"War and Remembrance" (1988) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

13 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

The saga of the Henry family, begun in "The Winds of War" continues as America is attacked by Japan and enters World War II...

Plot Keywords:

German | General | Japan | Captain | Winston Churchill

Awards:

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Robert Mitchum	...	Capt. Victor 'Pug' Henry / ... (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Jane Seymour	...	Natalie Henry (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Hart Bochner	...	Byron Henry (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Victoria Tennant	...	Pamela Tudsbury (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Polly Bergen	...	Rhoda Henry (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Sami Frey	...	Avram Rabinovitz (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
William Schallert	...	Harry Hopkins (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Jeremy Kemp	...	Brig. Gen. Armin Von Roon (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Steven Berkoff	...	Adolf Hitler (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Robert Hardy	...	Winston Churchill (12 episodes, 1988-1989)
Topol	...	Berel Jastrow (11 episodes, 1988-1989)
Ralph Bellamy	...	President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (11 episodes, 1988-1989)
John Gielgud	...	Aaron Jastrow (11 episodes, 1988-1989)
William Woodson	...	Narrator (11 episodes, 1988-1989)
David Dukes	...	Leslie Slote (9 episodes, 1988-1989)
E.G. Marshall	...	Dwight D. Eisenhower (9 episodes, 1988-1989)
Sharon Stone	...	Janice Henry (8 episodes, 1988-1989)
Barry Bostwick	...	'Lady' Aster (8 episodes, 1988-1989)
Ian McShane	...	Philip Rule (8 episodes, 1988-1989)
John Rhys-Davies	...	Sammy Mutterperl (7 episodes, 1988)
Bill Wallis	...	Werner Beck (7 episodes, 1988)
Joachim Hansen	...	Lt. Gen. Alfred Jodl (7 episodes, 1988-1989)
John Malcolm	...	Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (7 episodes, 1988-1989)
Michael Wolf	...	Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering (6 episodes, 1988-1989)
Robert Morley	...	Alistair Tudsbury (5 episodes, 1988)
Mike Connors	...	Col. Harrison 'Hack' Peters (5 episodes, 1988-1989)
Christian Ebel	...	Rattenhuber (5 episodes, 1988-1989)
Ian Jentle	...	Josef Goebbels (5 episodes, 1988-1989)
Barry Morse	...	Col. Gen. Franz Halder (5 episodes, 1988-1989)

Runtime:

1620 min (12 parts)

Country:

USA

Language:

French | German | Hebrew | Japanese | Russian | English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Poland

Company:

ABC Circle Films

Trivia:

John Gielgud takes over the role of Aaron Jastrow from John Houseman. Gielgud was one of several actors who passed on the role of the law professor in The Paper Chase (1973) before Houseman was cast.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: While Byron and Pug are standing on the deck of the USS Iowa, the 50-star Navy Jack is seen over Byron's right shoulder instead of the 48-star flag that should have been flying.

Quotes:

Adolf Hitler: [Hitler and his generals are under Berlin in the bunker, April 22, 1945] WHAT IS GOING ON? We have been trying to reach the Steiner army since yesterday! My patience is not limitless!
Lt. Gen. Alfred Jodl: The telephone lines, Mein Fuhrer; they keep breaking down.
Adolf Hitler: If I do not hear from Steiner within 15 minutes, somebody will be shot!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Doogie Howser, M.D.: Blood and Remembrance (#1.8)" (1989)

The best war movie ever made

Dan Curtis, the producer of this epic, must have been obsessed. His vision of the war years 1936 through 1945 as depicted in this and the companion work "The Winds of War" is unquestionably the best view of the impact of war on simple human beings as could ever be imagined in fiction and on film.

Based on a novel by Herman Wouk, with a screenplay written by him, the events of the pre war and war years are played out through the eyes of the family of Victor Henry a fictional middle aged naval commander and close confidant of President Roosevelt who is, at various times, posted in Berlin, Moscow, Pearl Harbor and ultimately made captain of a cruiser in the pacific. Captain Henry and his family are witness to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in Europe, the conduct of Hitler's "Final Solution", the Russian front, and the war in the pacific. The graphic detail of this production will literally bring tears to your eyes. It is hard to watch at times as you become so very intimate with the characters.

Robert Mitchum turns in a fabulous performance as Victory Henry the no nonsense patriarch of the family. Polly Bergen plays his flibbertigibbet wife Rhoda to perfection. The rest of the cast is all really remarkable but my favorite was G.D. Spradlin who portrayed Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance , fleet commander during the Battle of Midway, above and beyond understanding.

If you're into accurate historical drama, and can deal with reality, go to your library and check this out. If you haven't seen it, you should. If you don't you will miss a genuine historical document.