Search - D-Day in Color on DVD

Nothing much new

07/02/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"There's not a lot new here that hasn't been around in previous WW2 in color DVDs released over the past few years. The best piece, which is actually an extra and is five minutes long, covers the pathfinder airbourne troops. Otherwise, this is very average. Note also that the length of this DVD, including all extras, is about 80 minutes, with the main program about 48 minutes."

Not bad, but not incredible either

Anyechka | Rensselaer, NY United States | 03/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Documentaries/compilation films like this one are important because most people are so used to thinking of the events of WWII in black and white. That era exists in black and white in the consciousness of many people, even though it obviously happened in living color to those who actually lived through it and haven't gotten the story through archival footage. Seeing these events in color can give them an immediacy and vibrancy not always available in black and white, even though the color spectrum in film at that time wasn't as wide as it is today. However, I agree that a lot of this footage is already available in other DVDs containing WWII scenes in color. And despite the title, most of it consists of the events leading up to D-Day and the events that happened shortly afterwards, like the liberation of Paris. I understand that one can't see a film about a certain historical event in isolation and that one can only really understand it if one is given the backstory leading up to it, but it would have been nice to have seen a little more actual D-Day footage. Surely there exists some more color footage of the landing and the battles than just the meagre stuff here. Although it's also not fair to complain about how there's not a lot of important battle footage, since as it's pointed out in one of the featurettes, real life isn't like a Hollywood war movie. An actual news reporter filming events as they unfold isn't always going to get a good image of something like an explosion or a particular act of heroism by a soldier, or even to capture the most important events at all, busy filming something else and missing all of the fireworks. The narration also isn't particularly exciting or enthusiastic; it seemed to me little more than a monotone, not giving the sense that the narrator were really into this historical event and conveying that interest and enthusiasm to the viewer.

Included as bonus features are interactive maps of the major battles, bios of the major players (American, English, German), short video diaries from three vets, a timeline of WWII (with a sub-timeline just for D-Day), and three featurettes, "The Overlord Experience: Veterans Reflect on the Experience of D-Day," "Media and War: The Impact of Colour Film in Remembering D-Day," and "D-Day's First Battle: The Role of Airborne Troops in Normandy." Overall, it's not the most memorable or indispensible WWII DVD out there, but it's not completely devoid of value or interest either."