Did anyone else watch the first episode last night? [youtube]6Z1bVXdYwyM[/youtube] http://www.history.com/shows/the-world-wars mini-series covering world war 1 and 2 and how the events of World War 1 shaped the leaders of WW2 premiering Memorial Day, May 26, at 9/8c on the History Channel First episode aired last night and will re-air several times this week. Here is the official synopsis:
I saw it last night. It looks good. Will keep watching the rest. Did the mustache incident with the gas mask really occur?
It's not clear if he shaved it in reaction to an attack like the episode shows, or was forced to shave it prior to an attack so that the mask would fit. I found this reference to the event though: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1550768/Hitler-was-ordered-to-trim-his-moustache.html
DVR'd it, will issue tonight. LOVED the 3 hour doc on WWII yesterday. I watch AHC all of the time and their war documentaries are outstanding.
Forgot about this, I need to set a pass tonight. I did DVR that 3-hour doc on WWII. Can't wait to watch it. Nice to see the History Channel actually showing shows about history instead of pawn shops or truck drivers..... I love AHC (formerly the Military Channel). I just wish it was in HD on Dish Network.
Part 2 is tonight at 8 PM, preceeded by a re-airing of part 1 at 6 PM central, and part 3 airs tomorrow night.
I thought History channel stopped talking about real history in favor of dumb reality shows about fat pawn shop owners
I enjoyed it, the first episode on WWI had a ton of information I didn't know about as WWI got little more coverage than what started it and who won it when I was in school. It focuses most specifically on what the leaders of WW2 were doing during WW1. [youtube]5nTvaVBbGxY[/youtube]
Thanks for the heads-up, OP! I love stuff like this. Still have a photograph of my great-uncle Pete in his WWI Army uniform, before he shipped out. Uncle Pete was a real character. Most of the time I knew him, he was laid up in bed, spending his time putting together models of different things. Kept a pearl handled .32 derringer in the drawer next to his bed. Not once did Uncle Pete talk about his wartime experiences, and I asked him. He'd change the subject.
I caught all their other similar dramatizations a la Story of Us, but I think I'll just check Ken Burns or the first part of Stone's Showtime stuff for WWII material.
This is the only thing I watch on the History channel: http://www.history.com/shows/viking...rZW38hnqH5QgMRoq5mPTWj6gq75P5vJUBrxZePQrw_wcB
I didn't like it. It's better than what History Channel usually shows, but that's saying very little nowadays. Like the new version of Cosmos by NDT, this show traded substantive information in exchange for a concise (but too simplified) presentation with outstanding graphics. In other words, it looks nice, but it's shallow. In contrast, for WWI, two documentaries are stupendous: the 1964 BBC classic, "The Great War" and the 1996 PBS series, "The Great War: the Shaping of the 20th c." For WW2, there is only one: the 1973 series, "the World at War". Make sure you get the remastered Blu Ray for this one. The update is glorious. However, they stupidly converted the 4:3 material into 16:9 to please widescreen viewers. The problem is, material is missing. Get the DVD version which preserves the aspect ratio if you're picky on that sort of thing. The last friend scoffed at my recommendations. She's a sucker for pretty graphics and sharp picture. I get that. Yet, when I lent her my copies of these programs, she was astounded. If you truly want to understand the complex underpinnings of these horrible events, the above do a great job.
I generally agree with your assessment of this program. I also heartily second your recommendation of "The World at War". As you mention, it isn't as sexy looking as today's documentaries, but with commentary from people like Mark Clark, Curtis Lemay, Karl Donitz, Albert Speer, Traudl Junge, Minoru Genda, Karl Wolff and Stephen Ambrose (among others) and narration by Sir Laurence Olivier it is as legit as they come.
Watched the first episode last night and loved it. It was like an All Star game of up and coming leaders for WWII fighting in WWI. Very well done.
I'll check out those that you recommended. The World Wars may be cliff notes of what happened, but it's still alot more information than the average American probably knows about WWI or the lead up to WWII, and I have enjoyed both episodes. Other options being more in depth and perhaps better doesn't detract from my enjoyment of these, though I can see how someone who was already well versed in the information might think otherwise.
Yeah, I'm pretty schooled in WWII history but to be honest, I don't know much about WWI. This should be a perfect introduction for me.
