time: 900 minutes
Sales Rank: 433
Studio: PBS
Theatrical Release Date: October 02, 2007
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Editorial Review:
Product 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.System Requirements:TRT: 900 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 841887052122 Manufacturer No: 705212
Amazon.com:
Creating epic documentaries about war is nothing new for Ken Burns, nor is the subject of the Second World War, which never ceases to be a popular subject of films and TV shows. Yet with The War, Burns has definitely succeeded in breaking new ground, exploring in depth the effect of the war on common Americans, and not just the soldiers of The Greatest Generation that fought it. As the narration says at the beginning, 'The war affected people in every house, on every street in every town in America.' This is nothing less than an attempt to show how the war altered the lives of an entire nation through the portrayal of four individuals from four communities--Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alambama; Luverne, Minnesota; and Sacramento, California--that could represent any town in the country that went through the war. The result is another stunning achievement for Burns and co-director Lynn Novick. Together the filmmaking team succeeds in bringing the war home through the testimonies, letters, and footage of the people from these towns. The storytelling is compelling--Burns and Novick manage to find the most vivid, intimate, and personal dimensions of a global catastrophe--and brought to life with exceptional voice work from marquee stars like Tom Hanks, Alan Arkin, and Samuel L. Jackson. Much of the footage is brilliantly restored; even the most die-hard History Channel buff will see clips here that they've never viewed before. Many old grainy family films look almost as clean and bright as if they were just shot using a modern camera with black-and-white film (keeping in mind that most of the footage was shot without sound, the audio effects work on The War is particularly impressive and should bring attention to the underappreciated work of the foley artist). It took Burns and Novick six years to make this seven-part, 15-hour film--not surprising, really, considering the miles of footage they must have accumulated in the course of their research--and the time and effort shows in the results. The DVD also includes a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, extensive commentaries, and more, in addition to a companion book, The War: An Intimate History. --Daniel Vancini
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Most Excellent in receiving the product in a timely fashion!
Thank You for sending the copy of "THE WAR" a PBS special. It was informative and well done. 5 stars
Rating: - Ken Burns hits a home run
"The War," like Burns' other projects, places his subject squarely within the context of the times, creating an accessible, thought provoking and stimulating view of the defining five years of the American Century. This set of films provides an unequaled summary of the events of the war years with special emphasis on their impact on the home front. I use many clips from the series in my college modern American history class, not only to provide background on the war but to set the stage for events after the war and up to the present day. This series reaches students in ways no other can. I never have enough time to show all the clips I could, and the students always leave class wanting more. This is a keeper.
Rating:  - The War
After seeing how well Ken Burns handled the documentaries on Jazz and the Civil War, I was pleased to view The War and see how it continues his fine treatment of what are historical subjects. The archive materials are very clear, the narrative informative, sympathetic, yet not too obtrusive. It gives a very clear account of what it was like to have been a soldier and a soldier's family throughout 1941-1945.
Rating: - Review for The War
We really wanted to get the DVD set. We saw it on PBS and were captivated by it. I was a little disappointed at the cost of the DVD set, when it was a PBS special. It was much more affordable on Amazon, but was double at Barnes and Noble. I would also like to get the coffee table book that accompanies it, but will maybe get that a later time.
Rating: - Good But Not Great
As a major history buff, I enjoyed this Ken Burns documentary on WW2 and I recommend it. There's alot of great war footage never seen before. Also, there are many excellent war stories that bring home the horror and brutality of war.
However I have 2 criticisms. I felt that that focus on the four towns was ponderous and caused the film to drag at times. Also, I would have liked it better if there was less human interest/home front coverage and the documentary was shortened to ~ 4 DVDs, instead of 6.
Overall, this is worth watching but not great like Burns's Civil War documentary.
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