The Second World War is one of the most well-documented events in our history, with countless films and documentaries covering the subject from all angles since it came to an end. However, it’s hard to think of one that does it better than Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary, The War.
The War takes a look at the entire war from an American perspective, and while it’s easy to think that this could be a bias look at the events, where those involved simply toot their own horn and pat themselves on the back, it’s actually anything but. This series follows the soldiers and townsfolk from four cities throughout America – Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the small town of Luverne, Minnesota – and their stories are heart wrenching, shocking, horrific and in many cases, simply unbelievable; but above all else, their stories are open and honest.
The series spans 15-hours and is incredibly absorbing. The stock footage that the filmmakers found and used to fill in the story, as well as additional footage and pictures that are perfectly placed throughout is incredible. It’s simply astonishing to witness some of these things happening, and to hear the stories being told about what happened to enemy prisoners, or the tortures endured by Allied prisoners of war are unreal.
The decision by Burns and his co-director/co-producer Lynn Novick to have these veterans tell their stories of the war, while mixing them with other stories told by those left behind at home and how they dealt with things was brilliant. The duo were skeptical about jumping into another war documentary after the success of their highly acclaimed Civil War series; however, when they realized that the youth of today don’t fully grasp the events of World War II, and that a rumoured 1000 war veterans die a day in the United States, they knew the time to tell the story the way they wanted to do it was now or never.
It’s hard to describe this series without just wanting to say, “You must see it,” over and over again. I can’t do the stories that are told justice, but I can say that I’ve never seen a more informative, hard-hitting look at the events of World War II in all my life. Not only is this series a chance for these veterans to tell their stories, but it’s also an incredible educational tool, as it’s broken down so perfectly, that one can’t help but want to sit down for 15 hours straight and watch these stories unfold, while learning incredible amounts of history along the way.
While there are warnings before each episode begins, and the series is rated PG and was aired on TV, it must be said that there are some incredibly disturbing images shown throughout. There are some horrific stories that literally caused my jaw to drop and head to shake, as I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That said, it’s this reality that needs to be heard, and it’s learning these things that helps us truly begin to scratch the surface of what it would have been like for those involved in this hellacious war.
One of the most famous days in World War II was D-Day: the day that the Allied troops landed in France. This move eventually leads to the end of the Nazi reign in Europe; however, this day would not have been possible had it not been for all the lesser known battles that took place in the years before. So many small battles, on land and sea, and in the air, took place throughout the Second World War, and this series covers a great deal of them from people who were there. To hear the tales about how hundreds and hundreds of Japanese soldiers were deployed night after night in an attempt to push a small deployment of Marines away from a single airfield they claimed, only to listen to how the Marines held them off until reinforcements – that they weren’t even sure were coming – showed up and helped secure the zone. Even that’s an incredibly brief, and unjust description of that battle, where thousands of Allied soldiers lost their lives.
While the stories of the battles overseas are incredibly shocking and engrossing, the stories told by those who remained back home are just as interesting and educational. Quite a few women speak about their times in the factories, or watching the children of those who worked in the factories, and just how the war completely brought the United States out of the depression and into the world of mass production of military items such as tanks, boats, aircrafts and munitions. They speak about how their brothers and other family members went off to war, and the effect that had on them, as well as how the new economic boom changed the faces of their towns almost overnight.
It’s also incredible to hear the stories from the American citizens who were descendants of Japanese parents during this time, and listen to them talk about how they were placed into camps, and their rights were taken away, even though they viewed themselves only as Americans. Also, to see that the African Americans were sent to war, and signed up to fight for their country against the bigotry overseas, only to find themselves placed into all-black companies that were separated from the rest. It really adds so many layers to this series to have these sides of the story told, as it’s important to remember that some horrible things were done on this side of the world as well during this time, and they shouldn’t be forgotten.
Burns is without a doubt one of the greatest documentarians ever, and The War is just another notch on his belt. The series is so incredibly addicting, and so well told that it’s hard to actually force yourself to stop watching as you enter the wee hours of the morning. The series is written by Geoffrey C. Ward, who does a masterful job creating a wonderfully flowing story that fits together perfectly, and the superb and legendary narration of Keith David (a regular for a Burns’ series) just makes it that much better.
There’s so much I can say about The War, from breaking down each of the seven episodes, to going deeper into what each story is about; however, all you really need to know is that this is a series that the term “must buy” was made for. No matter how much you’ve read or seen in regards to World War II, nothing hits home as hard as the series that Burns and Novick have put together in the six years it took to create The War. Not only is it arguably the best documentary available on the topic, but it’s also one of the most important series ever created from an educational and historical standpoint; and it will be what helps teach future generations about the horrors and sacrifices that the world endured during such a pivotal time in our history.
The video quality is a strong at times, and slightly less so at others. While there are a solid amount of high definition interviews and photographs, there are certain scenes that come off a little grainy. Of course, this isn’t the stock footage I’m speaking of, which looks great for how old it is, and really helps the story flow. The audio is also strong for the most part, with the narration and interviews coming through nicely, and the sound effects and musical scores helping add to the emotional aspects of the series.
There are a handful of special features to be found on this Blu-ray release, and they are as follows:
Commentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick – There are commentaries found on two of the discs, where they discuss two of the episodes in the series.
Making of The War – This feature runs at just over 36-minutes in length, and sees Burns, Novick and others that were involved talk about all that went into creating this series. It’s here that they talk about how they almost didn’t make this documentary, and what drove them to do so, as well as all the other aspects of the filmmaking process that went into The War.
Exclusive Deleted Scenes – There are 44-minutes of deleted scenes, which could be viewed as an extra episode. There are 17 scenes to be found here, and they can be watched individually, or all at once.
Additional Interviews – There are 55-minutes of additional interviews to be seen here in a somewhat raw format. Still, the stories are just as real, and just as interesting without all the additional footage added on.
The War is one of, if not the greatest documentary ever made about one of the most atrocious wars in our history. It’s a series that should be seen by all, and used as an educational tool for the coming generations. Its 15-hour length may seem daunting, but it’s broken up perfectly, and is actually incredibly engrossing and quite hard to turn off. Highest recommendation.
Paramount Pictures and PBS present The War. Directed by: Ken Burns & Lynn Novick. Written by: Geoffrey C. Ward. Narrated by: Keith David. Approx. Running Time: 15 Hours. Rating: PG. Released on Blu-ray: May 15, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
