NBC broke new ground on TV when it produced Victory at Sea, a 26-episode documentary series about World War II highlighting historic milestones from the Pacific theater. In 1954, the 13-hour series was cut down to feature length for a theatrical run. Sporting a spruced-up image and a vivid soundtrack by Broadway giant Richard Rodgers, this truncated version remains impressive for its style, which mixes authentic combat and behind-the-scenes war footage with dramatic re-creations, while the narration intoned by Alexander Scourby carries requisite gravitas. Directed by Henry Salomon, the theatrical Victory at Sea is only a shadow of the highly-acclaimed full series (VL-1/04), but it serves as a decent distillation of a landmark production. A strong optional purchase. (T. Fry)
Victory at Sea
Film Chest, 98 min., not rated, DVD: $11.98 June 29, 2015
Victory at Sea
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