Last Heroes of D-Day DVD Review

   

     Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: BBC Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: November 4, 2014

Run Time: 100 minutes

 

 

        “Last Heroes of D-Day” is a 2-part World War II documentary special about the events leading up to D-Day on June 6^th, 1944. Utilizing interviews from surviving veterans, reenactments and special effects, this special gives the top secret stories of espionage and planning that went into the calculated attack in Northern France by the Allied Forces. It is all very cutting edge and flashy, including hip young host Dan Snow.

 

        Snow’s ultra-casual appearance, wearing a t-shirt and jeans and often sitting or giving his narration in more casual positions, is often incongruent with the subject matter. He often comes off more disrespectful than hip, though his vibrant style is more in-line with the cutting edge effects than with the dry interviews from veterans. Many of the interviews were so horribly done that the footage does little other than slow down the momentum of the program, often comically confirming with a monotonous tone the same information already given. 

        The true stories about the two years of planning are far more interesting than the bells and whistles used to try and make them more enticing. There was endless analysis of aerial reconnaissance photographs, and plenty of espionage and bravery needed to retrieve them. The special probably could have been whittled down to a single episode had the computer generated images and pointless interviews been removed. I also think we could have done without seeing Snow entirely, or at least with a bit more decorum about him.

 

Entertainment Value: 5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 4/10

Historical Significance:  6/10

Special Features: 0/10