War and Remembrance: The Complete Epic Mini-Series
by Tommy Groszman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: and Sharon Stone, Jane Seymour, Robert MitchumDirector: Tommy Groszman
Brand: MPI
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 1500 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-10-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO
Movie Reviews of War and Remembrance: The Complete Epic Mini-Series
Movie Review: A great epic but not quite as good as its predecessor
Summary: 4 Stars
Given how "The Winds of War" had been an excellent mini-series chronciling the lead-up to Pearl Harbor, one would think the follow-up would be better with the war itself. Instead, it suffers from overly padded dialouge and plotting and an overreliance on stock footage and narration to explain the big parts of the war. There's also the fact that about 90% of the cast has been changed which naturally shakes things up.
The worst of the casting is Hitler as here we get an over the top performance rather than the more restrained actor of "WOW." I know that this is supposed to show how Hitler lost control as the tide turned but it still comes off too camp to be effective. Spending so much time on the plots to kill him also comes off hard as it takes away from the other storylines.
However, casting Jane Seymour as Natalie works as she's a more sympathetic figure now and John Geilgulld is excellent as Jastrow musing over his fate. Mitchum may be a bit older now but he and Polly Bergen still mix wonderfully as does Victoria Tennett to give their story heart. It also helps having David Dukes back as Leslie Stole who redeems himself from the first story by discovering Germany's plans for the Jews. Those who wonder why the Allies could not find this out earlier are answered by the statement that no one wants to believe a civilized nation could carry out such a horror.
Indeed, it's stunning how the Holocaust is depicted, with nudity of people that wouldn't get on TV today so it being shown on 1988 networks is amazing. The horrors are done from the gassing to mass graves and the horrible shot of a little girl lying amid a pile of bodies. Even worse are the Nazis treating it like a joke and going about things normally while committing mass murder.
Like "WOW," Herman Wouk co-wrote the screenplay so it's quite close to the novel and improves by showing stuff that was only mentioned in letters or notes. The big change is that the Battle of Leyte, a major event in the novel spanning several chapters, is brushed off here with stock footage. That amazed me as in the novel Pug reacts to the bad decisions his commanders make and would have made compelling drama but I guess they couldn't afford it.
So while it doesn't match the scope or impact of "WOW," this is still amazing for the scale of production and giving a human face to one of the greatest tragedies in our history.
Summary of War and Remembrance: The Complete Epic Mini-Series
Available together for the first time.Winner of Emmy, Director s Guild, and Golden Globe Awards!
Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Seymour, and Sharon Stone.
Filmed on location in ten countries, this extraordinary production is the largest and most ambitious undertaking in television and motion picture history. Featuring an all-star cast and spectacular reenactments of the Allied invasions at Normandy and the Philippines, Herman Wouk s classic novel is brought to life in an award-winning mini-series that vividly recreates one of history s most unforgettable chapters. This deluxe boxed set contains the entire epic story of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE all fourteen parts, over 25 hours long on 13 discs!
Includes bonus audio CD of the War and Remembrance soundtrack music
Includes bonus interviews and commentary with actors and production personnel, War and Remembrance A Living History featurette, documentaries The Making of War and Remembrance and War and Remembrance Behind the Scenes , and The Music of War and Remembrance featurette.
The second half of this massive miniseries covers events from the last two years of World War II with members of our fictitious family--the Henrys--scattered throughout the world. Pariah "Pug" Henry (Robert Mitchum) visits Russia and England as an advisor--and proposes to his much-younger lover, Pamela (Victoria Tennant)--before retuning to the Pacific theater to join his son Byron (Hart Bochner), a submariner, in battling the Japanese. Meanwhile, Byron's wife, Natalie (Jane Seymour), and her uncle (John Gielgud) continue their harrowing plight, starting in the "Paradise Ghetto" and leading to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
This half--11.5 hours--aired on ABC in May 1989, six months after the first half. Unfortunately there is no kinetic battle sequence like the first half's Midway clash to absorb the viewer. Director Dan Curtis relies more on newsreel footage (and the sometimes heavy-handedness of narrator William Woodson) to cover large events. To compensate, the filmmakers give inordinate screen time to the conspiracy to kill Hitler (Steven Berkoff) by his inner circle. Like in Herman Wouk's novel, Hitler's decision to eliminate the Jews is the backbone of the entire series and the film's steely reenactments of these events--an amazing achievement for network television--is quite harrowing. Authenticity (filming at Auschwitz) plus ace performances (Seymour has been rarely better, Gielgud is outstanding) combine for a powerful statement, although the whole production is sometimes weighed down by the soap-opera elements of the Henrys' lives. The original Winds of War miniseries had a higher caliber cast, which is missed here. However, a few actors shine in their atypical performances, including Barry Bostwick (who tied with Gielgud for the Golden Globe) as a flamboyant submariner and David Dukes as a desk side attach? who reaches new depths in the war. Although admired and very watchable, the series did not impact the industry as much as its predecessor or sweep the award circuit as other miniseries (Roots, Holocaust, etc.) did, although it did take home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries.
The 7-DVD set contains an informative booklet, a CD soundtrack, and a disc of extras. Dan Curtis makes comments over 70 select minutes of the series (shown out of context), hitting the highlights of filming, a nice way of letting the filmmaker talk without searching for the commentary throughout the various discs. There's a new 30-minute feature combining new and old footage on the making of this massive production, and a 15-minute featurette on composer Bob Cobert. --Doug Thomas
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