Sunday, September 30, 2007

In Living Color............

We are one week into the fall television season and here is my pick for the best new show out there .....
THE WAR on PBS. Yeah ......go figure huh???? Ken Burns is a genius when it comes to telling stories like these. If you have ever watched any of his other works you really should be watching this show. If you are a history buff.....if you have a grandad or grandmother who served in the war.....you should be watching this show.
I have managed to watch most of it over the past week and all I can say is WOW.
I remember watching THE CIVIL WAR over 10 years ago and it was great but this show has been different. First of all .....there is the old film that was shot before ,during and after the war. Vivid scenes of battles and the wonderful voiceovers of those who were really there. Thats one of the biggest differences ....we get to hear the stories in the voices of the men and women who were there. The other big difference is the incredible use of color film. I had no idea that it was used as much as it was to film battles and beach landings in Europe and The Pacific. It was stunning to see these faces in living color. STUNNING.
Listen to these guys talk about leaving there buddies on the field of battle.....I would be remiss if I did not tell you that I am choked up thinking about it right now.
I spent a big portion of my childhood traveling each summer with my grandparents to veterans reunions. I would sit in the rooms with these guys and just soak it all in....I believe that is what paved the way for me to be such a huge history buff.
I can hear my grandad right now in my head talking about his time over there.

The other shows on television right now are good ...dont get me wrong BUT do yourself a favor find this show on PBS or online and watch what you can ....Listen to these proud veterans talk about the work they did as if it was as simple as taking out the garbage or planting a garden. They are so modest about how they helped free the world from evil.
We are losing these folks at a rate of 1000 a day. It seems like so little but this is a wonderful tribute to their contribution to the world.
Go Watch.
Then find a local WWII veterens association and talk to these folks.......
Shake their hands and tell them THANKS!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

late comment, but i have a good reason. i wanted to watch a couple parts of The War before i did.

this is definitely on my Christmas wish list now. Ken Burns did an extraordinary job with his treatment of the war. and i too got a bit misty-eyed.

you know i love hist'ry (hell, its my degree), but so many history documentaries are dragged out and... boring. i don't know how he does it, but i was on the edge of my seat for the entire time i was watching.

the history of The War (the real one, not the the documentary) is being lost at such a rapid pace. its a truly a sad day when America's greatest, shining moment in time begins to lose its sheen to political correctness and lazy education systems.

fingers crossed that this will spark a renewed interest in this part of our history.