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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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A brilliant and satisfying conclusion.
I found this final series exciting and deeply satisfying. The previous two parts (Winds of War, and part one of this) called very strongly for completion, and that is what we have here... IN SPADES! I found the same wonderful sense of historical perspective that I noted in my review of part one... I felt I had got an overall grasp of the essentials of a very important and complex period, but also, that I had seen, spelled out in graphic detail, the results of the concentrated arrogance, stupidity, and self-indulgence that the Nazi ideal foisted on this suffering planet during that time. Nothing in my life so far had prepared me for the absolute horror revealed in this coverage... and nothing, I am sure, will ever allow me to forget it... which is really good. This lesson in the consequences of selfishness comes at an opportune time. The sections on Theresienstadt and Auschwitch, were particularly forceful - the sheer heartlessness and purposeful cruelty of those in charge will remain with all who see this, as a salutary moral beacon... dangerous reefs beneath the surface of our common human nature.
Rating: 
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Two outstanding performances
This review applies to the entire miniseries. I watched parts of War and Remembrance when it was first broadcast 2 decades ago. I saw the DVD collection at my local library and decided to watch it again in it's entirety.
I did not see Winds of War so I can't compare the performances of Ali McGraw to Jane Seymour, John Houseman to John Gielgud, or Jan-Michael Vincent to Hart Bochner, but I will say that Seymour and Gielgud give 2 of the greatest performances I have ever seen, and in fact those performances, as well as the whole Holocaust story overshadow everything else in this series. It is quite amazing that Dan Curtis could get this vision of the genocide of the Jews on TV in an unexpurgated form. Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Auschwitz. Those death camp scenes, the Babi Yar massacre, the final transport scenes, are the most harrowing things I have seen relating to that period. More harrowing than what Spielberg presented in Schindler's List.
I would recommend War and Remembrance simply for it's angle on the Holocaust. The story of the Henry family, the war in the Pacific, and the whole Hitler episode, was well done but nothing outstanding or unique. Mitchum was nice and understated as Pug Henry. Polly Bergen did a good job as his wife. The whole supporting cast was fine in their respective roles, although I thought Berkoff's take on Hitler was almost comical in it's exaggerations; more caricature than anything else.
Rating: 
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War & Remembrance, Vol. 1 & 2. Very good but not as good as the original Winds of War. Too much Auchwitz.
Very good but not as good as the original (Winds of War). There was so much Auchwitz, it was very hard to watch.
Rating: -
Five Stars for War and Remembrance
For sentimental reasons, I rate the Herman Wouk epic Winds of War - War and Remembrance as my favorite theatrical account of WWII. It's hard to say why. Certainly, it has been surpassed on a number of technical and acting fronts by newer mini-series like Band of Brothers or Ken Burns "The War".
I think the reason I and many other members of the over 50 generation are so loyal to this series [I'm on my third viewing], is that Wouk's books were for many of us the first beginning to end account of WWII. In short, we were in love with the Henry's before the series came out. The TV mini-series is faithful to the book, largely because Wouk served on the writing team.
To date, even the "Why We fight" chapter of Band of Brothers cannot compare with W/R holocaust thread. The holocaust thread does not enter Band of Brothers until Chapter 9 - when Easy Company liberates a concentration camp. Likewise, The War does not attempt to follow the holocaust thread so intimately. In Wouk's series, we see the holocaust from beginning to end in all it's forms. And we live with several characters who live and die through it. The scene where Aaron Jastrow, played by John Gielgud, gives his final lecture at Teresenstadt, is as riveting as TV gets.
For me, the fictional Henry saga makes the series. It gets you emotionally involved with people living through the war. It gives characters a chance to debate and react to wartime events.
If you are looking for a greater emphasis on combat and war or a completely non-fiction account, the Burns series is for you. If you want a well-rounded education on WWII - get all three.
Rating: -
Enjoyable
I have seen this series and read the book a number of times. Ihave always enjoyed both. I like accurate history presented as a drama and the believe the cast was well-chosen. People tend to forget that history involved real people. The chance to see this drama gives you a sense of what the times might have been like leading up to the war.
