"Director: M. Clay Adams"

• Victory at Sea (six discs) | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £38.87   |  Saving you £1.12 (2.88%)   |  RRP £39.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited 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 Harbour gets a show of its own, the raid depicted in a brilliantly edited montage which almost certainly contains "docu-drama" footage. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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, 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. 20 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. On the DVD: The 26 episodes total approximately 11 and-a-half hours on six DVDs. The 4:3 picture varies depending on the different archive footage used but the image is always perfectly watchable and sometimes surprisingly good. The sound is mono and the music is sometimes distorted. Extras consist of reprinting the credits, an incredibly basic filmography and a gallery of 25 stills, presented without any supporting information and marred by a large Victory at Sea logo. These are the same on all six DVDs. Each disc also includes a few pages of disc-specific history, adding further detail to the events in each episode. --Gary S Dalkin

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 3 | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited to a narration by Leonard Graves. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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 wide-ranging, including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks", to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War and the Fall of Japan. 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. 20 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

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 1 | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited to a narration by Leonard Graves. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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 wide-ranging, including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks", to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War and the Fall of Japan. 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. 20 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

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 4 | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited to a narration by Leonard Graves. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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 wide-ranging, including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks", to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War and the Fall of Japan. 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. 20 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

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 2 | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £6.31   |  Saving you £9.68 (153.41%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited to a narration by Leonard Graves. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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 wide-ranging, including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks", to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War and the Fall of Japan. 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. 20 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

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 6 | DVD | (18/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The multiple award-winning World War 2 documentary series made in co-operation with the United States Navy. The final episodes include: The Fate Of Europe - Black Sea South of France Surrender Target Suribachi - Iwo Jima The Road To Mandalay - China Burma India and the Indian Ocean Suicide For Glory - Okinawa Design For Peace - Surrender of Japan and the Aftermath of War

• Victory At Sea - Vol. 5 | DVD | (18/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A 26-episode World War II documentary from the American perspective, 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--South Pacific--Rodgers. Produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy, each 26-minute programme consists of black and white wartime film edited to a narration by Leonard Graves. Each episode contains at least one powerful stand-alone sequence in the tradition of Serge--Battleship Potemkin--Eisenstein, these action-suspense set-pieces giving the programmes 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 wide-ranging, including everything from the Atlantic convoys and U-boat "Wolfpacks", to war in Alaska, the South Atlantic, the Far East, the Pacific War and the Fall of Japan. 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. 20 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

• Victory At Sea: The Complete Series | DVD | (21/07/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Showcasing the US Navy in all its splendor Victory At Sea features 26 episodes that document naval warfare during World War II. From U-boat ""Wolfpacks"" to the epic battle at Iwo Jima and Okinawa every major naval engagement of World War II is captured in some of the most riveting combat footage ever shot. Using live footage filmed by the U.S. British German and Japanese navies during World War II Victory At Sea is narrated by Leonard Graves and set to a score by Richard Rodgers offering an in-depth look at the realities of naval warfare and the enormous challenges faced by the US Navy. Directed by M. Clay Adams written by Richard Hanser and Henry Salomon Victory At Sea is one of the most historically important documentaries ever made. Disc 1: The Conflict Begins Episodes Comprise: 1. Design For War 2. The Pacific Boils Over 3. Sealing The Breach 4. Midway Is East 5. Mediterranean Mosaic 6. Guadalcanal 7. Rings Around Rabaul 8. Mare Nostrum 9. And Sea And Sand Disc 2: Decisive Battles Episodes Comprise: 1. Beneath The Southern Cross 2. The Magnetic North 3. Conquest Of Micronesia 4. Melanesian Nightmare 5. Roman Renaissance 6. D-Day 7. Killers And The Kill 8. The Turkey Shoot 9. And Two If By Sea Disc 3: The Path To Peace Episodes Comprise: 1. The Battle For Leyte Gulf 2. Return Of The Allies 3. Full Fathom Five 4. The Fate Of Europe 5. Target Suribachi 6. The Road To Mandalay 7. Suicide For Glory 8. And Design For Peace