Inside WWII
National Geographic 135 minutes, $19.97.
This three-parter premiered on cable for Memorial Day and quickly made its way to DVD, a mark of how powerful a draw World War II has become—and also how crowded the market is, as rivals race to grab a piece. Inside World War II bids to penetrate the titanic global conflict in less than 180 minutes—a tough claim for any serious competitor. It takes a news-digest approach to familiar stories from the Anschluss to Hiroshima. Each segment features eyewitness snippets: a Pole recalls the Germans hanging Jews after Warsaw fell; Londoners decribe the Phony War and the Blitz; a British vet and a Luftwaffe pilot discuss Dunkirk; FDR’s grandson tells of the war at sea; a woman recalls cannibalism at Leningrad; the late Senator Daniel Inouye recounts Pearl Harbor; a Bataan Death March survivor testifies on newsreel; a Navy code breaker discusses Midway; General George S. Patton’s grandson talks about North Africa. Some are striking, some banal.
The breathless format is a strength and a weakness. As a primer, it does a credible enough job; for buffs, the rat-a-tat rhythm and sound bites can be tiresome. The shorthand history can be more dramatic flourish than truth, implying, for instance, that Eisenhower—rather than FDR, Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff—decided Americans should invade North Africa. But Inside World War II consistently shines in its footage, which is in color, generally powerful, sometimes rare, and cleverly edited with creative verve. Included in the DVD set as a bonus: “Undercover History: The Hunt for Hitler.”
Originally published in the October 2013 issue of World War II. To subscribe, click here.
