Is there a call for a new documentary series on World War Two? There certainly could be new ones, being there's so much to talk about. Perhaps it's time to make another "World at War" type series, now without so much naive acceptance of Soviet propaganda. But the trend, sadly, has become to make feeble and under motivated products like this. Since it was put together in France, it contains a lot Gallic bias, magnifying their importance. In the main, it blandly retells highlights of the war with the uneducated narration of fading film star Martin Sheen. (The guy has a phenominal gift for mispronouncing names of men and places- even ones you wouldn't think could throw anyone, like Bayeaux or El Alemein, General Huntziger or Marshal Göring!)
There's virually no sound bytes and no newsreel art, and a dreary, lifeless music track. But Far and above, the worst thing about this series is the colorizing. Why is this done again and again? They did a WWI set a while back, too. Is this to insure copyrightable versions of uncopyrightable black and white footage? Are those born after 1999 unable to tolarate B&W, so this is done to get them to watch? Whatever the reason, it's immoral, because they are making a fantasy eyesore out of reality. It takes away a lot of truth, to see make believe colors slathered on a screen that never existed between the viewer and the subject until now.
There's virually no sound bytes and no newsreel art, and a dreary, lifeless music track. But Far and above, the worst thing about this series is the colorizing. Why is this done again and again? They did a WWI set a while back, too. Is this to insure copyrightable versions of uncopyrightable black and white footage? Are those born after 1999 unable to tolarate B&W, so this is done to get them to watch? Whatever the reason, it's immoral, because they are making a fantasy eyesore out of reality. It takes away a lot of truth, to see make believe colors slathered on a screen that never existed between the viewer and the subject until now.