(aka "The Pacific War" )
directed by René-Jean Bouyer
France 2000
Koch Vision releases another in its series
of WW2 archive footage compilations, from programs originally broadcast on
French television. “They Filmed the War in Color: The Pacific War” is
a companion disc to “They
Filmed the War in Color: France is Free.” Compared to its partner,
“The Pacific War” is much heavier on combat footage, some of which is quite
amazing. Among the highlights are the first battlefield use of napalm at
Saipan, and some gripping aerial dogfights at the Marianas Turkey Shoot. Not
all of the footage shows American troops at their most glorious. FDR wanted
Americans back home to see dead and wounded soldiers so they could
understand just how much the men were sacrificing. There is also a
nerve-wracking series of shots of damaged planes struggling to land on an
aircraft carrier.
As with “France is Free,” the footage is linked together with a narration
that provides historical context and just enough of a story-line to keep the
viewer hooked.
Film buffs will be amused to see John Ford’s recreation of Pearl Harbor.
Filmed days after the actual attack, it was commissioned as a propaganda
film, but rejected by the government because it looked to fake. Ford managed
to recover from the box-office failure.
Theatrical Release: French Television - June 2000
DVD Review: Koch Vision - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Christopher Long for the Review!
DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution |
Koch Vision Region 1 - NTSC |
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Runtime | 91 min. | |
Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate |
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Audio | Dolby Digital Mono | |
Subtitles | none | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Koch Vision Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
Comments |
The
footage is drawn from various sources, shot both by professional and
amateur filmmakers, and existing in various (rarely pristine) states
of preservation. The colors are faded; the footage is grainy or
washed-out in many cases, but the historical import more than makes
up for the aesthetic shortcomings. It’s a non-progressive transfer,
and there are many examples of significant combing. I have enjoyed all of these discs (also including “Embedded ’45: Shooting War in Germany”) released by Koch in Region 1. I recommend them all. |
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