Sinking The Supership (Nova)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C-     Episode: B-

 

 

You hear all kinds of things about the sinking of The Titanic and the occasional pieces on the downing of other ships, but The Yamato is a big one you have not heard about as much.  It was the biggest ship the Japanese built during World War II, it was wider than any U.S. ship because of no need for Panama Canal considerations, it was the great hope of Japanese Imperialism and a big secret.  The new Nova episode Sinking The Supership comes up with as many details as possible about it, including how the U.S. sunk it.

 

At the time it was built, Japan was trying to show their capacity for sea power, but WWII changed warfare forever and The Yamoto was the last giant ship of its kind ever built and built ever since.  Through research, interviews, stock footage, documents and other revelations, we get an amazing portrait of an incredible architectural achievement and how it became a white elephant that foreshadowed the empire’s eventual fall.  Once again, Nova delivers an unforgettable, valuable show as the series continues to impress non-stop.

 

The letterboxed 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 image is good, but has detail and depth limits, and not because of any stock footage, but because of it not being anamorphic.  This likely was originated in digital HD, but WGBH Boston Video never does anamorphic enhancement.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no real surrounds, but is pretty good otherwise.  There are no major extras except the usual weblink and printable DVD-ROM educational materials.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo