For Immediate Release
FROM ACCLAIMED FILMMAKER KEN BURNS COMES AN
EPIC DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE SECOND WORLD WAR
THE WAR
Six Years in the Making, the 15-Hour Film Debuts on DVD October 2, 2007
Loaded with Bonus Material Including Commentary by
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, Exclusive Deleted Scenes,
Additional Interviews, Biographies and More
Release Timed with Premiere Airing on PBS
September 23-26 and September 30-October 2
HOLLYWOOD, CA – Ken Burns's highly-anticipated documentary
THE WAR, arrives on DVD October 2, 2007 from PBS Home Video and Paramount Home Entertainment. The epic, seven-part film directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns - Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne, Minnesota. These geographically distributed locations stand in for - and could represent - any town in the United States that went through the war's four devastating years. The 15-hour film explores the most intimate human dimensions of a worldwide catastrophe and paints a vivid portrait of how the war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America.
THE WAR is narrated by Keith David and includes voiceovers from acclaimed performers such as Tom Hanks, Josh Lucas, Bobby Cannavale, Samuel L. Jackson and Eli Wallach and features new recordings by Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis, as well as war-era favorites from Benny Goodman, Nat 'King' Cole and more.
DVD
THE WAR is a six-disc set presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English 2.0 Surround and English subtitles. Total runtime is 15 hours. The DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $129.99 U.S./$149.99 Canada.
Episodes:
- "A Necessary War," December 1941-December 1942
- "When Things Get Tough," January 1943-December 1943
- "A Deadly Calling," November 1943-June 1944
- "Pride of Our Nation," June 1944-August 1944
- "FUBAR," September 1944-December 1944
- "The Ghost Front," December 1944-March 1945
- "A World Without War," March 1945-December 1945
Bonus Material:
- Making THE WAR Featurette
- A behind-the-scenes look with Ken Burns and others at the making of the film.
- Commentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
- Exclusive Deleted Scenes
- These deleted scenes cover a range of topics such as war correspondents, the holocaust, Japanese internment, Operation Cobra and returning home after the war.
- Additional Interviews
- Includes more stories from Quentin Aanenson, United States Senator Daniel Inouye, Paul Fussell, Katherine Phillips-Singer and others.
- Biographies
- Organized by town, these biographies include then and now photos of participants in the series.
- Photo Gallery
- Educational Resources
THE WAR DVD will be released on the final day of the premiere airing on PBS. A companion CD from Sony BMG,
The War: The Soundtrack, featuring music from the documentary, as well as a companion book,
The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945, published by Knopf will be available on September 11, 2007.
About PBS Home Video
PBS Home Video furthers PBS's mission of lifelong learning by expanding the availability of PBS's top-quality programs. PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 355 public noncommercial television stations, reaching more than 75 million people each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS's premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the most visited dot-org Web sites on the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA, VIA.B), a global entertainment company that produces and distributes filmed entertainment through the Paramount Motion Picture Group. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.
THE WAR
Street date: October 2, 2007
Price: $129.99 U.S./$149.99 Canada
Runtime: 15 hours
U.S. Rating: TV-14
Canadian Rating: PG
