Product Description In his "Winds of War," novelist Herman Wouk painted a chilling picture of the ominous precursors to WWII. His sequel, "War and Remembrance," begins with the war's first battles rumbling and became an extraordinary miniseries that held an enormous audience spellbound. A sterling cast, superbly directed by Dan Curtis, enact Wouk's sweeping vision from the perspective of a fictional American Naval family headed by Pug Henry (Robert Mitchum). A saga of monumental proportions that captures all the horrors and heroics of a defining 20th-century event. Part 1 DVD. .com The ambitious TV event War and Remembrance was the final opus in the golden age of the maxi-miniseries. This six-disc set offers the first half (seven episodes) of ABC's mammoth 30-hour production of Herman Wouk's bestseller--itself a sequel to the landmark Winds of War--mixing fictional and real characters around the events of World War II. It starts a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor and abruptly stops in July 1943 with the fall of Mussolini. Only half of the first series' lead actors return, including Robert Mitchum as the patriarch Captain "Pug" Henry. Although Mitchum is too old and less dashing than he should be, his presence is exactly what the series needs as it wavers between pop entertainment and a graphic look at the atrocities of war. The series' multiple storylines branch from the Henry family tree, from his sons' naval battles to his daughter-in-law's (Jane Seymour) harrowing flight through Europe with her famous father (John Gielgud), witnessing firsthand the collapse of European Jewish life in the grip of Nazi power. Director Dan Curtis said that after The Winds of War, the opportunity to show the Jews' plight led him to take on another daunting production. He takes the viewer into Auschwitz with unflinching realism (producer and former internee Branko Lustig returned to the subject a decade later with Schindler's List) and is just as deft with a few massive battle sequences combining models with colorized footage. Sometimes the soap opera of the characters' affairs seems pretty sappy, especially with some uneven acting. The DVD set also contains two featurettes from 1988 and 2002. --Doug Thomas
D**Z
We Are Walking, We Are Walking...
If you sat through Winds of War, then you must sit through thisproduction. Several of the leads have been replaced, for the better. True, Mitchum shows his age, but for me, he IS Pug, no matter what. The Henry family struggles on through the early days of WW2, in almost constant upheaval. This doesn't paint war as a glorious battlefield, nor does it wallow in angst. The story is being told and carries you along, because you have learned to care for the Henrys'. The almost maddening situation regarding Natalie and her uncle will frustrate the viewer, but in its' final conclsusion, the horror is told unflinchingly and true to historical fact. It's well worth the time and the money.
J**E
Disappointing DVD quality, but marvelous story!
I'm a huge fan of Wouk's work, and watched the two miniseries when they ran in primetime. I eagerly awaited this release, and bought it the day it came out. I am disappointed with my purchase.The video looks as though it was digitized with a PC and run through a cheap DVD creation program. The interface is ordinary and out-of-place given the DVD content.One other reviewer has pointed out that this series ends rather abruptly with episode 7. Only by carefully reading the small print on the packaging is it possible to determine that the entire series is not contained within! The 'extra' DVD, which features the story of the making of the film, is counted as one of the six DVDs in the set. The producers might just as well have made it into another couple of episodes...at least the ending would not be so untoward, and I'd feel as though I'd gotten some semblence of my money's worth.The really bad thing, for me, is that I enjoy this series so much that I'll probably buy part 2 when it appears next spring. Maybe the music score CD it is slated to contain will be something of a redeeming factor.
G**D
Great movie
I am an avid ww2 fan. For those of you who want to know exactly what happened during WW2 then this is the movie for you. It also has drama and suspense, great move I say.
H**.
Although 20 years old, it stills packs a punch.
Robert Mitchum is a great actor who carries the series. But Jan Michael Vincent did a great job also. And Polly Bergen did a stellar role.
B**X
Outrageous Pricing
Talk about being ripped off, WINDS OF WAR at 860 minutes was reasonably priced at around $60. This product at 810 minutes is priced at $106, and it's only part 1. There has to be a point where a person draws the line, no matter how much they like to have the product. At this price for this product-the line has been drawn.
G**S
Wonderful mini-series creation
One of my favorite books turned into one of my favorite mini-series. Followed the book closely and remained true to the author.
R**N
Alternately Very Interesting and Very Boring
There are two stories going on here. The story of World War II and the Holocaust. And then there is the soap opera of the Henry family. Of course, the two stories are not entirely distinguishable, since Wouk wanted to show the war through the trials and tribulations of a family. When the movie concentrates its efforts on World War II and the Holocaust, it is very interesting and very well done. Those unfamiliar with World War II can learn from it, and maybe some viewers will go on to study the war and Holocaust in greater depth. Then there is the soap opera. I found the story of Rhoda and affair unwatchable and eventually just fast forwarded. I thought that Jane Seymour was a great improvement over Ali McGraw. McGraw often appeared to be reciting her lines and I found her annoying. To be fair to McGraw, I found her character in the book to be annoying too. The character only became of interest in the second book, just when Jane Seymour takes over the role. Strangely enough, various characters often mentioned who beautiful Natalie ( Ali McGraw ) was, but by the time Jane Seymour ( who is incredibly beautiful ) took over the role, no one seems to ever mention her beauty. Just a small point, but one I found odd. Anyway: 5 stars for the war; 1 star for the soap opera. Since the movie concentrates more on the war, it works out to 4 stars overall. I highly recommend it, and if you find that the soap opera bores you, just fast forward.
D**F
The epic saga continues
WAR AND REMEMBRANCE picks up right where THE WINDS OF WAR left off. Story-wise, part one of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is every bit as good as THE WINDS OF WAR, too.However, there are a number of major cast changes here which are a bit disconcerting. The switch from Ali MacGraw to Jane Seymour is the one I found the most troubling; Jane Seymour may be a better actress overall, but her Natalie lacks the confidence and self-reliance of Ali MacGraw's Natalie. The change from Gunter Meisner to Steven Berkoff as Hitler is also a bit of an adjustment, as is seeing Sharon Stone as Janice.On the other hand, there are some improvements. Hart Bochner is a better Byron than Jan-Michael Vincent, and Sir John Gielgud is truly amazing as Aaron Jastrow. It does take some time to get used to seeing different actors in all these roles, especially if watched back-to-back with THE WINDS OF WAR.Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, David Dukes and Victoria Tennant are all perfect in their roles, as they were the first time around. Like THE WINDS OF WAR, WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is just a pleasure to experience, with an epic scope juxtaposed with the intimate details of the lives of the Henry and Jastrow families.Dan Curtis does not shy away from the realities of war and the Holocaust here, and some scenes are visually and emotionally intense. This only adds to the realism, though, and serves to make the story that much more compelling.And, of course, Part 1 of WAR AND REMEMBRANCE is only part of the story -- the middle of the trilogy, so to speak. Part 2 has to be seen in order to complete the story, which makes me wonder why both parts weren't simply packaged together for DVD.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
1 week ago
