Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• Part 2 Recap (2:17)

Extras: (Disc 2)
• Master Class Panel (20:01)

Bitrates:

 

 

 

Description: Valor, courage, and betrayal come to the fore in this remarkable epic that shows the everyday realities of wartime life from a deeply personal perspective. Billed as a German Band of Brothers, GENERATION WAR vividly depicts the lives of five young German friends forced to navigate the unconscionable moral compromises of life under Hitler. In Berlin in 1941, on the eve of Hitler s invasion of the Soviet Union, level-headed officer Wilhelm (Volker Bruch) is full of patriotic fervor as he heads for the eastern front with his sensitive younger brother Friedhelm (Tom Schilling). Charlotte (Miriam Stein) is a young nurse in love with Wilhelm who is serving in the Red Cross. Greta (Katherina Schüttler) is an ambitious singer who longs to become another Marlene Dietrich, while her boyfriend Viktor (Ludwig Trepte) faces a daily struggle for survival as a Jew in an increasingly oppressive regime. These five exceptional young actors infuse their characters with the certainty of youth, which drains away with each successive month of war as the true horrors of the Third Reich are slowly revealed. At nearly every moment, they are faced with choices between complicity and rebellion, self-preservation and self-sacrifice, blood on their hands and love in their hearts. Eight years in the making and filmed on over 150 sets across Germany, Lithuania and Latvia, GENERATION WAR insightfully reveals a country still grappling with how previous generations could have become so tragically misdirected. In Germany, the film has sparked a passionate discussion about personal responsibility and the legacy of guilt for Nazi atrocities. German critics have widely praised the film, with Der Spiegel calling GENERATION WAR a "turning point in German television" and national newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung describing it as "the first and last chance... to ask our grandparents about their true biographies, their immoral compromises...the missed chances to act.

 

 

The Series:

Mr. Kadelbach, the director, has clearly studied the work of Steven Spielberg. He crosscuts deftly between scenes, alternating moments of tense violence with stretches of solitude and tenderness. Battles are staged with “Saving Private Ryan”-like intensity and precision, and the whole narrative — shifting from the mud and ice of Russia in winter to the wheat fields of Ukraine, the forests of Poland and the streets of the German capital — has a sweep and a vigor that recall “Gone With the Wind” and other old Hollywood costume epics.

The characters are sharply drawn (by a lively and uniformly excellent cast), their contrasting temperaments providing a pleasing, if not terribly challenging, sense of human variety. Greta is high-strung and passionate. Viktor is wary, excitable and perpetually unshaven. Friedhelm is timid and bookish, a mama’s boy whose stiff-necked father favors the manly and decisive Wilhelm. He and Charly, fair-haired and upright, are like Nazi propaganda posters brought to life and softened up for modern, liberal audiences. They exude a quiet pride in their own virtue. 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Supplements include a 2-minute Recap prior to part 2 on the first Blu-ray. On disc 2, there is a 20-minute Master Class Panel with the filmmakers answering question (in German with English subtitles.) There are also some trailers - a theatrical, an 'international' one and some from other Music Box Films offerings.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I found my appeal for Generation War meandering a bit as the series progressed. The 'soapy' aspects seemed out-of-touch at times but the overall impact was very strong. Of course, as the series progresses you also your bond cements further with the 5 major characters. A lot of effort went into this mini-series and it shows. Yes, it has some similarities to US-developed 'war series' but I think it makes enough distinction to be recognized on its own merits. The Blu-ray package provides an excellent a/v presentation. For those keen on war dramas, I would consider this a 'don't hesitate'. This offers a lot of value. It is quite exceptionally written and we give a strong recommendation!