Is there a 'masterwork' along the lines of 'The World at War', any one-offs worth buying on DVD..?
I can search Amazon just as easily as the next man, but there is nothing like an informed recommendation, and Landships is about as informed as they come.
Spotted two DVD boxed sets in WH Smith, one a 4 disc and one a 6 disc, BUT deeply suspect these sort of offerings are patchy, US cable offerings with the same-old footage and [post advert] goldfish-memory recaps every 10mins, narrated by whichever hasbeen National Rifle Association thespian was most sober at that particular moment.
What about the WWI in colour stuff, the Branagh efforts..?
Grateful for any suggestions, and likewise warnings of what to avoid. Anything with specialist equipment / technological emphasis would be a bonus.
Thank you :)
-- Edited by compound eye on Monday 26th of May 2014 02:02:27 PM
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"You there on the port!". "S'gin actually, but thanks for noticing [hic]".
"The Great War" - BBC documentary series from the 1960s. USP (I gather - my partner has seen it and very pleased with it though not an enthusiast like we are) is the interviews with participants at all levels. It was reissued in 2002. Not sure if it is still available though!
"The Great War" - BBC documentary series from the 1960s. USP (I gather - my partner has seen it and very pleased with it though not an enthusiast like we are) is the interviews with participants at all levels. It was reissued in 2002. Not sure if it is still available though!
The BBC's 'The Great War' was *given away* on DVD by the Daily Mail around five years ago. It cost me the price of about 10-15 issues of the newspaper (plus the loss of self-respect involved in buying them). You can view/preview at least some episodes on Youtube. The first is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXhiagFG8KE
I'd guess that the BBC and/or one of the history channels will show the series some time over the next 4 years - and the Daily Mail may even recycle the promotion - so, if you want to spend £300+, you'd better send off your money pronto. There's an episode listing on Wikipedia.
The series is not as 'great' as it's sometimes made out to be but:
(a) it was written by historians (John Terraine and Corelli Barnett);
(b) there are no 'celebrities' imposing themselves on it (though the narrator is an unseen Michael Redgrave and various famous actors such as Ralph Richardson and Marius Goring - also unseen - voice historical figures); and
(c) it predates overused and tedious techniques such as frenetic panning and zooming, the 'Ken Burns effect' and the ironically-named dramatic reconstruction (although it occasionally makes unacknowledged use of post-war footage).
For a more modest price, I think the Nugus-Martin production 'World War One in Colour' is worth considering. You may well object to some of the colourisation but it gives an interesting perspective on familiar footage - and it's less than a tenner so you're unlikely to go far wrong.