The World at War - Episode 1 restored

The World at War is one of the greatest documentary series of all time. On 20th September 2010 will be released the Ultimate Restored Edition on DVD and Blu-ray - each frame has been painstakingly restored and the audio enhanced and upgraded to 5.1. For the first time ever the entire series is available in High Definition and is subtitled.

This clip from the newly restored first episode "A New Germany" shows the improvements made to the opening section of ther series.

The new DVD and Blu-ray boxed sets are available to buy in the UK on September 20th. This award-winning series is available for the first time in High Definition with 5.1 surround sound and subtitled throughout.

[barriejohn]

This was very moving. Sir Jeremy Isaacs has been talking about the series in interviews on its 40th anniversary. They wanted Olivier as narrator, but he was suffering from exhaustion. His first attempt was awful, but there was no way that they could tell the great man that, so Isaacs said: "That was very good. Would you like to listen to it and see whether you could make any improvements?". Olivier listened to the recording and didn't need to be told anything. He redid the whole episode and the rest, as they say,  is history!

[greynotneon]

I can't believe some of these comments. The restored version is markedly better - greater dynamic range, higher resolution and more natural colours.

The 'after' picture isn't just the 'before' picture put through a cheap software filter - both versions are copies of the original film, but the copy on the right is a more accurate one. If you prefer blurry, over-saturated pictures then that's your problem.

Having said that, whoever decided to crop to 16:9 is worse than Hitler.

[Michael_Scott_Howard]

Thames TV needs to make this series available free and free from copyright... All people on the planet need to, like Gen. Eisenhower did with the Germans, see this series.. It is that important less we repeat.

[centredoorplugsthornton]

This narrative opening is also on the very last of 26 episodes, "Remember."
Intriguing to see the rails and overhead lines in the street through town. Tram line? Local railway branch?
Found out the rails and overhead were for a tram line from Limoges.

[hobbitofny]

I want to buy a blu-ray of the original. This new one cuts about 25% of the image off to fit the screen.  I will continue to watch my 10 year old dvd set with 100% of the image, but not hd. I wait hoping the release a blu-ray with 100% of the image. So sad they cut up this wonderful series!!!

[FibreFilms]

It's not about how it looks to actually watch it's about the clarity and detail. Sure something with higher saturation and contrast looks a little nice but it doesn't show you what it's really like.

[adriannarobeson]

This is awesome 👌🏻, , these reels need to be kept restored so future generations can learn the actual facts with people that actually live through all of this and not propaganda and false accusations by folks who want to be in denial, , for example you actually have fools that believe the Holocaust was bogas because some propaganda source says so, we can't allow this, and even though there's folks that are still alive today my mother who is 87 one of them, point is there all in there 80s and 90s now as this program was originally air back in the 70s I remember watching as a kid, also the music during the opening fits the time period perfect as this was a horrible and tragic global event that changed the course of the world.

[cageordie]

I am thankful I have the original version. The 'restored' version is softer and low contrast. Are they sure they didn't swap the before and after?

[MsPandaRosa]

@Trixtah
Yet the older version seems closer in context to what truly happened in those tragic days. Overandblurry is better only if so far as it reflects the times. If only there was a way to capture sharpness and authenticness.

[LuckyNumber]

I'm thankful that they had taken their time to remove scratches and whatever, but the color correction is all wrong! Completely washed out and dull to look at. A shame.

[enrilacroix]

Where we can get this? I live in Mexico City!

[MsPandaRosa]

Not necessarily, the emphasis is to recall, hold, keep the memories alive.

[armandrodriguez]

The after copy looks like it may of been left in he sun - a bit washed out.

[Trixtah]

Some people are blind. The Before is more saturated. The After is way sharper, has much clearer detail and natural colour. Over-colourised and blurry does not equal "better".

[waynebrown]

Used to watch this in the 70s with a Dr. Pepper and Devil's Food Twinkie.

[yakacm]

are you sure the before and after are the correct way around, because as others have pointed out the before is much better looking than the after.

[johnriggs]

I avoid anything that's 'digitally re-mastered' or such like, for a simple reason: It's invariably crap. This proves the point admirably.

[killya]

People hate it because it's not 4k.

[joepapp]

before looks WAY better. I'm glad I bought a non-blu-ray non-"ultimate restored" edition! Sheesh...

[theskeptic]

I agree - I like the rich saturated colors of the before vid