War And Remembrance - The Complete Miniseries (10 Disc Set) PAL *Dutch Import*

I have watched The Winds of War and now have completed "War and Remembrance" . This second series takes World War II to it's conclusion. The script is well played out by a talent of actors and actresses that are second to none. This gripping drama played out against the glamour of the USA and the grim reality of what was happening in Europe, Russia and Japan is a history lesson worth remembering. The scenes of the Holocaust are real, tear jerking and frightening. To imagine that one human being can do these atrocities to another human being takes some swallowing. I think teenagers today should be made to watch this series in it's entirety to help understand what has gone before. When you consider some of the dreadful things that still happen in this world you have to wonder whether any lesson has been learnt. I take my hat off to the script writers, producers and directors that were not afraid to show the real horror of WWII. Today's world of random bombing, shootings, knife crime and murder are a continuation of what has gone before. It is time for the World to wake up before the beauty around us is destroyed forever.

This mammoth production carries on the story from the Winds of War. Cast changes have brought great improvements, particularly with Jane Seymour replacing the screechy Ali McGraw and the well-delivered prose of John Gielgud instead of the jerky and irritating John Houseman.What this excels at are the action sequences and the rendition of historical events. The sequences in the concentration camp, for example, are unforgettable. Considering that CGi was not invented at the time and that scenes were shot using hundreds of extras, one cannot but admire what this piece of work achieved. Some of the romantic interludes are less successful- the aging Robert Mitcham partnered with the jolly-hockey-sticks type, Pamela, is a bit toe-curling, but these are minor faults. Overall, this epic represents good viewing and gives a very good account of the sweep of the war.

An excellent series which just lost a bit because of the change of some actors and actresses from the first series Winds of War. Most disappointing was Jane Seymour replacing Ali McGraw, the characters they played were so different which is OK if they were playing two different characters but not if they were meant to be the sameOn the other hand John Geilgud rather stole the series when he replaced John Hauseman as Aaron Jastrow, Hausman always seemed to struggle in the role and for me was never convincingAnother annoying thing was Steven Berkoff playing Hitler, for me he has always tried to overact a role rather than simply play it and his portrayal of Hitler was farcical which might be OK in a comedy but not in a serious seriesAll in all though a very good series, even if some of the scenes were painful and often heartbreaking to watch

I prefer the previous "The winds of war" to this because the original cast was decimated making understanding who was who, extremely difficult. I missed Ali Macgraw and Jan-Micheal Vincent the most,they both have a unique style and screen presence that is impossible to follow.They act with their expressions rather than words which I find very appealing.Robert Mitchum as Pug Henry gave a very wooden performance throughout both series, if anyone should have been replaced it should have been him,saying that he does have a presense of sorts,a very imposing figure albeit overweight.......I feel the continual focus on the concentration camps and the treatment of the inmates very graphic and deeply disturbing, nothing is left out and it should have been,everybody knows what went on in those terrible places, no need to remind us in such gory detail . My copy was the 10 disc Dutch version with subtitles which can be removed easily and was rated 12 ! it should have been rated 18 because of the horrific death camp scenes.The whole thing tended to be long and drawn out in places nevertheless extremely well done, no expense was spared.I will not watch it again,however I certainly will watch and have watched" Winds of War." thats the difference between the two series..

This brings back memories and I particularly liked the historical interludes. I think the story intermingled with the history makes it more interesting and it might help introduce people to history and the second world war in particular. For me this is the major historical occurrence of the last 200 years and shouldn't be forgotten. The story starts with the aftermath of the attack on Pearl harbour to the end of the war and the aftermath.Back to the story I enjoyed most of the acting and I preferred Jane Seymour and John Gielgud to their predecessors Ali McGraw and John Houseman. I would say this is a straight transfer from video so not the normal DVD quality you would come to expect.The version I bought was Dutch with subtitles that can be removed obviously , didn't mind the cover being written in Dutch, excellent delivery service as well.

The series itself is outstanding and I'm very happy to finally be able to find it at a reasonable price after a search of more than twenty years. I've only ever found it before for the ridiculous price of £129! However, despite everyone saying how easy it is to turn off the subtitles, I have been unable to do so.I can't see any menu screens, which also brings up the issue of being able to skip between episodes and the subtitle button on my remote does absolutely nothing. If I can find a way to get rid of them, I'll be updating this review to five well deserved stars. As it is, the subtitles are a mild annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless.

An interesting follow up to the "Winds of War", it seems a pity that the continuity was not kept up with the actors, several key players have been changed, which when watching the two films fairly close together is somewhat confusing. The historical events are well described, perhaps in some cases a little to vividly! Certainly not as good as the "Winds of War"!