Product Description

Before the nuclear bomb, no weapon on earth had evoked so much fear, veneration and passion as the battleship. In destructive power it had no equal. Produced for Channel 4, The Battleships in four epic programmes unveils the dramatic saga of power, international politics, and one-upmanship that led to the titanic wars of the twentieth century. It is a story involving rulers, warlords and admirals who all became intoxicated by the grandeur, majesty and sheer power of these floating fortresses. Enriched with eyewitness accounts and contributions from naval experts around the globe, the series explores the rapid evolution of firepower and battleship design from canvas to steam, timber to steel, muzzle-loading cannon to 18-inch guns, and beyond, to rocket launchers and missiles. As the spearhead of colonial expansion and in defence of the great empires the battleship reigned supreme. In the decade leading up to World War I, Britain and Germany became embroiled in an unprecedented arms race for domination of the seas. It was a period when the battleship reigned supreme, a reign, however, that could not keep pace with the technological advancements taking place that would effect the way wars would be fought in the future. In the face of submarines and air warfare, the battleship would have a real fight on its hands to survive as the ultimate weapon of naval warfare. Destruction by aerial bombing and torpedo attacks during World War II became turning points in the story of the battleship. With the major powers rethinking their arsenals, only the four US Iowa Class battleships would survive to play a significant role in the wars of the latter part of the twentieth century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20590 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-11
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 212 minutes

Synopsis
This four part epic documentary made for Channel 4, chronicles the role of battleship in the wars, politics and power-struggles of the twentieth century. Featuring eye-witness accounts, contributions from naval experts, and stunning archive footage.

Customer Reviews

WOW => A NEW DIMENSION
Certainly one of the best acquisitions to my military DVD collection! The storyline remains interesting throughout. It takes one through various stages of battleship development => the photography, footage as well as commentary all blending to create "near-perfect" audience attention throughout. The message is balanced and it is not a glorification of war. It certainly makes one think (I personally spent 16 years in the military) simply because nothing is taken out of context. Not only do I recommend this DVD to anyone interested in naval development; but as it also shows the misuse of capital by politicians, this DVD is "must see" for Business Economics, Political Science, Marketing and Business Sciences students. Overall => an intelligently compiled product that sets a new dimension for documentaries of this kind.

The definitive history of the Battleship
Commencing with the arguably first battleship, the Mary Rose, this 4 part series chronicles the development of the battleship from its very conception to its ultimate demise during WW2. All the major developments are covered from the HMS Victory to the Warrior & the awe inspiring Dreadnought. Like all forms of warfare, developments were often hindered by tradition. It was often the exogenous factors which forced the adoption of new technology. In the case of the battleship this was a particular problem in that such adoption would render the existing fleet obsolete & allow the enemy to be on an equal footing as they would also start production of the new design.

Ironically for such a potent weapon it rarely saw its full potential being unleashed. This arose due to their cost which was exorbitant. Moreover as the sinking of one battleship would result in deleterious consequences for morale, they were rather retained as a threat rather than to be used. This attitude is exemplified by Hitler on hearing of the sinking of the Bismark during WW2.

Commentary is not only by naval experts but by eye witnesses. The overall production is lavish & informative instead of the usual inappropriate stock film footage stuck together.

This DVD is without question, the best one on this subject by a wide margin.

boom boom
A pretty good effort: makes a pretty thorough explanation of where battleships came from and why they are no more. The commentary is quite intelligent and the footage is relevant even if some of it is fake (borrowed from war movies). Still not bad and some quite good film; bearing in mind that wars were not filmed for tv in those days!