Just watched the final episode of this absolutely superb documentary on the Second World War. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in that incredible time. I went through a gamut of emotions watching the series and listening to the veterans' stories.
For those who don't care for Ken Burns or documentaries or WWII history, a brief description: it's a 7-part series that tells the War through the eyes of soldiers from four American towns who fought on the front lines. It also tells the story of civilians from those towns who were caught up in the war in one way or another; and it examines the economic and social changes those towns went through as a result of the War.
Ken Burns: The War
Moderators: Cagliostro, sgt.null
-
onewyteduck
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 5453
- Joined: Thu Jul 08, 2004 2:02 am
- Location: On your wall!
I don't have the DVDs, just followed the show on PBS.
This is actually the first Ken Burns doc I've watched since The Civil War. I didn't tune into the one about jazz or baseball.
The presence of the veterans definitely makes the war a personal experience. They add that extra sense of realism to the footage and old photographs, as if you were there in the trenches with them.
That and the sound. I had never heard WWII battles sound so crisp and powerful before. The audio almost sounds too clean and modern to have come from recordings of that time. Either the filmmakers did a heckuva job cleaning up and "remastering" the existing sound off the war footage, or they laid a contemporary sound effects track over the footage.
For me, one of the most heroic and tragic stories was that of the Japanese-Americans who fought in order to prove their loyalty to their country, all while their parents lived behind barbed wire in internment camps. I had not known much about the Japanese-Americans as a fighting force until I saw this series. And boy did they know how to fight: their battalion apparently gained reputation as one of the bravest among all the American forces. But such fearlessness meant that they were repeatedly sent to lead assaults, or to rescue fellow American troops who got trapped in disastrous battles ill-conceived by their inexperienced general. As a result, the Japanese-Americans suffered horrendous losses. These stories of soldiers paying the price for the folly of their commanders is highlighted in Episode 5: FUBAR
At the same time, the inhuman treatment of prisoners at the hands of the Japanese made me "hate" them as much I hated the Nazis. And the suicidal frenzy of both the Japanese soldiers and citizens at places like Okinawa and Iwo Jima was crazy. Japanese families threw themselves off the island cliffs rather than surrender to the Americans, because they had been taught that the American soldiers were monsters who would eat them if they were caught. It's hard to comprehend all the insane things that happen in war.
This is actually the first Ken Burns doc I've watched since The Civil War. I didn't tune into the one about jazz or baseball.
The presence of the veterans definitely makes the war a personal experience. They add that extra sense of realism to the footage and old photographs, as if you were there in the trenches with them.
That and the sound. I had never heard WWII battles sound so crisp and powerful before. The audio almost sounds too clean and modern to have come from recordings of that time. Either the filmmakers did a heckuva job cleaning up and "remastering" the existing sound off the war footage, or they laid a contemporary sound effects track over the footage.
For me, one of the most heroic and tragic stories was that of the Japanese-Americans who fought in order to prove their loyalty to their country, all while their parents lived behind barbed wire in internment camps. I had not known much about the Japanese-Americans as a fighting force until I saw this series. And boy did they know how to fight: their battalion apparently gained reputation as one of the bravest among all the American forces. But such fearlessness meant that they were repeatedly sent to lead assaults, or to rescue fellow American troops who got trapped in disastrous battles ill-conceived by their inexperienced general. As a result, the Japanese-Americans suffered horrendous losses. These stories of soldiers paying the price for the folly of their commanders is highlighted in Episode 5: FUBAR
At the same time, the inhuman treatment of prisoners at the hands of the Japanese made me "hate" them as much I hated the Nazis. And the suicidal frenzy of both the Japanese soldiers and citizens at places like Okinawa and Iwo Jima was crazy. Japanese families threw themselves off the island cliffs rather than surrender to the Americans, because they had been taught that the American soldiers were monsters who would eat them if they were caught. It's hard to comprehend all the insane things that happen in war.
I finally finished this series this past week, and found it very moving. Every student of military history will appreciate this series, and especially Burns' efforts to highlight the battles in the Pacific and Anzio.
Overall, it was an excellent series. It lacks the romantic, nostalgic feel of The Civil War series, as it should. Currently it's saved on my DVR but I'll but the DVD set sometime soon.
Overall, it was an excellent series. It lacks the romantic, nostalgic feel of The Civil War series, as it should. Currently it's saved on my DVR but I'll but the DVD set sometime soon.
