Do you remember famous scenes from movies like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Letters From Iwo Jima? For a minute or so, let's just talk about Saving Private Ryan since that is probably the most recognized film from the above mentioned. Now go back in your mind and pull from memory that initial scene where U.S. soldiers are storming the beach. Do you recall how dramatic that scene was? If so, let me introduce you to a DVD that shows you where some of that footage came from.
Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen goes way beyond Hollywood and gives you an unprecedented point of view from what soldiers and cameramen in World War II faced.
Do not expect any fancy Hollywood special effects here. What you have is a first rate documentary on the lives of cameramen (mainly) and soldiers during World War II. Hosted by a Grizzly Adams looking Tom Hanks (Tom, no more full beards please) SW: WWCC interviews numerous WWII cameramen who actually shot the footage contained in the documentary.
We start off with an overview of how the U.S. military decided on forming the division of combat cameramen as well as the need to have them present in order to show the rest of the world what happens during war. The documentary follows much of the WWII timeline, moving forward in small segments from D-Day, to the interior of Europe, to the infamous Pacific naval war.
During the documentary I was able to see precisely where ideas for major Hollywood movies were taken from. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, what you watch here was real. A few scenes I'm able to very clearly remember because when I watched them the first time, I couldn't believe my eyes. They made me press pause, rewind and watch again, only to ensure that what I saw the first time was true.
If you are taken aback by the site of human suffering, people being shot, torn apart by explosions, I wholeheartedly suggest you stop reading now and by all means, do not watch this documentary.
During one scene a cameraman talks about how the Japanese would rather commit suicide than surrender and because of that, the amount of Japanese captured was very low. He continues to talk about one day he peers from cover with his camera in front of him. His camera is mounted with a shoulder stock and from a distance gives the impression someone is holding some type of weapon. He continues to narrate the scene, setting the stage for something unsettling. He describes how a Japanese woman with a child sees him pointing something at her. Presumably fearing death or capture, she throws her child, of what must be by the images, three to four years old off a cliff to its death. The mother follows quickly after and the scene ends with a close-up of the dead child floating in the water.
Although horrific, this sets the stage for what you see later when people are the receiving end a flamethrower, a bullet, explosion and ultimately an atom bomb. SW:WWCC ends by showing you the horrific affect an atom bomb has on inanimate objects, and more so animate objects....human children. Tom Hanks describes the scene well by saying what you're viewing should be enough to keep any future wars from happening, but as we know today, our race will forever be engaged in some type of warfare.
If you've been without your World War II fix lately and are looking for something that will stir you visually and emotionally Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen is something you should definitely consider renting.
Because this is a documentary there are no bonus features or extras on the DVD.
"Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen" is on sale December 7, 2000 and is rated NR. Documentary. Written and directed by Richard Schickel. Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Ambrose.
