WWII In HD

WWII In HD was 70 years in the making and is the first-ever World War II documentary to show extremely graphic original color footage. The extensive footage was culled from three thousand hours of lost and rare color archival footage gathered from a two-year worldwide search of journals and accounts of those who served in the war's biggest battles. The footage was converted to high-resolution 4096 x 2400 (4k x 2k) HD (see Bob Fisher's excellent sidebar article) to preserve the footage and downconveted to 1920 x 1080 with unexpected quality considering the age and deteriorated condition of the source material. The result was to create a personal introspective and detailed look at life on and off the front lines. The world premiere appeared on the History Channel as part of the HISTORY™ series. Using footage never before seen by most Americans, viewers will experience the horrors of war as if they were actually there, surrounded by the real sights and sounds of the battlefields. Twelve unforgettable Americans are followed through the series and we get to experience the war through their eyes, in their own words, as it really looked and sounded. This is a visually astonishing tour de force documentary of world history, and in particular the American impact, effectively narrated by Gary Sinise. (Gary Reber)

Special features include character profiles of six of the Americans who are followed through the series (HD 14:56) and two featurettes: Finding The Footage (HD 02:28) and Preserving The Footage (HD 01:56).

The remarkable and breathtaking source material is presented as a 1080i VC-1 encoded transfer and it is what it is—at times extremely rough and unclear to more contemporary footage and photographs, maps, and CGI illustrations that exhibit cleaner and sharper imagery. Of course, the majority of the source material is extremely varied handheld 16 mm camera footage that varies in color and black-and-white or sepia quality. Much of the imagery exhibits damaged film elements with scratches, dirt, debris, and emulsion defects. The original color footage is desaturated, grain and noise infested, distorted, and generally poor in picture quality, but then the imagery is so extremely dramatic and graphically real that one is yanked into the storytelling without regard to the technical limitations of the presentation. This is an extraordinary visual experience that deserves a gesture of gratitude to the filmmakers who have painstakingly produced this incredible WWII War series, and to the cameramen who put their lives on the line to capture this footage. The film communicates in a way that no "movie" of these historical events have. You will feel all the intensity, fear, and sense of living through a death trap that will assault your senses and bring the true, stark reality of war into your home. (Gary Reber)

While the variegated raw film source material is technically lacking in visual quality, the DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is so incredibly powerful and is the element that transforms the visuals to reality. Remember that the original film was shot without sound, so all the more remarkable the efforts to put sound to the pictures in post production. This demonstrates the power of sound in a movie no matter what the quality level is of the picture. You should have an extremely capable subwoofer(s) in your system to fully appreciate the aggressive low-frequency assault that is presented here. LFE energy is intense and extremely deep to below 25 Hz. A barrage of explosions and thundering noises from huge screaming artillery sounds abound with aggressive directionalized surround envelopment. The soundfield is huge and holosonic® in visceral effect. The action sequences convey through sound the emotionally devastating effects of battle and the uncertain existence that soldiers on the battlefield endure on an hourly and daily basis. The narration and dialogue throughout is always intelligible and communicative. Gary Sinise's narration is effectively forward sounding and well balanced against the other sound elements. Even Foley effects are impressive and well integrated into the mix. Of course, archival sound clips of political speeches sound dated and compressed, but then they perfectly match the visual character. The sound is simply amazing and well produced and recorded. The music score is wide and deep and expansive throughout the soundfield. This is a sonic tour de force that brings to life the battle-fragmented visuals into a cohesive experience that is sure to impress. The experience is exhilarating! (Gary Reber)