Victory at Sea - The Legendary World War II Documentary (History Channel)
directed by: M. Clay Adams
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Product Description:
Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 09/30/2003Run time: 78 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
A 26-episode World War II documentary, Victory at Sea is one of the most important series in the history of television. Made in 1952, the show was a huge success, winning many major awards and even spawning albums featuring the orchestral score by Richard Rodgers, best known for his musicals with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Produced with the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy, each 26-minute program consists of black-and-white wartime film set to a narration by Leonard Graves. The two years leading up to America's entry into the war are dismissed in episode one, while the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor gets a show of its own, the raid depicted in a brilliantly edited montage that almost certainly contains "docu-drama" footage. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin), these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programs an urgent, surprisingly modern feel. Indeed, the emphasis is at least as much on entertainment as information, the factual content delivered in poetic narration, the score transforming the war into a more than usually serious Hollywood adventure. The documentaries are nothing if not wide-ranging, covering parts of the land war despite the title, and including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks" to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, and the Far East, the Pacific War, and the Fall of Japan. There is an attempt to include other nations--certainly the D-Day episode acknowledges the British far more than Saving Private Ryan--but inevitably the focus is on America's war.The very dated narration gives a fascinating insight into how America saw WWII in the early 1950s, while the dynamic cutting and often genuinely remarkable wartime footage make Victory at Sea still gripping today. Twenty years later, Granada's The World at War would become the definitive television WWII history, but this release offers a unique opportunity to see a series of great importance from the very early days of television. --Gary S. Dalkin
Studio: A&e Home VideoRelease Date: 09/30/2003Run time: 78 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
A 26-episode World War II documentary, Victory at Sea is one of the most important series in the history of television. Made in 1952, the show was a huge success, winning many major awards and even spawning albums featuring the orchestral score by Richard Rodgers, best known for his musicals with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. Produced with the full cooperation of the U.S. Navy, each 26-minute program consists of black-and-white wartime film set to a narration by Leonard Graves. The two years leading up to America's entry into the war are dismissed in episode one, while the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor gets a show of its own, the raid depicted in a brilliantly edited montage that almost certainly contains "docu-drama" footage. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin), these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programs an urgent, surprisingly modern feel. Indeed, the emphasis is at least as much on entertainment as information, the factual content delivered in poetic narration, the score transforming the war into a more than usually serious Hollywood adventure. The documentaries are nothing if not wide-ranging, covering parts of the land war despite the title, and including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks" to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, and the Far East, the Pacific War, and the Fall of Japan. There is an attempt to include other nations--certainly the D-Day episode acknowledges the British far more than Saving Private Ryan--but inevitably the focus is on America's war.The very dated narration gives a fascinating insight into how America saw WWII in the early 1950s, while the dynamic cutting and often genuinely remarkable wartime footage make Victory at Sea still gripping today. Twenty years later, Granada's The World at War would become the definitive television WWII history, but this release offers a unique opportunity to see a series of great importance from the very early days of television. --Gary S. Dalkin
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- victory at sea
it has been too many years since I have seen this documentary. A welcome addition to my military DVD library. item received as described.
Rating: 
- Victory at Sea DVD collection
Superior historical footage; interesting and informative.Black and white footage filmed in realtime during the conflict truly amazing.As a historical document, interesting for the 1950's perspective on America's war at sea.Not very detailed on the efforts of other nations- perhaps more accurately named "America's Victory at Sea"; nonetheless, I had seen the shows on cable and thought enough of them to make this purchase. DVD quality good, no problems with the disks themselves.Even my kids ... Read More
Rating: 
- Style quite dated & often annoying but the content often provides a different perspective on aspects of WW2
This DVD uses ancient reviews to substantiate its claim to being an excellent video. Whilst it might in its day have been the epitome of excellence, the whole production now seems excessively melodramatic with the accompanying music far too loud & dramatic. This aspect tends to detract from ones viewing pleasure.
I am always wary of productions produced so soon after the war as the emotions were still too raw to allow for a balanced factual account of the events. This video must plead ... Read More
Rating: - Nice improvement over VHS
I have loved the series since watching it as a child on TV with my father and uncles who had all served in that war. The subject matter and the wonderfully appropriate musical score strike an emotional chord in me.I have owned Victory at Sea in VHS format for several years and wanted to upgrade so in spite of some reviewers crabbing about the sound I bought the DVD set anyway. I love it. It is a huge improvement over the tapes. The picture quality is much better and any sound problems during narration ... Read More
Rating: - Impressive!
A must see for anyone interested in an accurate depiction of major events of World War II. Free from revisionist accounts of this history, Victory at Sea uses actual footage gained from both sides of the conflict to meld together an accurate picture of the battles. While the music is a bit too loud, the story is nevertheless clear and leaves the viewer with a profound sense of the magnitude of this war. Every American should see this series to understand the role and contributions of the "greatest generation" ... Read More
- victory at seait has been too many years since I have seen this documentary. A welcome addition to my military DVD library. item received as described.
- Victory at Sea DVD collectionSuperior historical footage; interesting and informative.Black and white footage filmed in realtime during the conflict truly amazing.As a historical document, interesting for the 1950's perspective on America's war at sea.Not very detailed on the efforts of other nations- perhaps more accurately named "America's Victory at Sea"; nonetheless, I had seen the shows on cable and thought enough of them to make this purchase. DVD quality good, no problems with the disks themselves.Even my kids ... Read More
- Style quite dated & often annoying but the content often provides a different perspective on aspects of WW2This DVD uses ancient reviews to substantiate its claim to being an excellent video. Whilst it might in its day have been the epitome of excellence, the whole production now seems excessively melodramatic with the accompanying music far too loud & dramatic. This aspect tends to detract from ones viewing pleasure.
I am always wary of productions produced so soon after the war as the emotions were still too raw to allow for a balanced factual account of the events. This video must plead ... Read More
- Nice improvement over VHSI have loved the series since watching it as a child on TV with my father and uncles who had all served in that war. The subject matter and the wonderfully appropriate musical score strike an emotional chord in me.I have owned Victory at Sea in VHS format for several years and wanted to upgrade so in spite of some reviewers crabbing about the sound I bought the DVD set anyway. I love it. It is a huge improvement over the tapes. The picture quality is much better and any sound problems during narration ... Read More
- Impressive!A must see for anyone interested in an accurate depiction of major events of World War II. Free from revisionist accounts of this history, Victory at Sea uses actual footage gained from both sides of the conflict to meld together an accurate picture of the battles. While the music is a bit too loud, the story is nevertheless clear and leaves the viewer with a profound sense of the magnitude of this war. Every American should see this series to understand the role and contributions of the "greatest generation" ... Read More
