DVDs

Britain at War in Colour

By Richard Moore

This is one of the most remarkable and compelling documentary series yet produced on the Second World War.

Britain at War In Colour features footage that has never, or rarely, been seen and that gives it a really fresh and interesting visual appeal.

Being in colour also gives the cataclysmic events of 1939-1945, usually relegated to official black-and-white archives, a more modern and life-like feel.

But, perhaps the really important factor between this series and other documentaries, is that it tends to focus on the personal experiences of the war as witnessed - and unofficially filmed - by civilians and lower-ranked soldiers.

Britain at War In Colour began life as a three-part TV series and has now been combined on to one DVD. It is broken up into three parts that examine various periods of the war.

The first, the Darkest Hour, focuses upon Britain's preparations for war with Germany, life on the home front, and the difficulties the British civilians and troops faced in surviving the terrors thrown at them by Hitler, his bully boys and their allies.

Following that comes the chapter, The Beginning Of The End, which has the fortunes of war turning and now Britain and her allies are able to tighten the screws upon their enemies.

Lastly, there is the chapter called Unknown Warriors, which allows you to meet and listen to many of the people whose film and personal stories were used. This is a terrific bit of documentary making and the insights you get into what it was like to be alive during World War 2 are excellent.

Included is film footage of British fascists marching in London before the war, the D-Day landings and the liberation of British survivors of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

Some of the footage is very graphic - body parts and the like - but this is because the censors couldn't get to and restrict what people filmed on personal equipment.

The quality of the original film is up and down, but this adds to the realism of Britain at War In Colour and the feeling that it was gathered from many different sources.

The transfer on to DVD, however, is very good and if there are blemishes then they are not serious enough to notice.

If you have an interest in history or, like me, had grandparents and a parent who went through wartime England, then this is a real eye opener.

It will give you another, more personal perspective upon a war that claimed so many lives.

I do have one moan, however, and that is the appalling faux-Australian accent used in portions of the series. Strewth, mate, bonza, beauty, put a shrimp on the barbie, cobber, dinky-di, digeridoo .....

It would be laughable if it wasn't for the fact it's probably done by some tosser from London who thinks he does a beautiful Aussie accent and then, when going back to his own accent, replaces his THs with FFs. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Conclusion:

Movie: 85%

DVD Extras: 85%