Search - World War II - Vol. 5: The World At War/ Appointment In Tokyo on DVD

Two astonishing documentaries

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 01/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These two documentaries are a pictorial record of the WWII European and Pacific theaters, with footage that will astound anyone interested in history.

"The World at War" states "nothing has been staged, everything is authentic", and goes back to the roots of WWII, from the Japanese in China, Mussolini in Ethiopia, German involvement in Spain, and Hitler in Munich.

There is President Roosevelt with his "a day that will live in infamy" speech to Congress, but mostly, it has film captured from the enemy, with amazing footage taken from Luftwaffe bombing flights, and the rapid invasion of country after country by Hitler leaving devastation in its wake; it also has a segment of the Soviet army, but what this film really makes one realize, is that if the US had not joined and lost so many of its finest for freedom, the world would have turned into a horror. Total running time is 44 minutes.



"Appointment in Tokyo" is unforgettable. This is a "must see" documentary for everyone but children and the squeamish, as it shows much of the carnage of battle very close-up, in the jungle as well as in the city of Manila.

Very well written (though not politically correct), there is a gripping intensity to this film, and the footage of the young men who fought so bravely is extremely moving.

The incredible scene of the signing of the surrender of Japan on the USS Missouri is shown, with Gen. Douglas MacArthur looking and sounding like a god, as he says "a free people had come to triumph over the lords of war".

Total running time is 55 minutes.

The sound is a little "old" as one would expect for these films, though "Appointment in Tokyo" has a rousing soundtrack.

DVD extras include a very brief film reel of women and children in Nazi concentration camps.

God bless the brave souls who went through this hell for our freedom.

"