World on Fire Masterpiece

For those of us who have become interested in re-learning (learning in some cases) about some of the "back stories" of WWII this is an interesting story line - some factual, some "poetic license". If you have started a "WWII section" to your dvd collection, I do recommend adding this first year series to your collection - in SPITE of the cliff-hanger at the end it is well worth watching. Helen Hunt does an OUTSTANDING performance in her role and the rest of the cast really do not disappoint at all. I will warn families who have sensitive children to watch before letting your children watch - there are parts that may cause them to have a little distress. I remind everyone "war is hell".

For any one under the age of 70 WWII has already receded into the depths of historiography and historical coverage. Political and martial history for that period have been covered in extensive detail and continue unabated to the present day. Scholarly writing and documentaries focusing on events, the collective, and individual leaders abound. What has been missing for the most part are a variety and larger number of individual memoirs (a la the Diary of Anne Frank) and a down to earth presentation of the effect WWII had on ordinary people whose lives and environment were shattered in the blink of an eye. Season One of WORLD ON FIRE fills that gap for the first days, months, and year of WWII. Beginning with the conquest of Poland and ending with the fall of France and the "miracle" of Dunkirk, we are given a glimpse of the horror of war as it affects individuals, their families, homes, and life styles ranging from Warsaw to Berlin, Paris, and London. Young adults on all sides, not even out of their teens, were forced to confront and do things that they never conceived and never prepared for. Everything was not merely in black and white, but existed in shades of gray. To avoid being killed or to kill someone else was a traumatic experience. To see and experience the instantaneous crumbling and disappearance of your dwellings, shops, dining establishments, entertainment centers, and surrounding landscape is an unimaginable experience. The German forces, well armed and technologically advanced, moved through eastern, central, and western Europe with seemingly invincible ability. Supposedly possessing the strongest army in Europe, France fell in record time and the famed Maginot Line proved to be an illusion. Not just millions, not just tens of millions, not just hundreds of millions, but even more than a billion may have perished from the beginning of WWII until its finale. All casualties were not immediate. Not only that, think of all the would be future generations that would never be born and lost to the general advancement of all humanity. WORLD ON FIRE is only a prelude of what was to come. What steps had to be taken just to survive is often blood curdling. As the old adage goes: "All's fair in love and war." A young woman in Poland (Zofia Wichlacz) must take revenge on Nazi soldiers by setting them up during a sexual rendezvous for a bullet in the head or back; a youthful homosexual doctor (Brian J. Smith) in Paris and his lover, a black musician, must navigate their way through the bigoted shadow of death that follows them around, yet are helped by an understanding young Nazi officer; a young British soldier (Jonah Hauer-King) marries a Polish girl in order to enable her to escape from Poland; nevertheless, it is not as simple as that. Helen Hunt is brilliant as a powerful war correspondent who must circumvent her censor in order to get the horrific news of what is happening out to the world. A near British conscientious objector turns into an unexpected hero. The war affects the relationship between the different classes in society. Jews must hide their true identities. People's homes are taken over en masse. Art work and other significant possessions are stolen outright. Neighbors report on their neighbors in Nazi Germany where euthanasia for particular medical conditions is already in progress. (Some of what we see in WOF should remind viewers of elements found in The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime Video.) With all that being said, to say any more would be a spoiler. Therefore, I will end my review here except to add that the acting is uniformly excellent and highly credible and the special effects are so real that you forget that they are "special effects". The garments, hair styles, autos, and songs that are constantly being sung, etc. are all appropriate and faithful to that time. Filming had to be done in the Czech Republic in order to duplicate what no longer exists elsewhere in central Europe. More can be found on all the actors by going to IMDb. Good news! This is only Season One and Season Two is already on the drawing board with the first 6 episodes purportedly well blocked out. A total of Six Seasons are projected. I would give this DVD Six Stars if it were possible and should be mandatory watching in particular classes and special gatherings. Parents should be advised that this is not entertainment and might consider it to be a hard PG-13. It is an outstanding production in every sector. A+

Enjoyed this video. Got to the end of Season I and Season II is unavailable. That's disappointing due to the cliff hanger. I'm ready for Season II. I've seen lots of military shows and this one was different as if focused more on the characters than the war. Funny is places, sobering, and well cast except for one person who I like, but not in this role. Overall a great show that kept us all entertained and coming back for more.

we ordered the dvd because we knew we'd miss some of the episodes on pbs and we are glad we did because we ended up bingeing on it! masterpiece theater is a favorite of ours and this one ranks right up there as one of the best (still like grantchester and les miserables a touch more). carefully wrought twists make this a hard show to watch sometimes, especially right now during a pandemic where emotions are heightened anyways. and i hate "purple" drama and am glad to see there is very little of that in this series. this series presents issues we don't usually see in WW2 conflicts and i think this is why the series is so compelling. the sets and costumes and acting are all superb. the music is mostly new to me and i love that. do i like all the characters? nope and i love the series for that. i am sorry to see a few 1 star reviews here but i think that those sort of reviews have more to do with the viewers bias and not to do with an objective review of the series.

Great! Thanks so much!

Good Story

I like everything about the series. I think it is a classic

Fabulous, historical-drama series about world War Ii. We should never forget the significance of that time period. We throughly enjoyed it and are really looking forward to season 2.

This series which takes place entirely during World War II is very well-made. Multiple stories multiple diverse characters, all very engaging. Brilliant, casting, great acting. Superb direction I recommend it all.

Waste of time it was the wrong region for me it would not play on my DVD player tried to send it back it was more bother than it was worth so i give up it did not give any regions when i sent for it.

Highly enjoyable first class world war 2 saga of warfare and espionage is extremely well done tale of the spy division of the allied forces, as well as the families left behind. However, season 1 ends in a cliff-hanging sequence of will they or won't they be discovered trying to escape. For complete enjoyment, season 2 should be purchased and viewed at the same time.

The dvd 3 is damage

Sorry to say the DVD would not play on DVD player,so we cannot rate it,my husband was very disappointed.