War & Remembrance - Vol. 2, The Final Chapter: Parts 8 - 12 (1988)

The second half of this massive miniseries covers events from the last two years of World War II with members of our fictitious family--the Henrys--scattered throughout the world. Pariah "Pug" Henry (Robert Mitchum) visits Russia and England as an advisor--and proposes to his much-younger lover, Pamela (Victoria Tennant)--before retuning to the Pacific theater to join his son Byron (Hart Bochner), a submariner, in battling the Japanese. Meanwhile, Byron's wife, Natalie (Jane Seymour), and her uncle (John Gielgud) continue their harrowing plight, starting in the "Paradise Ghetto" and leading to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

This half--11.5 hours--aired on ABC in May 1989, six months after the first half. Unfortunately there is no kinetic battle sequence like the first half's Midway clash to absorb the viewer. Director Dan Curtis relies more on newsreel footage (and the sometimes heavy-handedness of narrator William Woodson) to cover large events. To compensate, the filmmakers give inordinate screen time to the conspiracy to kill Hitler (Steven Berkoff) by his inner circle. Like in Herman Wouk's novel, Hitler's decision to eliminate the Jews is the backbone of the entire series and the film's steely reenactments of these events--an amazing achievement for network television--is quite harrowing. Authenticity (filming at Auschwitz) plus ace performances (Seymour has been rarely better, Gielgud is outstanding) combine for a powerful statement, although the whole production is sometimes weighed down by the soap-opera elements of the Henrys' lives. The original Winds of War miniseries had a higher caliber cast, which is missed here. However, a few actors shine in their atypical performances, including Barry Bostwick (who tied with Gielgud for the Golden Globe) as a flamboyant submariner and David Dukes as a desk side attaché who reaches new depths in the war. Although admired and very watchable, the series did not impact the industry as much as its predecessor or sweep the award circuit as other miniseries (Roots, Holocaust, etc.) did, although it did take home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries.

The 7-DVD set contains an informative booklet, a CD soundtrack, and a disc of extras. Dan Curtis makes comments over 70 select minutes of the series (shown out of context), hitting the highlights of filming, a nice way of letting the filmmaker talk without searching for the commentary throughout the various discs. There's a new 30-minute feature combining new and old footage on the making of this massive production, and a 15-minute featurette on composer Bob Cobert. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com

War & Remembrance, Vol. 1 & 2. Very good but not as good as the original Winds of War. Too much Auchwitz.

Very good but not as good as the original (Winds of War). There was so much Auchwitz, it was very hard to watch.
July 14, 2008

Five Stars for War and Remembrance

For sentimental reasons, I rate the Herman Wouk epic Winds of War - War and Remembrance as my favorite theatrical account of WWII. It's hard to say why. Certainly, it has been surpassed on a number of technical and acting fronts by newer mini-series like Band of Brothers or Ken Burns "The War".

I think the reason I and many other members of the over 50 generation are so loyal to this series [I'm on my third viewing], is that Wouk's books were for many of us the first beginning to end account of WWII. In short, we were in love with the Henry's before the series came out. The TV mini-series is faithful to the book, largely because Wouk served on the writing team.

To date, even the "Why We fight" chapter of Band of Brothers cannot compare with W/R holocaust thread. The holocaust thread does not enter Band of Brothers until Chapter 9 - when Easy Company liberates a concentration camp. Likewise, The War does not attempt to follow the holocaust thread so intimately. In Wouk's series, we see the holocaust from beginning to end in all it's forms. And we live with several characters who live and die through it. The scene where Aaron Jastrow, played by John Gielgud, gives his final lecture at Teresenstadt, is as riveting as TV gets.

For me, the fictional Henry saga makes the series. It gets you emotionally involved with people living through the war. It gives characters a chance to debate and react to wartime events.

If you are looking for a greater emphasis on combat and war or a completely non-fiction account, the Burns series is for you. If you want a well-rounded education on WWII - get all three. June 30, 2008

Enjoyable

I have seen this series and read the book a number of times. Ihave always enjoyed both. I like accurate history presented as a drama and the believe the cast was well-chosen. People tend to forget that history involved real people. The chance to see this drama gives you a sense of what the times might have been like leading up to the war. June 28, 2008

war and remembrance 2

War & Remembrance - Vol. 2, The Final Chapter: Parts 8 - 12Fantastic series,wish it did not finish June 26, 2008

War & Remembrance

Product arrived quickly and in good shape. Cannot determine quality yet as it was a gift which was just given today. Thank you for the quick response. June 14, 2008

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