The History Channel was created in 1995 as a spin-off network from A&E. In the beginning, it became known for its World War II documentaries. At that time, it had been 50 years since the war and ratings were high for these documentaries. Now almost 15 years later, the History Channel is going back to what made them by releasing Ultimate Collections: World War II. That 10-disc set was a little pricey when it was released early in 2009. So now it’s time for just the first four discs of that set to be released on DVD at a reduced price.
Ultimate Collections World War II: The War in Europe and the Pacific was originally filmed in 1983. All of the episodes consist entirely of combat footage and narration by actor Patrick O’Neal. With each episode lasting around 20 minutes, there is time no interviews or in-depth analysis from experts. The episodes featured on this four-disc set include “The Greatest Conflict”, “North Africa…the Desert War”, “The Beachhead at Anzio”, “D-Day: The Normandy Invasion”, “Pursuit to the Rhine”, “The Bomber Offensive: Air War in Europe”, “The Battle of the Bulge”, “The Battle of Germany”, “Island Hopping”, “Jungle Warfare: New Guinea to Burma”, “Air War in the Pacific”, “The Bloody Ridges of Peleliu”, “The Return to the Philippines”, and “Okinawa…the Last Battle”. Finally, the A&E Biograph on the great Navy warrior, Admiral William “Bull” Halsey is also given here to round things out.
These World War II documentaries are pretty straight-forward and old-fashioned. There is no need for fancy graphics or reenactments that are common today. The host Patrick O’Neal simply pulls out a map and points to locations on it with his finger. There is also no time in these brief documentaries for interviews with veterans from this battles or historians who know a lot about them. Instead, viewers get nothing but fact after fact about these battles. That may be fine for older viewers, but today’s audience will likely be bored by this presentation. The last documentary that is all about Admiral Halsey is a lot more interesting, simply because there is time to talk to people who knew all about this man.
If there is something positive to be said about this set, though, it’s the actual black-and-white war footage. A lot of footage has been put together to create these documentaries. Lou Reda, who was already a very successful television documentary filmmaker, wanted to tell the complete story of World War II. He accomplished just that. This could be a great teaching tool for history teachers, if they can keep their students awake. A little more insight and excitement in the presentation could have really helped the continuous facts to go down smoother.
Ultimate Collections World War II: The War in Europe and the Pacific is really just the first four discs of a larger 10-disc Ultimate Collections: World War II set. That set is the real complete story on World War II, but it may be too pricey for some. This set is definitely cheaper, and there are some well-known battles featured here, but they are presented in an fascinating way. If you are a hardcore World War II fan, you will want to get the complete 10-disc set, which has more interesting stories as a whole. If you are not a fan of the material, you likely be bored throughout and stay far away from this. So that really makes Ultimate Collections: World War II: The War in Europe and the Pacific a pointless watch for everyone, unless you want to watch a few of the episodes and can’t find the bigger set anywhere.
The video included is available in fullscreen color presented at the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The quality is okay. It looks its age, though. Probably a little better than it was presented on TV, but there are no major problems here.
The audio included is available in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. No problems here either, but nothing special.
There are no extras for this DVD set.
Probably skip it for most everyone, unless you really love watching old World War II footage and don’t already own the original 10-disc set or The World at War.
A&E Home Entertainment presents Ultimate Collections WWII: War in Europe & Pacific. Created by Lou Reda. Narrated by Patrick O’Neal. Running time: 385 minutes. NOT RATED. Released on DVD: August 25, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
