The War By Ken Burns DVD Box Set Review

Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, The War DVD box set, contains 6 DVDs and was released in October 2007. This highly acclaimed World War II series was first aired in September 2007 on PBS as a 7 part series.

It could be argued that there is more than enough history books and DVD documentaries on World War 2. But as Ken Burns points out there are still "many untold life stories", because the war was inevitably fought by individuals not by countries. These personal stories belong to our Uncles and Grandparents and still very much need to be told. The War by Ken burns DVD Box Set is quite unique in its coverage of the home front in World War II. Four American towns were chosen for the home front depiction of the war. Home front men and mostly women where just as important to winning the war as those on the war front, so it is no surprise that a large part of the The War DVD series is dedicated to their story.

By focusing on specific families Ken has made the film very personal. At points the series can be quite emotional. Despite the emotional content Ken's research is still very meticulous and the cinematography and editing of old war footage stunning.

This PBS film is more focused from American perspective (especially on the home front) and Ken is very upfront about this. So don't expect an independent World view point. It probably would of better been titled "American involvement in World War II". If you are after a World perspective then the best independent film history of World War II is still by far the BBC series "The World at War".

Even though the film is from an American viewpoint Ken also references in detail American wrongs as well as the rights. From the unconstitutional internment of Japanese-Americans to the discrimination of black servicemen no topic is too controversial for Ken. In this respect the film could not be called American biased by any stretch of the means.

The War DVD Set is not in HD but it does have a wide screen aspect. It would be difficult to do any better as the footage was produced in the 40's and in some instances battle field conditions. The soundtrack and commentary more than make up for the non HD quality footage.

The war by Ken Burns is a masterpiece and is a must have collectable "living history" for our children. As a gift for some one I think a lot of our Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts would appreciate The War DVD series, as with most of Ken Burns films. Even though the series was aired on PBS having the DVDs is well worth the cost as their is lot or rich resources in the supplemental material on the DVDs. It also serves as reminder for us of what the war really was. And as they say "nobody does documentaries as well as Ken Burns".

Regards

Danny & Maggie Sheehan

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