doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT: "The War" series by Ken Burns on Public TV

I just don't remember enough about Saving Ryan anymore. I do recall that Tom Hanks (whom I can't stand anyway) was terribly miscast. It's hard to believe "Constantly Flabbergasted Howdy Doody" in any sort of gritty role.

I also seem to recall despite horrible conditions every star in the movie maintained perfect hygiene and sparkling white teeth.

Keep in mind Steven Spielberg directed it - and he would be glad, with all of his liberal Hollywood pals, to see every gun you own taken away.

My father served during WWII with the 15th Air Force as the radio operator on a B-17. They were often supported during their missions by the 332 Fighter Group, which was staffed by pilots from Tuskegee. Dad talked about the service, but rarely about the war.

A good friend of his was one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March. He could never forgive the Japanese for his war time experiences. He also had an intense dislike for turnips. Seems that was only source of food for years while he was held captive.

One summer evening, my grandfather, a WWI vet, was sitting on the front porch. A few neighbors came by and he offered them a beer. Soon they began to talk about their war experiences. It turned out that these families had been in the death camps. They were sent there after the fall of Poland. I was very young and just sat and listened for hours.

Ken Burns did a marvelous job. I did not get to see every segment, but have every intention of purchasing the DVDs.

Pete

My "thumbs down" was aimed at Saving Private Ryan, not the series you talked about. I have not seen that but would like to. Will it be shown again and where should I look it? Sorry for the confusion. I love good war movies and would like to see "the War".
Thank you,

THE WAR by Ken Burns is indeed an important work, but it should inspire even more documentation of this historic event. Perhaps not for television, but as noted at the end of the series, 1000 veterans of that war presently die each day. If you know one of them talk to him or her and learn their stories. My father served in the artilleray in a machinegun group and was taken prisoner and held for 27 months. His weight dropped from 165Lbs to 120lbs and he nearly died with pneumonia, but for his recovery in a military hospital after his release. He and other men were able to escape on two occasions, but were recaptured. Along with bullets and bombs he suffered lice, worm infested food, starvation and cold, but excuses the latter with "the germans were losing the war". He relates stories of Arabs offering bread in the desert, Russian soldiers beating guard dogs to death with their boots and boredom that allowed him time to fashion a crystal for his watch using a pocket knife with a broken blade and a piece of downed airplane windsheild(I have that watch). At 90 years of age he still has nightmares on occasion, but knowing him as I do, I am aware that, deep down, he believes the war was the most important part of his life and nothing else compares.

The Ken Burns series started again this evening.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we become too fond of it" R.E. LEE

I think "The Longest Day", "A Bridge Too Far", "The Battle of Britain", "Stalingrad",..... are much better, but they were not Stevie Spielberg films.
Sorry I missed it, but like The Civil War Series I'm sure it was excellent.

Especially the Russians; who after all did most of the fighting and dying and killed most of the enemy. A fact not frequently mentioned.

Regards
Eug

With all due respect for the rest of the Allies, most of the fighting and dying in Europe was between the Russians and Germans.

For an eye opening perspective on the German/Russian front read "The Forgotton Soldier".

Jeff

I worked for a few years with an 'old guy' in the early 1990's who was a draftsman. He was a small guy and short, probably 5'4" at best.

I was gone from that company by the late 90's and I heard he died around 2000. What surprised me was that his obituary mentioned he had served in WWII (I knew that much) and had been a highly decorated airman - a ball turret gunner no less, with a number of downed enemy aircraft to his credit. Talk about a job with a low life expectancy. I wish I had known while he was still alive, but the whole time I knew him he never mentioned it.

The experiences of those interviewed in The War opened up perspectives not seen in other films about WWII. One striking point comes through in the narrator's discussion of Japan's plans to defend against invasion. The expected toll makes the decision to use the atom bomb appear as unavoidable common sense.

Pardon my following up the digression on Saving Private Ryan. I think it's a great film despite the story line flaws. A subtext plays out in the character of the sniveling journalist. This guy mistakenly puts on a German helmet when he's roped into going out with the platoon. He runs back and forth between American and German positions for shelter when caught up in his first combat. He's paralyzed with weeping weakness while the Jewish soldier struggles against the Superman caricature.

But eventually he recognizes evil embodied in the German who takes pleasure in killing Hanks' character after earlier being released from capture. Hanks' character dies to show us the journalist's change from fearful non-combatant to determined righteous killer. Spielberg's message in SPR is pro-war: despite the horror splashed in our faces in the D-Day scenes, the war was necessary to put an end to even greater horror. This movie and Schindler's List are like bookends.