Shot in 1943,The Memphis Belle is the most famous documentary to emerge from WWII. Created by legendary Hollywood director William Wyler, the movie chronicles the 25th and final combat mission of a B-17 crew. A moving and real portrait of courage, it was personally endorsed by President Franklin Roosevelt, and shown in theaters throughout the United States on his order. Despite dramatizations like Twelve O’Clock High and the Matthew Modine starrer Memphis Belle, the original documentary is unparalleled. It’s simply the most definitive chronicle of the air war in Europe as it was fought by American bomber crews.
Featured on this BluRay disc is a new, digitally enhanced transfer of The Memphis Belle in its entirety. Unlike previous versions of the film on VHS and DVD, the BluRay format provides incredible detail — you can literally count the rivets on the B-17. Also included are additional rare, authentic 8th Air Force films made during WWII. These include Operation Clarion, a confidential account of a bombing campaign, and two propaganda films: the 8th Air Force Report from Britain newsreel which includes a war bonds plea from General Eisenhower, and Mission Accomplished which was shown to defense plant workers.
As a special bonus, a PDF file of 25 Missions, an original War Department pamphlet about the Memphie Belle and her crew is included on the BluRay. A computer with a BluRay drive is required to access this feature.
Color and black and white, sound films. Run time: 77 minutes.
List Price: $ 29.95
Price: $ 24.45
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December 19, 2010
#1
Wonderful collection of WWII films in Hi-Def,
I’ve always been a fan of the film “The Memphis Belle”, and was thrilled to see it released on Bluray. The detail level in the film is surprising, and I actually freeze framed in a couple places where I was delighted to see all sorts of things I hadn’t seen before. For instance, you can actually see repairs and paint patches on the planes, and see how “beat up” they were while flying in regular combat service. There’s also chalk-marked notes to Hitler on a bomb or two — never could read that on VHS that’s for sure. The film isn’t “restored” and the sound is mono, but it’s absolutely captivating and well worth a purchase. Some of the other films on the disc are interesting, too, and the black and white “Mission Accomplished” has some wonderful imagery. “Operation Clarion” isn’t that exciting but gives a good idea of what the general staff must have looked at, in terms of audio-visual presentations, to assess mission performance.
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|December 19, 2010
#2
Outstanding gift for WWII vets,
Gave this to my elderly father for the holidays and seeing it brought back stirring memories of his service in the Army Air Force. Great film that looks marvelous in the Bluray format — daddy said it was 10x better than what he remembered.
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