Amazing War Machines + Hell On
Earth + Trail Of Tears (Mill
Creek DVD Sets)
Picture:
C Sound: C/C-/C Extras: D Episodes: B-/C+/C+
Mill
Creek has issued three interesting documentary series on DVD, one of which is a
surprise and the other competent enough to recommend. If you like documentary ort special interest
material, one of the following should interest you.
Amazing War Machines may have some already dated
digital; graphics, but the 2006 production offers 10 hours/13 episodes of the
longtime arc of technology and how that use for various wars and conflict
reshaped the world. From guns to flying
machines to tanks, the mini-series is well done and the kind fans of such
programming would love.
Hell On Earth is a wide-reaching compilation of
all kinds of short subjects about weather at its worst from 1937 to 1990,
offering a crash course in how bad things can get when conditions become
extreme. There is no unifying producer,
director or narrator of the 25 shorts over two DVDs, but they are compelling
and often well done, capturing history that is not always as discussed as maybe
it should be. There is plenty to discuss
here, even when they are dated.
Trail Of Tears is a new look at the plight of
Native Americans and offers four different programs from different years. We get Trail Of Tears: Cherokee Legacy, Black
Indians: An American Story, Native American Healing In The 21st
Century and Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School. All continue the never-large-enough record of
the injustices against Native Americans that continue to this day. The only limit is covering material that has
been covered before or in overlap, but that is not as much of an issue here as
it might be otherwise considering the subject matter.
The 1.33
X 1 and in the case of Trail, some anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 installments, is soft all around, has flaws in all cases and
if age is not the issue, motion blur is.
Still, you get to see some interesting footage despite the
obstacles. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound
is usually monophonic and simple stereo in the case of Trail, is simple stereo at best that can be a little
distorted. There are no extras on any of
the set.
- Nicholas Sheffo
