"The War" on PBS
- Thread starter Coyote Ugly
- Start date
I've watched the first two parts now. I find it offers an interesting and somewhat different perspective on the American experience in the War from what has been shown in other History Channel-type documentaries. I thought Ken Burns would really be put to the test of his reputation to come up with something unique on this subject - much more difficult than with the Civil War - but I agree that he appears to have done it. The film seems to have really done a good job of showing how the War affected the entire country. Everyone from every walk of life was involved in one way or another.
One of the great things about the footage shown, most of it is stuff that hasn't been seen before. They seem to have had access to archival film that wasn't previously released to the public. bearhunter
ww2 has been overdone on the history channel IMHO. I'd like to see more on Korea, WW1, the Philipine insurrection, etc. Or if you MUST do ww2, how about something different like an accont from the Serbian perspective or Polish perspective - not the same tired old documentary that makes it look like the US fought in every battle.
Another interesting film might be about the Japanese in Manchuria in the mi 1930's, from either perspective would do - I'm not picky
Another interesting film might be about the Japanese in Manchuria in the mi 1930's, from either perspective would do - I'm not picky
Amazing footage...but Im surprised there is NO mention of anything the Yanks werent involved in
How can ya make a documentary about the entire war and not even mention Canadian,British,French and especially Russian involvement???
How can ya make a documentary about the entire war and not even mention Canadian,British,French and especially Russian involvement???
Because the yanks won the war single-handedly.. duh
When I saw the previews for "the War" on pbs, one of the makers of the documentary was asked why she was invovled. Her answer was; I never really knew much about WW2 till I began this project, but I always saw it as a story of American herosim." Kinda says it all.
Still an interesting documentary, but take it with a grain of salt. As we know, Canadian troops played an huge part in the fighting in Italy. Which is where the documentary last ended. Although the Yanks played a very important role in opening up the second front, the war was won thanks to the "cooperation" of all the allied nations.
Coyote Ugly
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I'm sure Saskatchewan Uranium will be mentioned in the last episode showing the B29 with Fat Boy and Little Man....
Yes I think that some of the archival footage is new. There are clips here and there that I recognize from other shows - audio too. For example, last night they had that clip where the B-17 is going into a nose dive and you hear one of the aviators in the plane filming it saying something like "C'mon you guys, get out of there." That I have definitely seen before (possibly in the "Warplane" series). But there is just tons of stuff that is brand new. All this stuff abut American civilians in the Philippines, and interviews with them, the stuff from the people in Luverne, Mobile, Waterbury and Sacramento, the reporters with the troops in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, etc. A lot of that seems very new to me. They have found lots of people to talk about the war and the wartime which probably haven't really given their stories before - not to a big audience like this - which I think is what Ken Burns is going for... there are endless stories about the War because it affected every person in America (and other countries, but this film is about the American War).
It is true that the contributions of the other countries are not being focused on, but I wouldn't say they are being totally ignored. They skipped over most of the pre-Pearl Harbour stuff. They actually worked their way backward from Pearl Harbour (back to 1939) in part of episode 1. There has been some mention of the Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France...... (but just barely).... several mentions and some footage of the Russians being hard against it during these first few years (the whole war really, but they haven't gotten that far yet)... the Blitz (some footage), the British in North Africa (mostly focusing on the Americans, but some shots of Brits with Yanks), some footage from Nanking in episode 1, etc. I always like see the Canadians in Hong Kong and Italy remembered. Hopefully we'll at least get a mention for Normandy and Holand.
The style of the documentary is pretty raw I find. There is some seriously raw emotion in many of the interviewees - and not just from veterans. And also, Burns has not shied away from issues like the Americans killing Japanese prisoners, or the issue of how inept the Yanks were in the beginning of the North African campaign, cowardice among some high ranking officers, etc. I am enjoying it.
It is true that the contributions of the other countries are not being focused on, but I wouldn't say they are being totally ignored. They skipped over most of the pre-Pearl Harbour stuff. They actually worked their way backward from Pearl Harbour (back to 1939) in part of episode 1. There has been some mention of the Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France...... (but just barely).... several mentions and some footage of the Russians being hard against it during these first few years (the whole war really, but they haven't gotten that far yet)... the Blitz (some footage), the British in North Africa (mostly focusing on the Americans, but some shots of Brits with Yanks), some footage from Nanking in episode 1, etc. I always like see the Canadians in Hong Kong and Italy remembered. Hopefully we'll at least get a mention for Normandy and Holand.
The style of the documentary is pretty raw I find. There is some seriously raw emotion in many of the interviewees - and not just from veterans. And also, Burns has not shied away from issues like the Americans killing Japanese prisoners, or the issue of how inept the Yanks were in the beginning of the North African campaign, cowardice among some high ranking officers, etc. I am enjoying it.
Woo hoo! Canada was mentioned tonight in the battle for Cassino. There might have even been some shots of Canadian soldiers. They are hard to pick out from other Commonwealth soldiers unless you get a real good glimpse of the uniform. In some of the shots from Monte Cassino you can clearly see the New Zealand markings on some of the uniforms. The Canadian Red Ensign was also shown in some of the battle maps.
You are correct....about Canada mentioned at the battle for Monte Cassino....i believe some of the shots of British Commonwealth troops are of Canadian troops fighting at Ortona....often refered to as Canada's ..Stalingrad.
I thought Burns tries to be very honest and upfront....that the Americans were untrained when they landed in North Africa...that their generals made mistakes....ie....General Douglas Macarthur in the Phillipines...even after 9 hrs after the attack on Pearl Harbour,..still had not dispersed and camoflaged his aircraft...they were destroyed on the ground....this man was a total idiot...yet he had a propaganda machine that made him out a tactical genius.
The ordinary American soldier tried to do his best....often under very difficult situations.
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On that point too... I think tonight's show really tried to push the notion that Anzio could have been a great tactical stroke, but turned into a disaster because of the hesitancy of U.S. military leadership - and at the end they pissed it all away by heading for Rome for the glory instead of trying to cut-off the retreating Germans.
Definitely not a sterilized account of the Yank war effort.
Definitely not a sterilized account of the Yank war effort.
Well, "The War" wrapped up on PBS tonight. Overall I think it was well worth watching. I've watched "a few" war documentaries in my time, and I'd say this one ranks right up there. I can't believe the brutality in some of the accounts though - accounts of what Americans did, not just what the Germans and Japanese did - for such a mainstream documentary. The account of the Marine on Pelelui who was trying to cut the gold teeth out of a still living paralyzed Japanese soldier - while his Marine comrades were yelling at him to put the man out his misery, which he just shrugged off - is just absolutely horrifying. Of course worse happened on all sides... but that is just nasty.
For the Canucks, we just got a mention for Monte Casino, as I mentioned above, and also for D-day. The producers gave a short but respectable mention for Juno Beach, mentioning the facts often recounted in Canadian shows that the Canadians at Juno suffered the second worst casualties of the 5 landings (next to Omaha) - I believe they mentioned 1-in-9 in "The War"; and that the Canucks moved the furthest inland by the end of the first day (9 miles or something like that?).
You can't really fault Ken Burns for not mentioning the heroism of the other nations though. This was obviously a film about the American experience (and the Waterbury/Mobile/Luverne/Sacramento experience at that).
In terms of milsurps. You can see Germans with Stg44's in some of the later episodes (starting around the "Battle of the Bulge" episode, which I think is episode 5 or 6 out of 7). Those things seem pretty far ahead of their time when compared with the other small arms in the film. I don't really know much about them, but like the AK-47 a few years later, they really seem to be the first to balance out all the variables: rate of fire and (detachable mag) capacity like an smg, but with accuracy and power closer to a battle rifle.
war documentaries in my time, and I'd say this one ranks right up there. I can't believe the brutality in some of the accounts though - accounts of what Americans did, not just what the Germans and Japanese did - for such a mainstream documentary. The account of the Marine on Pelelui who was trying to cut the gold teeth out of a still living paralyzed Japanese soldier - while his Marine comrades were yelling at him to put the man out his misery, which he just shrugged off - is just absolutely horrifying. Of course worse happened on all sides... but that is just nasty.For the Canucks, we just got a mention for Monte Casino, as I mentioned above, and also for D-day. The producers gave a short but respectable mention for Juno Beach, mentioning the facts often recounted in Canadian shows that the Canadians at Juno suffered the second worst casualties of the 5 landings (next to Omaha) - I believe they mentioned 1-in-9 in "The War"; and that the Canucks moved the furthest inland by the end of the first day (9 miles or something like that?).
You can't really fault Ken Burns for not mentioning the heroism of the other nations though. This was obviously a film about the American experience (and the Waterbury/Mobile/Luverne/Sacramento experience at that).
In terms of milsurps. You can see Germans with Stg44's in some of the later episodes (starting around the "Battle of the Bulge" episode, which I think is episode 5 or 6 out of 7). Those things seem pretty far ahead of their time when compared with the other small arms in the film. I don't really know much about them, but like the AK-47 a few years later, they really seem to be the first to balance out all the variables: rate of fire and (detachable mag) capacity like an smg, but with accuracy and power closer to a battle rifle.
