Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/03/08/this-13-hour-documentary-about.html
…
An even longer cut of Das Boot?
ETA I enjoyed this 2 1/2-hour one about Hood and Bismarck:
4 Likes
Victory at Sea is pretty fantastic! I put it on in the background during a game of Axis and Allies.
And, I might have, in memory of my dad, blared the brassier parts of the soundtrack (I have two volumes of it) while in the tunnel in the city when I have the top down.
ETA: Remember, these were effectively newsreels, shown with the lil rascals and whatever in the newly air conditioned theaters. This (edited to clarify: the newsreel footage) was to the folks in the 40s what drone footage is to us today.
7 Likes
zzzzZZZZZzzZZZ ZZZZZzzz zzzZZZzzz.
1 Like
Watched it as a kid when it first ran and looked forward to every new episode. When I was hospitalized for appendicitis, one of the worst things about the experience was missing that week’s show (no TVs in hospitals then).
It’s pretty dated now, though.
But a helluva soundtrack by Richard Rogers.
5 Likes
The first major documentary made for TV, with an excellent score by Richard Rogers.
I suppose it was made by veterans for veterans, because it’s tone is a bit too celebratory. As a better alternative, I would highly recommend The World at War.
9 Likes
Victory at Sea would have meant little to folks during the 40’s since it was produced by NBC television in 1952.
The World At War, that series which shows the world how Great Britain won World War II…all by themselves…without any help whatsoever.
1 Like
in 1950, 9 percent of households had a television.
in 1953, Victory at Sea was released in theaters.
Mind the sarchasm!
5 Likes
Not that I recall. I don’t remember WWI being a major theme.
3 Likes
Cheap smartphones and sausage fingers are going to be my downfall!
2 Likes
The opening scenes of Victory At Sea are precisely the reason I joined the USAF. I mean, if I was within a few hundred yards of shore, those waves would be great…but at sea I’d be doing the Big Spit pretty much constantly.
4 Likes
Did you mean WWII? I thought the series had a rather globalist outlook, and that’s one of the reasons I liked it.
2 Likes
Maybe…but that Laurence Olivier narration! I misted up when he read that Russian war poem.
2 Likes
There’s another Victory at Sea that will put you to sleep (if you have enough of it). It’s pretty good, though, I’m not normally a Porter guy, but I like it.
1 Like
Well now I have something short to watch when I want just a little more vegging time! I was really into this stuff as a teen, read a huge volume I found sitting on one of our bookshelves called “The Two Ocean War”.
1 Like
I always wanted to open a pub at a particular intersection; “Ye Olde Victory at C” has a nice ring, dontcha think?
1 Like
Victory At Sea was fantastic the first time I saw it (in my mid 20’s)… now it’s still a great time-killer when I notice it on cable for the 7th/8th/9th (?) time.
I joined the Navy just to be on a sub after being addicted to “Run Silent, Run Deep” & “Das Boot” * as akid.
~~I first saw Das Boot when renting it from the video store in my ,mid-teen years, then it was on TV (only once !!!), then I bought the VHS (two tape) copy, and then I got it on DVD…
Served my time on the USS Michigan (GO-727 !)
3 Likes
Have you read the book by Beach, or ‘Submarine!’ his collection of stories about his boat Trigger and many other Pacific Fleet subs? The latter blew me away as a teen, it was so intense, and is back in print. When I later heard of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, I knew that it was named for a famed sub commander profiled in the book. Subs are a hard duty, but in those days it was insane. Anyone who doesn’t think so should visit one of the museum boats and think about spending months aboard in that cramped space occasionally being depth charged.
BTW, thanks for your service.
2 Likes
I read the book (Bio.) by Capt. Beach 20+ years ago after seeing the movie on TV a number of times: The book is 10X better than the movie; just when taking into consideration the details that weren’t allowed in theaters (much less TV) when it came out.
***And thanks for YOUR Thanks ! (It’s nothing compared to today… “Go Reagan”)
2 Likes
