DVD REVIEW FOR "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: THE BATTLE FOR MIDWAY" NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: SECRETS OF THE TITANIC" (1999) (National Geographic Specials) (Not Rated)
"THE BATTLE FOR MIDWAY"
Length
Screen Format(s)
Languages
Subtitles
Sound
Sides
82 minutes
Full Frame
English
None
Dolby Digital 5.1
1
"SECRETS OF THE TITANIC"
Length
Screen Format(s)
Languages
Subtitles
Sound
Sides
51 minutes
Full Frame
English
None
Dolby Digital 5.1
1
Midway Info: The commercial free version of the National Geographic special about the battle of Midway and the search for sunken battleships there many decades later.
Titanic Info: The commercial free version of the National Geographic special about the sinking of the Titanic and the search for her remains on the floor of the North Atlantic.
VIDEO:
(B+, B) Both titles feature varying source material (B&W archival photos and film footage, more current film and video footage), little of which is in pristine and/or perfect condition. While one can clearly understand that for the older material, the "contemporary" footage - especially that consisting of video coverage of the event - isn't quite as crisp as one would like or expect.
Beyond that, some pixelation is present throughout both productions, but isn't horrible (although the problem seems exacerbated in a few scenes where the source material is very grainy). Color reproduction is solid although it fares better in "Midway" than in "Titanic."
Of course neither of these titles is about impressing viewers through the quality of their visuals (or audio for that matter), but instead through the real and documented stories they tell. Thus, the fact that the video quality isn't outstanding isn't as much of a problem as with a standard movie.
AUDIO:
(B, B) Although remastered from the original TV broadcast-quality audio into the DVD standard Dolby Digital 5.1 format, the audio tracks on both discs aren't particularly noteworthy. That said, they certainly deliver what's expected of them and - like the visuals - weren't originally mastered with the intent of impressing the viewer. Instead, they nicely complement the documentary style story, with the few ambient aural effects adding a decent touch to the proceedings.
EXTRAS: MIDWAY
Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
Combat Cameramen - 29-minute feature detailing the work of combat photographers (plenty of combat footage and interviews).
Photo Gallery - 12 stills.
Interactive Battle Map - Stills and narrator description showing and describing the battle in a chronological order.
U.S. Battle Forces - Drawings of the ships and planes used & lost during the battle.
Japanese Battle Forces -- Drawings of the ships and planes used & lost during the battle.
Dr. Robert Ballard Biography - 2 pages of onscreen text.
Geographica Quiz - 3 Questions related to the program.
Spots for other National Geographic programs ("Search for the Battleship Bismarck, "Secrets of Titanic," "Untold Stories of WWII").
National Geographic Website -Commercial for their website.
EXTRAS: TITANIC
Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
Dr. Robert Ballard Biography - 2 pages of onscreen text.
Geographica Quiz - 3 Questions related to the program.
Spots for other National Geographic programs ("The Battle for Midway," "Last Voyage of the Lusitania," "The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal").
National Geographic Website -Commercial for their website.
"Last Hours of the Titanic" - 17 minutes of comments by Ballard and footage about the ship and the way she sank.
Photo Gallery - 11 stills.
Titanic Route Map - 3 pages of maps with text descriptions.
COMMENTS:
Once upon a time, long before planes, TV and the Internet made the world a more accessible, and consequently, a much smaller place, there was a breed of men known for exploring the world. Sailing the high seas, they traversed the globe and reported on the indigenous peoples and places they "discovered" that amazed those back home.
Of course nowadays there are relatively few - if any - places left on the world to explore, but there are more than enough under it that are still left to mystify and fascinate humankind. Whereas yesterday's explorers sailed across the world's oceans, today's explorers do so under them, and few are as proficient as Dr. Robert Ballard.
Now, two of his adventurous, dangerous and absolutely riveting expeditions are available on DVD from the folks at National Geographic and Warner Home Video. Repackaged and sans the commercials that supported their earlier TV broadcasts, "The Battle for Midway" and "Secrets of the Titanic" are two well-made and educational looks at Ballard's quest to go where no man had gone before - at least when they were alive.
Smartly intermixing the history of both events with the more current exploration of finding their resultant remains, both programs are nothing short of fascinating. The story regarding the Titanic obviously has a built-in intrigue factor (that was present long before the recent blockbuster film about it), and the footage of the actual wreck (not to mention that of the effort to get there) is both awe-inspiring and humbling.
While the similar discovery footage of "Midway" isn't quite as impressive - due to the lack of as much related mystique and despite a deeper and thus more difficult dive to the naval wreckage - the overall presentation is far more interesting. Part of that's due to a far greater amount of period footage of the real event along with actual survivors recounting the battle, but also by the way in which the story is told, unfolds and switches back and forth between the past and the present. All in all, it's handled in a very informative and entertaining fashion.
Beyond the compelling, original TV productions, both discs also feature a great deal of informative supplements. From the bonus programs found on each (one on combat cameramen and another detailing more info on the Titanic) to plenty of other nice additions, the discs offer more than enough info related to their respective subjects to educate viewers of all ages about these two historic events. We highly recommend both titles.
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