The Ultimate National Geographic World War II Collection (Untold Stories/The Battle for Midway/Pearl Harbor

Description

Three best-selling World War II titles in a DVD collector?s set for the first time ever. Experience compelling stories of America?s most extraordinary generation of heroes! Titles are: Untold Stories of WWII, The Battle for Midway, and Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack.

Customer Reviews:

Out of their Element?.......2005-03-14

I was looking for some of those old National Geographic nature specials when I came upon this selection of WWII DVD's. I had a lot of respect for the quality of the National Geographic specials based on what I'd seen on TV over the years. I expected the same when I ordered this set of DVD's. I have to admit that the quality of the production is very good. It's the overall content that disappointed me.

The first DVD I watched was titled "Untold Stories of WWII". It had several sideline stories about supposedly little known developments during the war. The main subject was the Nazi Germany early-stage development towards an atomic bomb. The events primarily take place in Norway and you probably would enjoy watching the movie "Heroes of Telemark" more than this segment. There's another on the development of the other super weapons that Germany developed towards the end of the war. There's is also a segment on the Japanese mini-sub which segues into the next DVD I watched.

The second DVD of this set that I watched was "Pearl Harbor-Legacy of Attack". This and the final DVD of the series apparently grew out of the funding that the National Geographic Society provided for a couple of undersea explorations. One was the search for a Japanese mini-sub supoosedly lost during 12/7/41 and the other was for the USS Yorktown lost after the Battle for Midway. The modern day underwater searches were a questionable aspect of the Pearl Harbor and Midway DVD's. I enoy the views of sunken ships that have become technologically possible in the last decade or so. However, they did seem to detract from the recounting of the history of the two battles. There is a lot of good original films of the two battles, good narration and outstanding reminiscences by surviving veterans.

The Pearl Harbor DVD, I felt, was the most worthwhile of the three in the set. Frankly, I'd recommend that you save money and just buy that one. It gives a better overview of the battle than does the Midway DVD. The one on Midway seemed rather sporatic in its' narrative.

I'm still looking for those great National Geographic nature specials that I saw when I was growing up. I'm not sure what to make of the National Geographic's journey into the realm of history. Maybe if the underwater discoveries are put on the center stage and the rest was just used as background, I might have appreciated these videos more. As it was, the two battle DVD's seemed to be trying to tell two seperate stories simultaneously and I didn't think that worked too well.

Pearl Harbor (60th Anniversary Commemorative Gift Set)

Average customer rating:

Terrible, just terrible....
Absolutely the WORST war movie ever made.
If the WHOLE movie was just a black screen with no sound, it would have been a better movie
Stick to Transforming Robots Mr. Bay....
see tora tora tora

Pearl Harbor (60th Anniversary Commemorative Gift Set)
Starring: Ben Affleck , Josh Hartnett , Kate Beckinsale , Cuba Gooding Jr. , and Jon Voight
Director: Michael Bay
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005O893
Release Date: 2001-12-04

Amazon.com

To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay's epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you've ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon--and Bay's re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that's tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle--this time, it's between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened.

For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress--he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance--the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England--works, thanks to their charm. They're no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they're pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor--from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight's able impersonation of FDR--is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. --Mark Englehart

Description

History comes alive in the unforgettable epic motion picture PEARL HARBOR, the spectacular blockbuster brought to the screen by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Astounding visual and audio effects put you at the center of the event that changed the world -- that early Sunday morning in paradise when warplanes screamed across the peaceful skies of Pearl Harbor and jolted America into World War II. This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory, and personal courage focuses on the war's devastating impact on two daring young pilots, Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) and Josh Hartnet (THE VIRGIN SUICIDES), and a beautiful, dedicated nurse, Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY). PEARL HARBOR is extraordinary moviemaking -- a breathtaking reenactment of the "date which will live in infamy" and a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who lived it.

Customer Reviews:

Terrible, just terrible...........2007-09-08

No wonder almost half the reviewers here gave this flick 3 stars or less...
Shallow plot, way over romanced, and farfetched (how on earth could the fighter pilots have gone to bombers - carrier bombers at that - in that kind of timeframe is beyond me. This includes a stint fighting alongside the RAF in England).
This movie rates with "U-571" on an accuracy level.
It also does no justice to the two pilots Taylor and Welch (real guys who fought at Pearl Harbor) which is a real shame.

Absolutely the WORST war movie ever made. .......2007-09-06

This thing is utter and complete garbage from beginning to end. It has absolutely NO historical accuracy whatsoever except that the Japanese did in fact speak Japanese. Other than that, pretty much everything's pure poorly researched fantasy. This is not only a terrible waste of time and money, the fictional story it tells isn't any good either. It's rubish.

If the WHOLE movie was just a black screen with no sound, it would have been a better movie.......2007-08-10

This film contains everything and only everything that's wrong with America today:

Glaring discrimination in favor of attractive people.
All the "heroes" are astonishingly attractive men and women. While I don't have anything against attractive men and women, it's just so obvious that that's the reason why they were chosen for those roles. The real heroes in Pearl Harbor didn't come from Entertainment Magazine. They were made of common clay. Some maybe attractive, some maybe not so attractive.

Not history so much as propoganda:
They make it seem like before Pearl Harbor America was the only reason Britain was still standing on two feet. Sort of like America was fighting the war before it started fighting the war. Now I'm an American and am proud of our nation's accomplishments, but I'm not proud of the distorted image of history that this movie falsely suggests. There were indeed some American pilots who volunteered to help Britain before Pearl Harbor. But these were few and far between. Like every other nation, America was in it to advance its own interests. And that involved squeezing Britain by trading British bases in the Caribean in return for giving them some, yes, crucial war supplies.

Nothing original (let me amend that: nothing original that is good).
We've seen this type of love story in the movies so many times and it has been done oh so much better. Even though they're attractive, it's ironic that the bad chemistry makes it just painful to watch.

Off the top of my head, I can think of one movie that I dislike about as much as this one: Armageddon. But at least Armageddon knew that it wasn't portraying reality and didn't expect its audience to think it reflected reality.

Simply dreadful.

Stick to Transforming Robots Mr. Bay...........2007-08-06

What a awful disgrace of history on film. To take one of the most tragic days in American history and distill it down to a tepid romance is shameful. Just because a film is 3hrs. plus doesn't make it a epic and the miscalculation to spend the first third of the movie away from Hawaii is just bad storytelling. Why not begin with the men on the ships and get to know some real characters that we actually care about instead of some cheesy 3way love triangle, that way when the terrible attack occurs we feel real sympathy for the men instead of blasting us with mind numbing sound and effects. This could have been a great film about a important day if Spielberg or Cameron had done it. The finished film here will be remembered only as a national embarrassment.

see tora tora tora.......2007-07-19

this movie was very corny and overdone. one star for the special effects. Tora Tora Tora should have been called Pearl Harbor and this version should have been called...Tragedy at Pearl

Strike and Counter Strike: Pearl Harbor & Guadalcanal

Average customer rating:

Strike and Counter Strike: Pearl Harbor & Guadalcanal
Starring: Strike & Counterstrike
Manufacturer: Edi Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009FBYU6
Release Date: 2005-08-24

Product Description

As World War II engulfs the globe, the vast Pacific Ocean becomes the flash point for the struggle between the Empire of Japan and the United States of America. The first year of this titanic struggle will see the Japanese succeed beyond their wildest dreams. As a resurgent United States strikes back, the fortunes of the war will change in favor of America. These documentaries are the story of those initial attacks and how fortune turned on the Japanese. DISC ONE-PEARL HARBOR: On December 7, 1941, peace is shattered as the Japanese carrier fleet launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu. This is the story of one of the most momentous events in American history told through the eyes of the people who were there, both Japanese and Americans. DISC TWO-GUADALCANAL: In the summer of the 1942, Japanese expansion had been effectively countered at the pivotal Battle of Midway. On august 7, 1942, American Marines conducted the first landing on a Japanese held island. That landing, on Guadalcanal, was the opening action in a six month long, gut wrenching campaign that would determine the course of the Pacific War.

Average customer rating:

Pearl Harbor (4 Disc Documentary)

Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005B1ZF
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941 (Commemorative Edition 5-Pack)

Average customer rating:

Another fine mess by Madacy
Thorough but unsatisfying
An important addition to your WWII library.

Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941 (Commemorative Edition 5-Pack)
Starring: John Huston
Director: Joris Ivens , and Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000056EWC
Release Date: 2001-02-06

Customer Reviews:

Another fine mess by Madacy.......2004-03-19

Typical Madacy mish-mash, made up of old documentaries thrown together to make a multi-DVD set, complete with a colorful, attrative box to appeal to the average consumer who wouldn't know otherwise. If you occassionally like watching old documentaries/propaganda films, fine....but the outside of the contents (the box) need to state honestly what's inside, and not hype it up to appear like it's a big-budget production (like a History Channel or National Geographic product - now THOSE are worth buying). Madacy has a problem with that, because they know most people won't buy it....or at least pay the asking price. This stuff needs to be on the bargain rack ($10 max).

Thorough but unsatisfying.......2002-02-05

Tons of footage from the attack and propaganda from the period but ultimately unfulfilling. Felt like a very long slide strip from elementary school.

An important addition to your WWII library........2001-02-23

With the 60'Th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in sight, It was inevitable that a special DVD edition regarding that event would be published. This "commemorative edition" DVD is an adequate addition to any WWII personal library. The 5 DVD's included on this set, feature 12 documentaries with a total running time of 7 hours. It seems the producers insisted on this set being unforgetable, for after 7 hours of footage one will find it hard to shake visions of Zero's flying outside his/hers living room window. The mass of the film can be exhausting at times, as you happen to watch the same scenes over and over again in different documentaries. However, this is only a minor fault, for you will find here several documentaries that are exceptionally good films: The 1961 "KAMIKAZE" - Is a retrospective on the pacific war. The 1945 "KNOW YOUR ENEMY", directed by FRANK CAPRA - Is a masterpiece of a propaganda film. "IWO JIMA", "OKINAWA" - are first rate war films. It is obvious that this compilation of 12 documentaries could not have been edited into a consistent, chronologically ordered set of films, keeping in mind that these films are of different kinds and sources. However, one gets a complete picture of the Pacific scene before during and after world war II. As for the quality of the DVD itself, I did not find any added value in the special features: the trivia quiz, slideshow, biography and newspaper excerpts. No sound remastering work was done in the making of the set, thus for 7 hours we get an authentic 1940's sound quality. Although some might claim it to be a virtue, I found it disturbing, especially as no English caption is available. Overall, though not a brilliant, History Channel like DVD set, It is a must be for all those WWII buffs like myself.

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Attack on Pearl Harbor
Starring: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Manufacturer: Edi Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000SM6FCM
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Pearl Harbor - 60th Anniversary Memorial

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Pearl Harbor - 60th Anniversary Memorial
Starring: Pearl Harbor
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005QX7X
Release Date: 2001-10-23

The WWII Experience: Pearl Harbor & Beyond

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The WWII Experience: Pearl Harbor & Beyond
Starring: Pearl Harbor & Beyond
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

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The WWII Experience: Smashing the Reich - Conquering the Nazis

ASIN: B00096S3WC
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Description

Winning The War With Japan THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY • PEARL HARBOR • APPOINTMENT IN TOKYO ATTACK IN THE PACIFIC • THE LAST BOMB • HIROSHIMA • KAMIKAZE KNOW YOUR ENEMY-JAPAN In early 1941, America was still unwilling to enter the war effort, believing that she had no direct interest in the stakes of battle. This all changed on the fateful morning of December 7th, 1941 when Japanese airplanes began a surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor. Out of the billowing clouds of smoke and the flames of sunken U.S. warships, America picked herself up, brushed herself off, and threw her hat in the ring of war. But just who was this enemy, Japan? America was all-too-familiar with her European enemies, but the Japanese posed quite a different story. They were as mysterious as their culture and beliefs were strange, and their ideas of warfare left American troops frustrated. This unique set of WWII documentaries offers a glimpse into America's conflict with Japan, from its hard-fought battles in the Pacific to its eventual victory won with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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