|
|
List Price: $49.95 Amazon.com's Price: $28.99 You Save: $20.96 (42%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: A&E EAN: 0733961769951 Format: Box set, Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Item Dimensions: Label: A&E Home Video Languages: Manufacturer: A&E Home Video MPN: AAED76995D Number Of Items: 4 Publisher: A&E Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 24, 2007 Running Time: 517 minutes Studio: A&E Home Video Theatrical Release Date: November 03, 2006 Editorial Review: Product Description: Harnessing the technology from the latest cgi video game flight simulators this puts the viewers behind the cockpit pitted against enemy aircraft in 11 of modern historys greatest air battles. Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 04/24/2007 Run time: 517 minutes Amazon.com: Detailed digital re-creations of aerial combat are the obvious highlight of Dogfights, but the greatest value of this popular History Channel series lies in its assembly of priceless interviews with veteran pilots who fought in history's most dangerous dogfights and lived to tell the tale. As an oral and visual history that will enthrall viewers of all ages, the series pays tribute to these men and their remarkable skill, and their vivid recollections ensure that this series will be discussed and studied for many years to come. Filling four DVDs, these 11 first-season episodes run about 43 minutes in length, with each episode focusing on specific dogfights where "you're in the pilot's seat" for a breathtaking study of how these potentially deadly aerial encounters began, developed, and concluded. From the biplanes of World War I to the F-15 Eagles of the U.S. and Israeli Air Forces, the series re-creates legendary dogfights with computer-generated aircraft so authentically detailed (including accurate paint-schemes and military markings) that you can even see the rivets in their fuselages. With CGI pilots nestled in their cockpits, these airplanes look and move like the real thing, and while other details such as aircraft debris, flames, explosions, and crashes are rendered in video-game quality resolution (i.e., not state-of-the-art but sufficiently impressive) the aerial activity also includes gun-tracers, rockets, and missiles that are instantly convincing. As you learn about strategic maneuvers like the "Thatch Weave" and "Rolling Scissors," the only thing missing is the G-forces you'd feel if you were actually flying the planes. With highlights too numerous to mention individually, each episode follows a precise and logical structure, thrusting the viewer into the chaos of combat, then supplementing the visual excitement with detailed schematics and comparison charts of aircraft on both sides of battle. Each chart examines the characteristic strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft involved (from structural integrity to weapons systems, maximum speed, climbing rates, etc.), and archival footage of the actual aircraft in action is accompanied by background history and pilot testimonials. Although most of the action is taken from Pacific theater combat of World War II, dogfights from the Vietnam War (as in "The Last Gunfighter," a tribute to the F8 Crusader) and the Middle East are also included. Among the most thrilling episodes are "Long Odds" (focusing on the heroic endurance of WWII Navy Ace "Swede" Vejtasa and Medal of Honor winner Jay Zeamer) and "Hunt for the Bismarck," a riveting study of aerial supremacy over Germany's legendary battleship. As a bonus feature on disc 1, the feature-length pilot episode "Dogfights: Greatest Air Battles" was produced a year before the 2006 premiere of Dogfights and offers a more generalized history of aerial combat and flying-ace heroes. Also included is "Dogfights: The Planes," a featurette compilation of individual aircraft profiles culled from the series proper. Unfortunately, Dogfights is presented in "plain" widescreen (i.e., not enhanced for widescreen TVs), and subtitles and closed captioning are not included. These are the only drawbacks in a four-disc set that's an absolute must-have for military buffs, future "Top Gun" candidates and anyone interested in the history of aerial combat. --Jeff Shannon Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Superb !Fabulously produced series. Great Value for Money. Worth every valuable cent you can find these days. Kudos to the team. Highlight for me was interviews with the pilots and aces ... the Israeli - Jordanian dog fight was a classic - the pilot acknowledging that (and, I am paraphrasing here) .. "even though we are sworn enemies, as pilot to pilot, I really wished he had lived". I was never into battles etc, but this is a must see. Warning :: It's highly addictive ! Read More Rating: - Worth it for the Taffy-3 Episode aloneI caught the original "pilot" for this show on the History Channel in Fall of 2006 and absolutely loved it. Apparently I wasn't alone as many other viewers were so impressed that the History Channel made it into a full-fledged series. I have an intense love of military aircraft, and in particular anything having to do with WW2 air combat. In high school my friends had posters of their favorite bands hanging on the walls. I had posters of B-17's and Ju-87 Stukas. This, coupled with a sizable collection ... Read More Rating:  - Amazing DogfightsI really enjoyed this program when I saw it on the History Channel, and was very excited to be able to get it through Amazon. It's really great how they used first hand descriptions from the pilots that flew the planes and the missions, and re-enacted the dogfights with computer animation so that you could see what the pilots were describing. It also gave great detail about the planes and their strengths and weaknesses. The only downside was that even though the commercials were edited out, there was still ... Read More Rating: - Great shows - couple of technical quirksI agree with a previous reviewer that probably the strongest plus in the Dogfights series are the interviews with the pilots. WWII history is about to pass from the realm of "living history", as most of the heroes who fought that war are dead. These interviews help ensure that the stories will be there to enthrall the next generation - assuming that the school systems will allow the stories to be told (but that's another soapbox and not appropriate for this venue). I love the series; and have watched ... Read More Rating:  - "Dogfights" is worst warplane series, pure propaganda.I've collected historical and military documentaries for over 40 years and this is without a doubt the worst fake historical-documentary series that is in fact propaganda that I've seen in English. Worse, it is the ONLY series I've seen in ANY language that not only omits the 'Battle of Britain' and Spitfire, but shows such a one-sided, American/Israeli-biased series. If the RAF is mentioned it is to prove how great Americans & Israelis were in comparison to them. If there was fuel to the rising criticism of ... Read More |
