At 13 episodes of 51 minutes each, you can imagine you get a good overview of the major events of the war. For someone who is born towards the end of 20th Century, and only heard and read bits and pieces, this was a great way to connect the dots and get a total overview of those years which shaped the world even to this day. Does it feel a bit biased towards the allied forces? It does feel at times, but not too much to lose it's authenticity. I wished however to also describe how war was experienced by the civilians, what they had to go through, and especially, a dedicated episode to the atrocities against the Jewish population. It was overwhelming at times, on one hand because of the horrors shown on screen, and the other because of the continuous battle scenes, which in case of binge watching is sure to give one a headache. However, it is a must see for everyone, as it's very important to know our past, to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
53 Reviews
Color brings the war scenes to life
caliguy-914925 June 2020
The color process is both fantastic and jarring in bringing the our eyes old events that come back to life in a way that is emotional and very real. The old black and white films were like watching old history about a far past, but the color of the war film changes to feeling from memory to seeing moments in a new mind frame about that mentally sees the conflict in modern terms to appreciate and emotionally see and feel the events.
Great overview of WW2
Haay197113 February 2015
Recently I watched this documentary series about World War II in (HD) color on Netflix and really liked it. In 14 episodes you get to see a well documented overview of WW2, starting with the events leading up to WW2 in both Europe and Sout-East Asia, the beginning stages with the fast advances both Germany and Italy made in Europe, and Japan in Asia, the mistakes made by the aggressors, the fighting back by the allied forces on different theatres, and ultimately the victories over Germany , Italy and Japan.
The interesting part about this series is that the original black & white footage has been coloured by advanced colouring techniques. While you can occasionally spot the clearly artificial colouring, most of the times it is unobtrusive and hardly noticeable. Watching these scenes in colour definitely add an aspect of realism to them, compared to the same scenes in black & white.
There are many documentaries about World War II, and this documentary deserves a good place between them.
The interesting part about this series is that the original black & white footage has been coloured by advanced colouring techniques. While you can occasionally spot the clearly artificial colouring, most of the times it is unobtrusive and hardly noticeable. Watching these scenes in colour definitely add an aspect of realism to them, compared to the same scenes in black & white.
There are many documentaries about World War II, and this documentary deserves a good place between them.
Human faith is least secure in human hands
m_mehdi_m6228 July 2021
This show demonstrate how unreliable human being are and how far they go due to their incomplete and sometimes wrong believes.
Going through the events occurred during WW II over and over again coming to conclusion that human will eventually destroy itself is inevitable.
The irony is human being having concerns regarding artificial intelligence and machine controlling human life. Yet that could be the only solution to not let human being destroy itself.
All these events happen about a century ago and still we see several evidences, that even up to presidential level of super power countries acting the same if not worse and supported by millions of people.
Seriously, we should not only let but beg machines to save us from ourselves before it is too late.
Going through the events occurred during WW II over and over again coming to conclusion that human will eventually destroy itself is inevitable.
The irony is human being having concerns regarding artificial intelligence and machine controlling human life. Yet that could be the only solution to not let human being destroy itself.
All these events happen about a century ago and still we see several evidences, that even up to presidential level of super power countries acting the same if not worse and supported by millions of people.
Seriously, we should not only let but beg machines to save us from ourselves before it is too late.
WWII In Cursory
bapicker6 April 2017
A cursory review of a series which is quite the opposite; WWII In Color is an awe-inspiring look into the second world war which provides the viewer with a comprehensive understanding of the events of WWII through narration and colorized video. This series ― narrated by Robert Powell ― covers the entirety of WWII from precursory events which would kick-start the war, to Japan's surrender and the beginning of the Cold War. In an already academically intense genre, World War II in HD Color not only meets high expectations, but exceeds them entirely. Easy to pick up, this well-researched series condenses the war into a few episode's worth of educational content. Robert Powell's delivery in narrating vital moments in the war is perfectly done as his talent shows in such a way that the viewer will surely feel the emotion behind each and every catastrophic event. Furthermore, the footage is truly moving accompanied by the expert narration which includes: devastating footage of a holocaust concentration camp, adrenaline-filled battles, convening of world leaders and more, accompanied by geographic animations, the colorized footage is sure to leave an impact. In essence, this 5 star, extremely detailed and historically accurate series will ensure you come away with nothing less than a complete understanding of many events in the Eastern and Western Fronts, the North African Campaign, and the Pacific War via colorized video and emotionally moving narration.
11 hours of colour footage showing the main event of the war
dirtymoony4 February 2020
The video quality has been brought up to a near 1970's quality and after a while you start taking it for granted.
This is an educational series with narration all the way through, in near chronological order with clear maps showing how the front line of the battles moved around europe, Africa and asia.
There has been unfair reviews saying that the series favours the British efforts of the war and perhaps it does as the series was probably compiled in Britain. You have to remember though that they are only covering the footage that they have from the war and Britain was fighting the war in Europe single handedly for a couple of years, whilst fighting in Africa and Asia. The red army probably played a bigger part towards defeating Germany and to be fair this series does cover this quite well in 2 whole episodes.
History buffs will enjoy the footage but criticise small details that are incorrect. However, if you have limited knowledge of the war and the order of some of the main events then this is a good place to start to understand the history.
This is an educational series with narration all the way through, in near chronological order with clear maps showing how the front line of the battles moved around europe, Africa and asia.
There has been unfair reviews saying that the series favours the British efforts of the war and perhaps it does as the series was probably compiled in Britain. You have to remember though that they are only covering the footage that they have from the war and Britain was fighting the war in Europe single handedly for a couple of years, whilst fighting in Africa and Asia. The red army probably played a bigger part towards defeating Germany and to be fair this series does cover this quite well in 2 whole episodes.
History buffs will enjoy the footage but criticise small details that are incorrect. However, if you have limited knowledge of the war and the order of some of the main events then this is a good place to start to understand the history.
Amazing
ZeVikingVibe9 February 2015
Short and not overwhelming. Great for anyone that's interested in the second World War.
For the first time you can actually view footage from the war in color
Spectacular for anyone ages 13-100
some violent footage is in it so if you're sensitive you might have to reconsider.
Maps are really fascinating and well done.
Robert Powell also does a fantastic job. His accent makes everything simple to understand.
IS IT GOOD FOR EDUCATION?
Yes. It's amazing for education since the episodes cover everything from A-Z.
My favorite segment is the "battle of the islands" where they talk about America vs Japan. Probably my favorite segment because it has tons of footage in it.
For the first time you can actually view footage from the war in color
Spectacular for anyone ages 13-100
some violent footage is in it so if you're sensitive you might have to reconsider.
Maps are really fascinating and well done.
Robert Powell also does a fantastic job. His accent makes everything simple to understand.
IS IT GOOD FOR EDUCATION?
Yes. It's amazing for education since the episodes cover everything from A-Z.
My favorite segment is the "battle of the islands" where they talk about America vs Japan. Probably my favorite segment because it has tons of footage in it.
More action than interviews
diggler200218 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The gold standard of world war 2 documentaries is the World at War. This series differs in a few respects. It is in colour which is more visually appealing. It is much shorter than the World at War. It has a lot less interviews. The World at War was filmed much earlier when more participants were available, particularly notable people e.g. Hitler's secretary. Overall, this series is good on footage and is more concise but lacks the humanity of the interviews.
Poor subtitles
marlonius-0183120 July 2020
As I do not know if these subtitles are written by Netflix themselves I feel the need to say that every episode of this series is full of very poor Dutch subtitles. Not only mistranslated words but even very simple spelling faults in a lot of words themself. From a platform as Netflix I expected more profesionality before they dare to launch a serie.
A Magnificent Historical Docuseries
IdiotBox_Recommendations23 July 2020
WW2 in color (2009) depicts the major events that took place during the WW2 right from the rise of Hitler to the Japanese surrender in east. What makes it an interesting watch are the fabulous archived footages of the war in color, portrayed in a rather detailed manner with vivid graphics. Robert Powell's narration is satisfactory.
WW2 was magnificent in terms of arms, ammunition, military and unfortunately the amount of human lives sacrificed which have been illustrated in beautiful details in this documentary. This series has actual footages of the thrilling battle scenes and the most horrific moment of world history- The Holocaust. I cried my heart out for a good 10 minutes after watching it. Did you know that an estimated total of 70-85 million people perished during WW2 which was about 3% of the 1940 world population!
WW2 was magnificent in terms of arms, ammunition, military and unfortunately the amount of human lives sacrificed which have been illustrated in beautiful details in this documentary. This series has actual footages of the thrilling battle scenes and the most horrific moment of world history- The Holocaust. I cried my heart out for a good 10 minutes after watching it. Did you know that an estimated total of 70-85 million people perished during WW2 which was about 3% of the 1940 world population!
Amazing footage and narrator
amirthegame200330 June 2019
Great series, the footages were extremely impressive and narration was great. It's shocking to see how the world was at each other's throats killing each other which dates further back in history, a history that will repeat itself once again.
Interesting, and mostly well done but with some revisionist thinking
skyking-148 June 2012
The segment "The Island War" treats the liberation of the Phillipines as an unnecessary and overly costly (and therefore ill-advised) operation. However, that totally fails to recognize that in war, there are both military and political concerns and that grand strategy requires the consideration of both. War is, quite simply, foreign policy pursued by other means. Therefore, foreign policy has to be considered in the strategy of the war.
Because the USA had a commitment to the Phillipine people as a protectorate, it was politically necessary to return as soon as was humanly possible. MacArthur may have left, but Phillipine guerrillas had been fighting and dying against the Japanese with US supplies and coordination from the very beginning. To ignore a chance to liberate the Phillipines would have been no different than leaving Paris in German hands while liberating Holland and Belgium. It was politically imperative! Likewise, the episode maintained that the "Northern arm" of the Japanese pincer had "only pretended to retreat and under cover of darkness had reversed course..." both Japanese and American accounts, much closer to the event when interviews with actual participants were available, indicated that the Northern force actually intended to retreat and only reversed course following critical comments from the high command.
Halsey had every reason to have believed that the Northern force was less a threat than Ozawa's aircraft carrier force which had just been spotted. Every previous naval victory in WWII had come at the hands of the aircraft carriers, NOT the battleships. When confronted by two enemies... one with a knife and the other with a machine gun, only the fool deals with the knife first! There were American POWs held in the Phillipines. Many were saved during this operation. The civilian casualties were indeed great, but that was the choice of the Japanese occupiers and how many would've died, either of brutality or starvation had the islands been bypassed? The further we get from WWII, the less accurate do the "documentaries" become. You can tell a good story with the films, but unless you have spent years studying the contemporary histories, from both sides... false conclusions will run rampant. As the last of the participants pass from this life, there can be no more "factual" accounts. The eyewitnesses are silent now. Don't just watch, READ, READ, READ the books that were published before 1960.
Because the USA had a commitment to the Phillipine people as a protectorate, it was politically necessary to return as soon as was humanly possible. MacArthur may have left, but Phillipine guerrillas had been fighting and dying against the Japanese with US supplies and coordination from the very beginning. To ignore a chance to liberate the Phillipines would have been no different than leaving Paris in German hands while liberating Holland and Belgium. It was politically imperative! Likewise, the episode maintained that the "Northern arm" of the Japanese pincer had "only pretended to retreat and under cover of darkness had reversed course..." both Japanese and American accounts, much closer to the event when interviews with actual participants were available, indicated that the Northern force actually intended to retreat and only reversed course following critical comments from the high command.
Halsey had every reason to have believed that the Northern force was less a threat than Ozawa's aircraft carrier force which had just been spotted. Every previous naval victory in WWII had come at the hands of the aircraft carriers, NOT the battleships. When confronted by two enemies... one with a knife and the other with a machine gun, only the fool deals with the knife first! There were American POWs held in the Phillipines. Many were saved during this operation. The civilian casualties were indeed great, but that was the choice of the Japanese occupiers and how many would've died, either of brutality or starvation had the islands been bypassed? The further we get from WWII, the less accurate do the "documentaries" become. You can tell a good story with the films, but unless you have spent years studying the contemporary histories, from both sides... false conclusions will run rampant. As the last of the participants pass from this life, there can be no more "factual" accounts. The eyewitnesses are silent now. Don't just watch, READ, READ, READ the books that were published before 1960.
Good for footage's and graphics; revisionist and evident pro US bias
david-5443423 July 2018
I was fine with subtle pro us narrations through out the series but the bias was appalling in the last episode 'war in the pacific'. It is structured in a way so as to justify the american use of nuclear weapons on civilian population. It tries to draw a picture that america had no other option other than to go for nuking thousands of civilian population to end the war. The justification given is that an invasion would have caused a lot of american life's being lost , now what if the British and the Russians thought this way there was no need for the battle of bulge or the prolonged fights in Berlin they could have just bombed out the civilians with conventional bombs forcing Germany to surrender so that military life's could have been saved. What sort of stupid justification is that isn't there any differentiation between civilian and military life and how does it help to differentiate us from the Nazi line of thinking. Remember japan never attacked any US civilian targets while it could have easily done that in the early days of the war. What is more shocking is there is no remorse or moral questions asked about the use of nuclear weapons but in the case of Dresden bombings the narrator is very particular in questioning the moral lineage of the British officer who headed the operation
Extremely enjoyed this
prhayhurst5 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Very good watching, not as good or in depth as The World at War, but seeing it in colour is superb, and the narration by Robert Powell is great, although he isn't Laurence Olivier.
There are a few things that irk, they seem to gloss over how brutal some people were, the Japanese for one, and Stalin another, as he was worse than Hitler, though, as I said, this is really not that kind of in depth documentary.
Others on here have stated, this seems to swing the way of Britain winning the war, well, if Britain were to have surrendered in 1940 when Hitler wanted us to, not only would the Nazis have control of our armed forces, as well as our colonies armed forces too, which meant they would have been able to defeat Russia.
The whole of Europe would have then been Nazi, and America would have to fight Japan and the Nazi force!
Food for thought.
There are a few things that irk, they seem to gloss over how brutal some people were, the Japanese for one, and Stalin another, as he was worse than Hitler, though, as I said, this is really not that kind of in depth documentary.
Others on here have stated, this seems to swing the way of Britain winning the war, well, if Britain were to have surrendered in 1940 when Hitler wanted us to, not only would the Nazis have control of our armed forces, as well as our colonies armed forces too, which meant they would have been able to defeat Russia.
The whole of Europe would have then been Nazi, and America would have to fight Japan and the Nazi force!
Food for thought.
Very precise and well made documentary
sepit9127 January 2019
One of the greatest docs i've ever seen
BigJimNoFool12 April 2020
It is well narrated with an even handedness and clarity that is very easy to follow but does not lack the warmth, empathy or hostility or indeed pride when required.
Each episode is well defined and focused with the footage looking very good considering it's age.
A real achievement in storytelling that i would urge anyone to watch
Each episode is well defined and focused with the footage looking very good considering it's age.
A real achievement in storytelling that i would urge anyone to watch
Fantastic documentary
ros-90-1445581 June 2020
Before watching WW2 in Colour, I had little interest in war documentaries. This show completely changed that.
WW2 in colour is one of the best documentaries I've ever watched. I'd get to the end of the show and champ at the bit to start the next one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
WW2 in colour is one of the best documentaries I've ever watched. I'd get to the end of the show and champ at the bit to start the next one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
Deserves higher rating than the Vietnam War for sure right?
cytothersothers3 April 2020
I don't understand why it has a lower rating than the Vietnam War. I just watched episode 1 of the Vietnam - it was SO jumpy with very unnecessary and too-loud sound effects.
World War II in Colour is very informative, very straight-forward, easy to follow, good pace, with all the necessary and key information. It does not drag; there are always some surprises for you or you learn something new even though you think you may have heard or seen enough of the WWII. Thank you for this great documentary. I would definitely recommend it to others and in fact there were at least 3 friends who have watched it and recommended it to me to make me start watching it!!
Thank you!
World War II in Colour is very informative, very straight-forward, easy to follow, good pace, with all the necessary and key information. It does not drag; there are always some surprises for you or you learn something new even though you think you may have heard or seen enough of the WWII. Thank you for this great documentary. I would definitely recommend it to others and in fact there were at least 3 friends who have watched it and recommended it to me to make me start watching it!!
Thank you!
Ofc a ten
jens-581052 January 2022
Seems like the narrator forgot that large parts of Europe lived in that dark unrecognizable world from the moment the war ended, until society stood up in late 80s. Some before some after. He talks like they dodged a bullet or something. How many did Stalin manage to kill after the war? I bet a desember 1945 Russian farmer wouldn't be as agreeable. Only way it could have been any worse was if Hitler decided to ethnic clens the slavs. Seriously that's just facts. Haven't seen all tho.
Great doc
jetdo-1440927 November 2021
Good show, have little issues with it, but i just want to comment on these 1 star reviews:
Ignore people saying hitler was left wing. The whole nazi party in hindsight was a ploy to get into power with fascist ideas, meanwhile using the word "socialist" to give them street cred.
Multiple sources, not just this doc prove hitler was right wing due to his far right, fascist beliefs. As far as i can tell this idea just has come from fox's right wing dribble to paint the left in a bad light. Its just lies.
For clarification i am not left wing. I'm a centralist and I believe in a balance of both left and right ideas. It annoys me both sides have to come up with constant bs to paint the other in a bad light, changing history to gain an upper hand.
Ignore people saying hitler was left wing. The whole nazi party in hindsight was a ploy to get into power with fascist ideas, meanwhile using the word "socialist" to give them street cred.
Multiple sources, not just this doc prove hitler was right wing due to his far right, fascist beliefs. As far as i can tell this idea just has come from fox's right wing dribble to paint the left in a bad light. Its just lies.
For clarification i am not left wing. I'm a centralist and I believe in a balance of both left and right ideas. It annoys me both sides have to come up with constant bs to paint the other in a bad light, changing history to gain an upper hand.
Excellent documentary series for the right viewer
Zoomerboomer30 May 2018
Within the documentary serifs there are several minor historical accuracy mistakes and several instances of exaggeration of the importance of some conflicts. More time for example could have been given to the conflict on the eastern front and less for some of the island conflicts. Overall however these discrepancies are unsurprising given the length of the series and the presumably low budget.
The colorization of footage throughout the series has been excellently done. The quality of many of the images is remarkably good and convincing given the era and really help to capture the environment of WW2. Some footage is replayed several times due to an obvious lack but the images still relate to the scrip remarkably well. 9.5/10
The script for the series and Robert Powell's narration uses a cold but to the point style. It focuses on the key strategic and political points of the conflicts unlike WW1 in color which contains a series of interviews with surviving soldiers including the narration and focuses more on the personal stories with surviving soldiers. This style of narration may be more selective for some viewers however for those heavily interested in the political and strategic conflicts of WW2 I would highly recommend the series. 7.5/10
The musical score for the series is certainly one of the best I have ever heard. It contains 13 pieces all composed by Matt Norman of De Wolfe music. The score sums up many of the battle sequences fantastically with pieces such as Victorious and dark days ahead leaving a huge impression on myself at least anyway. 9.5/10
The colorization of footage throughout the series has been excellently done. The quality of many of the images is remarkably good and convincing given the era and really help to capture the environment of WW2. Some footage is replayed several times due to an obvious lack but the images still relate to the scrip remarkably well. 9.5/10
The script for the series and Robert Powell's narration uses a cold but to the point style. It focuses on the key strategic and political points of the conflicts unlike WW1 in color which contains a series of interviews with surviving soldiers including the narration and focuses more on the personal stories with surviving soldiers. This style of narration may be more selective for some viewers however for those heavily interested in the political and strategic conflicts of WW2 I would highly recommend the series. 7.5/10
The musical score for the series is certainly one of the best I have ever heard. It contains 13 pieces all composed by Matt Norman of De Wolfe music. The score sums up many of the battle sequences fantastically with pieces such as Victorious and dark days ahead leaving a huge impression on myself at least anyway. 9.5/10
Generally Accurate Overview.
rmax3048238 September 2013
This long TV series, narrated by Robert Powell, whose tone expresses earnest and dispassionate interest, deals with World War II both in the East and West. I will now present you with a detailed history of the war in its entirety, along with an extensive psychoanalytic analysis of every person involved. Not just the principals but my Uncle Flory who was a corporal in the infantry, Hockey who was an aviation ordnance man in the Navy, a German guy I met in a bar in Italy who had served in the Wehrmacht on the Russian front, and my father-in-law who was an air raid warden in Philadelphia. Well, I would if I could but I can't.
Let's summarize it this way, just for the kids: Germany, Italy, and Japan start World War II around 1939. On the other side, the chief allies are Britain, Russia, and the USA. It was a terrible conflict. We won. I'll make just a few observations.
Some of the footage is familiar from black and white documentaries, but the colorization process has advanced since the earlier, crude attempts by Ted Turner and others. The viewer hardly notices the effects after a while.
It's interesting to compare the TV documentaries about the war from the perspective of their public appearance. In early series, like "Victory at Sea" (1952), only seven years after the end of the war, the enemy is still faceless and brutal. The insults may be subtle but palpable. Listen to the narrator's pronunciation of "the Japanese", with it's built-in sneer bespeaking disgust. Later, "The World At War" (1973) regards the war itself as appalling, an emotional experience as much as anything else. Olivier's narration is mournful. By the time of this documentary (2009), the war is treated as an awesome and terrible historic event, but one that can be looked at almost as moves in a geopolitical chess game. We still see corpses, the suffering of civilians, and we hear of the atrocities, but not nearly so often as earlier, and the narrator, Robert Powell, describes the goings on as if reading from a technical manual. The barely masked loathing of "Victory at Sea" is absent, and so are Olivier's tones of tired resignation.
The historical introduction to the beginning of the war in both theaters is nicely sketched in. And the description of events is sort of smoothed over and audience friendly. None of the battles is described in much detail. Controversy is avoided. Not much in the way of personalities either, except for a handful at the very top who are concisely introduced. If the Americans landed at Salerno and were saved from defeat only by naval gunfire -- well, "the Americans landed at Salerno." Did we bomb the fifth-century Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, even though it was not occupied by German troops? Yes. "Out of desperation, the Allies bombed the monastery Monte Cassino" -- period. Did George Patton and Bernard Montgomery loathe each other? This space deliberately left blank.
The lacunae mask no essential points, but some of them are interesting or amusing in themselves. And, facing facts, some of the information left out is as important as what's left in. The "battle of Britain" is hardly mentioned. In Rommel's back-and-forth battles with the British across North Africa, not nearly enough emphasis is placed on logistics, which favored the Allied forces. They could be supplied through Egypt. Rommel, however, was dependent for the importing of essential supplies on one port, Tripoli. His fuel, food, water, replacements, and matériel passed through Tripoli. The supplies were shipped from Italy, a thousand miles across the Mediterranean Sea. Then, during Rommel's advances, they had to be schlepped across another thousand or more miles on a single desert road open to air attack. On top of that, the Brits had cracked the Italian naval code and knew when the transports would leave their ports in Italy. The transports were routinely sunk by Allied air and submarines, so virtually nothing was reaching Rommel. By the end, he was draining the fuel from some of his few remaining tanks in order to keep a handful of others operational.
The deciphering of Italy's naval code was kept so secret that in one instance an air attack was launched on a transport. The airplanes were already in sight of the target when it was discovered that the ship was carrying Allied POWs. The attack was never canceled. If it had been, it would have given away the game. I find details like these interesting. Maybe the producers did too but there simply wasn't room enough for them.
Some of the material not mentioned, like the American fighting spirit at Kasserine Pass, might just as well be forgotten. Overall, and considering the weight of the subject, it's quite well done.
Let's summarize it this way, just for the kids: Germany, Italy, and Japan start World War II around 1939. On the other side, the chief allies are Britain, Russia, and the USA. It was a terrible conflict. We won. I'll make just a few observations.
Some of the footage is familiar from black and white documentaries, but the colorization process has advanced since the earlier, crude attempts by Ted Turner and others. The viewer hardly notices the effects after a while.
It's interesting to compare the TV documentaries about the war from the perspective of their public appearance. In early series, like "Victory at Sea" (1952), only seven years after the end of the war, the enemy is still faceless and brutal. The insults may be subtle but palpable. Listen to the narrator's pronunciation of "the Japanese", with it's built-in sneer bespeaking disgust. Later, "The World At War" (1973) regards the war itself as appalling, an emotional experience as much as anything else. Olivier's narration is mournful. By the time of this documentary (2009), the war is treated as an awesome and terrible historic event, but one that can be looked at almost as moves in a geopolitical chess game. We still see corpses, the suffering of civilians, and we hear of the atrocities, but not nearly so often as earlier, and the narrator, Robert Powell, describes the goings on as if reading from a technical manual. The barely masked loathing of "Victory at Sea" is absent, and so are Olivier's tones of tired resignation.
The historical introduction to the beginning of the war in both theaters is nicely sketched in. And the description of events is sort of smoothed over and audience friendly. None of the battles is described in much detail. Controversy is avoided. Not much in the way of personalities either, except for a handful at the very top who are concisely introduced. If the Americans landed at Salerno and were saved from defeat only by naval gunfire -- well, "the Americans landed at Salerno." Did we bomb the fifth-century Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, even though it was not occupied by German troops? Yes. "Out of desperation, the Allies bombed the monastery Monte Cassino" -- period. Did George Patton and Bernard Montgomery loathe each other? This space deliberately left blank.
The lacunae mask no essential points, but some of them are interesting or amusing in themselves. And, facing facts, some of the information left out is as important as what's left in. The "battle of Britain" is hardly mentioned. In Rommel's back-and-forth battles with the British across North Africa, not nearly enough emphasis is placed on logistics, which favored the Allied forces. They could be supplied through Egypt. Rommel, however, was dependent for the importing of essential supplies on one port, Tripoli. His fuel, food, water, replacements, and matériel passed through Tripoli. The supplies were shipped from Italy, a thousand miles across the Mediterranean Sea. Then, during Rommel's advances, they had to be schlepped across another thousand or more miles on a single desert road open to air attack. On top of that, the Brits had cracked the Italian naval code and knew when the transports would leave their ports in Italy. The transports were routinely sunk by Allied air and submarines, so virtually nothing was reaching Rommel. By the end, he was draining the fuel from some of his few remaining tanks in order to keep a handful of others operational.
The deciphering of Italy's naval code was kept so secret that in one instance an air attack was launched on a transport. The airplanes were already in sight of the target when it was discovered that the ship was carrying Allied POWs. The attack was never canceled. If it had been, it would have given away the game. I find details like these interesting. Maybe the producers did too but there simply wasn't room enough for them.
Some of the material not mentioned, like the American fighting spirit at Kasserine Pass, might just as well be forgotten. Overall, and considering the weight of the subject, it's quite well done.
Eh, could have been better.
sathervbc2 February 2020
Exemplary WW2 documentary
Leofwine_draca9 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
WORLD WAR II IN COLOUR is a thirteen-episode British documentary series whose content is self-evident from the title. Narrated by the great Robert Powell, this takes a quick look at the major events and battles of the war, told in chronological order from the very beginning. The twist here is that the footage has been colourised, a process which is sometimes effective and at other times a bit distracting. As an avid viewer of war-related documentaries, I found it all completely fascinating, even thought I know the story well from having read books and watched other documentaries. It's on par with the excellent French miniseries APOCALYPSE: THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
I love it!
MxS7HGS20 November 2023
This documentary, "World War II in Color," was incredibly enjoyable. It consists of 14 episodes that provide a well-documented overview of the war. The series starts by covering the events that led to World War II in Europe and Southeast Asia, then moves on to the beginning stages of the war, where Germany, Italy, and Japan made quick advances in Europe and Asia. The series also discusses the mistakes made by the aggressors, the fighting back by the allied forces on different fronts, and, ultimately, the victories over Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The unique aspect of this series is that advanced techniques were used to colorize the original black-and-white footage. While there are instances of artificial coloring, it is mostly unnoticeable. Watching these scenes in color adds a sense of realism that is lacking in black and white.
There are numerous documentaries about World War II, but "World War II in Color" should be highly regarded among them.
The unique aspect of this series is that advanced techniques were used to colorize the original black-and-white footage. While there are instances of artificial coloring, it is mostly unnoticeable. Watching these scenes in color adds a sense of realism that is lacking in black and white.
There are numerous documentaries about World War II, but "World War II in Color" should be highly regarded among them.
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