Search - WWII: The Complete History on DVD

Joe T. (FoxMulder2667) from PUEBLO, CO
Reviewed on 5/27/2009...

This 10 Disc, 30 hour long collection covers every aspect of world War II in sometimes humorous 3-5 minute segments. Each dvd is approximately 3 hours

A must-buy for WWII fanatics

noir head | 07/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is not the most-complete WWII video set but it does provide a huge amount of information (30 hours worth) in 5-10 minute watchable vingnettes about the War. I haven't counted but there has to be almost 400 chapter stops in this set, making it easy to find what you want to find. However, there is very little information about the chapters listed anywhere (not even on the internet), I might add though, that when each chapter begins, it has a title and a subtitle, so you can "chapter search" (the hard way) and probably find what you want.

The video quality is great (I was really surprised by this!). The sound quality is good too but on disc two the music is at times mixed so loudly, the narrator can hardly be heard.

There's very little new information here and no interviews, which is kind of disappointing. But there's a lot of new video here quelled from Russian sources, much of it I have never seen before (and I have about 75 hours of WWII DVD documentaries in my home.)

The video tries to be chronological but fails; it's probably impossible to remain in order in such an undertaking that lasted 6 years.

Some snippets of video are used over and over (for instance, I saw poor Rommel literally scratch his head about twenty times in the Africa campaign segments and I saw Mussonlini fold his arms and shake his head in a cocky way almost everytime his name was mentioned!) Still, that's a small price to pay - there's a -lot- to watch here.

Not a sterling presentation but it's not boring either; it's a cheap way to learn a lot about the war. It would make a fine addition to any DVD documentary collection and a fascinating gift, I would think, for any high school or college student.

I would also recommend THE WORLD AT WAR and BBC's HISTORY OF WORLD WAR TWO."

Definitive WWII Collection

C. Graubart | 01/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At 30 hours long this collection has just about all the footage of every aspect of WWII that you would want to have, including comprehensive narration. It includes extensive use of film never before seen in the U.S. from Russian, German and Japanese archives. If you're trying to decide on which WWII collection you want in your video collection this is definitely worth considering."

Awesome for an introduction to WWII

Doug Lewis | Ironton, MO United States | 01/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i started to become a bigger and bigger history geek last year. i found this DVD set for $25 and purchased it - not expecting a whole lot (especially after a few other less-than-stellar similar purchases). I was surprised. While it is NOT a tactical break down of anything specific, it IS a great starting point for wrapping your mind around the chronology of the conflict as a whole. It springboarded me into much greater in-depth study. It IS somewhat anglo-american centric in its retelling, but not frustratingly so. It is endless in length (which suites me well) and has a vast amount of knowledge contained in an accessible medium.

one complaint, though, is that while a lot of the footage is stunning, some of it is repeated to a noticable degree. While i suppose this is to be expected SLIGHTLY in a 30 hour all-stock-footage documentary .. it starts to bother you seeing the same russians run over the obviously same ditch every time a russian offensive is mentioned .. or seeing the same Japanese sailors standing at attention when the imperial navy's might is mentioned - but i guess these specific images are enough to evoke the mood needed.

Perhaps the best selling point on this documentary is the excellent narrator. There is exceptional sound quality - the music is what you would expect, but there is no sound effects dubbed in. The narrator is so good that you don't even notice. Even my girlfriend, usually pained by my boring-documentary obsession fell in love with the mans voice and the way he relates the information. And with 30 hours of him talking ... you'll miss him when its over."