Kevin Hall 2008-10-20

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I have just watched this whole series again for only the second time since it was first broadcast on the BBC in 1999? At the time I recorded each episode onto VHS, and promptly forgot that I had done so. I tried to find it on DVD, and was surprised to find that it is not available, so I have transferred it to DVD myself. I was also shocked to see the prices being asked for used VHS versions. All I can find out is that some of the material broadcast in 1999 has been re-classified since Sept 2001, and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001. Is it mere coincidence that this series went out of print that same month? And why has it not been released on DVD, it is required material for anyone studying 20th century history, as is World at War. If you have an interest in this period, and ever get the chance, buy it, watch it and be amazed at the political double dealing that was the order of the day.

Peter G. Aldersley 2008-06-01

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

This is part of the VHS tape series marketed by DD video in 1998. It is fairly expensive to buy, probably because of a limited edition. Vol 1 (Iron Curtain) is meant to be 4 episodes, which is contained on 2 cassettes, however the second cassette in the box set I purcashed from "ubiquitous books" did not contain episode 4 (the whole second half of the tape was blank, unrecorded). I was initially pleased that the seller agreed to replace the tape, however the replacement tape had the same problem. I suspect poor production standards from DD video are to blame. Episodes 1 to 3 are very good however. The book of the series, purchased separately, is also very good, and has the merit of no missing sections.

M. P. Stone 2006-12-09

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

This series follows in the same landmark vein as the 1973 series of 26 episodes 'World at War' which focuses on WW2. This one however focuses on the period of 1945-91 and the Cold War standoff. The dramatic narration, musical score and style of presentation are all modelled on the aforementioned series and are pulled off just as well. This was made between 1994-8 and released towards the end of 1998 on the cable channel CNN and susequently released on VHS video in 1999-2000 however never made it to DVD and they aren't making anymore VHS either, hence the difficulty in obtaining copies. There are a total of 6 double video VHS volumes (UK version not USA) each volume comprising 4 episodes for a total of 24 episodes.

All I can say is that if you are reading this and have seen the 'World at War' then you can expect the same quality from this series executively produced by the same indiviudal who did 'World at War' 25 years earlier being Sir Jeremy Iaascs. The two are perfect accompanyments to one another. If you see it BUY IT.

Michael Dnes 2002-02-16

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

This volume of the Cold War series deals with the split between the East and West. Covering the period of deep hostility between Stalinist Russia and the West, it shows what happened through a combination of archive footage, interviews with people who were there and the occasional graphic.

As with the rest of this series, those interviewed are not just pilot X or infantryman Y, but quite often people who played an important part in what went on (This series was the first cold-war documentary to get an interview with Fidel Castro). With people like George Kennan, Clark Clifford and John Kenneth Galbraith, this series cannot be accused of using talking heads simply to pad out the program.

While the programs are limited in that they are only 50 minutes long, they are thoughtful and, relatively speaking, not too biassed (although rather pro-western) compared with many programs on this topic. Anyone interested in really studying the period should read a book on the topic, since it will almost certainly have more to say. But if you want to learn about the cold war from moving pictures, this is perhaps the best way to do it.

2000-12-24

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

I watched the video after having read the book, and it presented a vast wealth of information on the foundings of the Cold War. The earlier events were given, such as the Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift, as well as the partition of Germany and Berlin, and the mounting tensions between the two new world superpowers, the USA and the USSR.

There is a good mixture of sources presented on the video, from first-hand sources to maps and diagrams explaining the events. I found the video a highly fascinating insight into the events of the second half of the last century, and how close we came to a full blown Hot War, especially over events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This video is the first in the series, and ideally, i suggest watching them all, as it gives all the information practically up to the last decade, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Communism.