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Few wars in the 20th century were seen in such a positive
and absolute light as World War II. Ken Burns tackles this
massive subject in much the same way that he did the Civil
War by digging into the resources that aren’t quite as well
known as what other documentary filmmakers have used in
the past. The “Good War” gets 15 plus hours covering everything
from impact on four communities to relating first hand stories
via soldiers who served in the war, rare photos and home
movies. This gives “The War” a much more personal impact
than those assembled from newsreel footage and professionally
shot footage but that footage is found here as well; the
use of the personal makes “The War” seem less removed and
less a dusty history subject bringing a vividness to the
era that seems lost in our morally ambiguous era where our
intelligence is routinely wrong, misrepresented to the public
by those in political power and where we see the abuse of
presidential power for under the guise of National Security.
Ironically, many of the same things occurred during
World War II but the nation was so united, believed so strongly
as a whole that we were in the right that those abuses and
mistakes are often overlooked. The difference between then
and now is very clear from watching “The War”; World War
II featured Americans united with other countries in an
effort to stifle a enemy who used the very elements of race
as a justification to butcher and exterminate Jews, Gypies,
Catholics, homosexuals and Asians that were seen as lesser
human beings (ironic given the racism that existed in the
United States and other countries at the time). We also
had a moral imperative—to stop Fascism and Imperialism from
countries that were selling a doctrine of hate (again, though,
we see the same sort of thing on both sides so Burns does
provide balance). World War II was a moral and just war
to the winners and given the state of the world at the time
who can argue anything else? While the Allies still had
the moral high ground, this was war where horrible things
happen to both the winners and the losers of the conflict.
***
The big difference between this version and the one
that aired on PBS is that the DVD version has more footage
related to minority involvement in the war. Burns original
cut that was presented seemed to sideline the involvement
of American Indians and Hispanics though not of African
Americans. Burns has restored some of the footage that was
cut to provide a sense of balance that many minority groups
felt was missing from the originally aired version. Not
to defend Burns but there is only so much a director can
do within the context of a documentary given the budget
and time allotted to it. Certainly there was oversight but
I don’t believe that Burns did so intentionally. Regardless,
that has been redressed here in this expanded version for
DVD. The restoration of this footage does hurt the pacing
a bit but is every bit as riveting and emotional as what
went before. There is also a “Viewer Discretion” warning
due to graphic language, descriptions and visuals that can
be unsettling but given what we’re dealing with and the
intended audience of this documentary that’s understandable.
***
Housed on the sixth disc are deleted scenes, additional
interviews and Educational Resources ---
Image & Sound:
Presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio (how it was broadcast),
“The War” looks extremely good given the age of much of
the archival footage used. The newer material looks marvelous
with nice bright colors and a smooth, clear presentation
could possibly be a bit sharper. ***
Audio sounds quite good. The 5.1 mix is difficult to
use in programs like this particularly if the vintage audio
is as thin it often was but Burns and his co-director Lynn
Novick make the best of what they have and expand upon it
by providing ambient effects, sound effects in a recreation
that sounds quite vivid. We also get a rich sounding beautifully
realized score by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. ---
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