Search - Pan Am: The Golden Age of Aviation on DVD

This is really a bad product

Dianne Foss | 02/01/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This two disc set comes in a beautifully embossed, metal case. After that, it is all downhill. Basically, the video is composed of travelogues from the thirties. Although in color, it does not provide much information about the clippers. Also, there is a very, very brief documentary about the airplanes, but it is not much. I would not recommend this video."

Pan Am: The Golden Age of Aviation

L. Swartz | Alberta, Canada | 09/08/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is 2-DVD set of 293 min. Disc 1: Mexico, Hawaii, Mexico City, South America, Cuba. Disc 2: England, Ireland, Norway, France, Rome. Also on Disc 2, "a brief history of Pan Am, with a special section on Pan Am's significant contribution to America's WWII war effort." Mainly mid-1940s to early-1950s sights & sounds at each port of call (little aircraft footage). An interesting travel back in time.

Pan Am called each aircraft a "Clipper." If you are interested in the CHINA CLIPPER, I recommend the DVD "China Clipper: Pan Am's Conquest of the Pacific," also available at this website."

PanAm video

Francis Sauser | Kaneohe, HI, USA | 12/24/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Nice post-war travelogues done by Panam for destinations they fly to. Note, however, that despite cover, it is not about flying boats."

Great collection of vintage travelog films

David Holubetz | Telluride, Colorado | 11/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am surprised at the other (bad) reviews of this set, so I have to chime in. Of course these are not flying boats - they are airplanes, which are called 'clippers' because of the parallel to the old way of traveling around the world (clipper ships). Pan Am had a fleet of large luxurious airplanes that flew the world in style, and this is their story. No, there is not much hard info on the planes - this is not a documentary on Pan Am or on the airplanes, it is a collection of travelogs.

Each episode starts off on the airplane, and describes why they are special. Sure it is promoting Pan Am, so it's a little cheesy and some of the footage is the same from segment to segment. But you really get the feeling that Pan Am was doing something different, something a step above and beyond what the other airlines were about. And that is the truth - Pan Am was a special airline, and its demise is a sad chapter in aviation history. The films follow a person or couple who are traveling, and although the travelers are not very interesting, they are at least reasonably good looking and adventurous.

The travel segments are wonderful. A slice of life from the late forties and fifties, not from the thirties like one reviewer thought. The cars, the clothes, everything is just as it was, because the films were made then. These are not documentaries and not travel guides, they are just fun travel and culture films. Each one is about a different place, and there is usually more than just the main location (Norway also includes Sweden and Denmark, Mexico City includes Guatemala, etc.) I really liked the cinematography and the pace of the films too - nothing like what you see on tv today. I wanted to go back in time and travel the world when it was a simpler planet.

The quality is decent. Not great, but definitely watchable. Sometimes the sound skips or the picture is less than perfect, but overall I was actually surprised and impressed by how good the audio and video are. The aspect ratio is the old 'full screen' 4x3, not widescreen. So set your tv for full screen or everyone will look short and fat.

I am very happy with this purchase, and especially for $ 10 ! I recommend this 2 dvd set for anyone who loves vintage airplanes, the airlines, travel, nostalgia, and all that a time capsule like this can show you. Enjoy !"