Release Date: 10/2/07

The Show

“The Second World War was fought in thousands of places, too many for any one accounting. This is the story of four American towns and how their citizens experienced that war.”

Directed and produced by the legendary Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, The War is a 15-hour, 7-part epic documentary on the last great war and the effect it had through the 4 years that the United States was involved. However, instead of diving too deep into the logistics and politics behind the Nazi-driven war, the film goes into the lives of American towns, Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and Luverne, Minnesota, and how the war impacted their lives. From the issues of racial segregation and hypocritical Japanese segregation camps right within the borders of the United States, the film is told through photographs and video footage from the rural towns and even the battlegrounds themselves.

After spending time with the set, I truly felt like I got a real feeling for the myriad of emotions these people felt while the world around them was being blown apart and their loved ones were being sent off only to come back in bodybags. Testing the wills of those brave and sometimes naïve soldiers, the film really gets to the heart of the raw feelings felt by those directly and indirectly involved with the war effort.

The 6-disc set coms with all seven episodes from the series with a Play All option found on the second disc.
Disc 1
1. A Necessary War
Disc 2
1. When Things Get Tough
2. A Deadly Calling
Disc 3
1. Pride of Our Nation
Disc 4
1. FUBAR
Disc 5
1. The Ghost Front
Disc 6
1. A World Without War

The DVD

The main menu comes with an introduction and feature music playing throughout. Transitions lead to similarly presented submenus.

The video transfer is offered in 1.78:1 Widescreen Format. The picture looks great given the age of the footage. Obviously, the file footage and vintage photos look like they should, worn and beaten. However, the interviews look decent with a fair amount of detail and color.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. The sound is probably as good as it will ever be considering the material. Much of the war footage is presented in its original silent format with sound effects subtly added in for effect. Burns’ narrative and the interviews sound clear, which is all you truly need for this type of production. Subtitles are available in English.

The Extras

The 6-disc set comes in a cardboard booklet with plastic pages that house each disc. Episode descriptions and disc guides are found right on the inside of the cover. It’s all encased within a cardboard flip-out box. While it all looks nice, a little bit more could have gone into the packaging.

There are two audio commentary tracks offered by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick for the episodes, A Necessary War and Pride of Our Nation.

The Making The War Featurette runs about 36-minutes and offers retrospective interviews with Burns and Novick. The piece also goes into the scoring and editing of the film.

There are 17 Deleted Scenes running about 42-minutes in total that are offered with a Play All option.

Also included are 14 Additional Interviews that offer 52-minutes from some of the speakers throughout the film.

The bonus options round out with Photo Galleries, Biographies, and Education Resources.

Final Thoughts

The War – A Ken Burns Film is perfect for history buffs and those who are into the last great war. The magical narrative of Ken Burns with the trove of photos and footage from the vaults make this a must see DVD set. Without a doubt, this set comes highly recommended.

- Morris Tang