Hand selected, recommended Documentary Videos on World War II and U.S. History from Amazon's massive inventory. Chosen by The History Place and made available for instant purchase from Amazon.com!

World War II

Anne Frank Remembered - Oscar® winning 1995 film narrated by Kenneth Branagh exploring the short, tragic life of perhaps the most famous victim of the Nazi Holocaust. Features excerpts from Anne's diary read by actress Glenn Close, along with comments from those who knew and loved this young girl. Also reveals what happened to the family after their capture by the Gestapo. 117 minutes.

Architecture of Doom - An intimate look at Hitler and the Third Reich examining the aesthetics of Nazi architecture, art and culture, all of which resulted from the personal whims of the Fuehrer. Contains some rare footage. 119 minutes.

Hotel Terminus: The Life And Times Of Klaus Barbie - Oscar® winning film examining the life of Nazi SS Captain Klaus Barbie who earned the nickname "Butcher of Lyon" deporting thousands of Jews from France and conducting a murderous crackdown on French resistance. Among Barbie's crimes - ordering a raid on a Jewish children's home at Izieu during which 41 children aged 3-13 were arrested and sent to be gassed at Auschwitz. 267 minutes.

Mein Krieg (My Private War) - A recent German documentary showing color and B&W film footage taken by six German soldiers who were also amateur film makers. Includes present-day interviews interwoven with their original films. Scenes include Wehrmacht training and front line footage of the attack on Russia. In German with English subtitles. 90 minutes.

Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress - The year is 1943 and you're going along for a ride with the 10 man crew of this famous B-17 Flying Fortress on its 25th and final mission, flying from England to Germany to bomb the naval base at Wilhelmshaven. Directed by William Wyler, this film became one of the most widely distributed, morale boosting propaganda efforts of the war. In color. 43 minutes.

Night and Fog - Award winning short film directed by Alain Resnais about the Holocaust uses actual footage from inside Hitler's concentration camps. 33 minutes.

Occult History of the Third Reich - A unique four-part series examining the strange and mysterious origins of Nazi beliefs and rituals. Includes: The Enigma of the Swastika, SS: Blood and Soil, Himmler: The Mystic, and Adolf Hitler. 3 disk DVD box set. 155 minutes.

Order Castles of the Third Reich - A recently made video providing a detailed examination of the Teutonic-style architecture of the surviving buildings of Hitler's Ordensburgen, the elite schools built for Nazi students who were to become the Reich's future leaders. Also shows Himmler's SS castle and the SS training academy at Bad Tolz. 60 minutes.

Return to Iwo Jima - Forty years after the Battle of Iwo Jima, which lasted 36 days and cost 27,000 lives, a reunion was held on the South Pacific island at which American and Japanese ex-soldiers, who had not seen each other since the fighting, met and reflected on the past. 58 minutes.

Trial of Adolf Eichmann - When former SS Lt. Colonel Eichmann went on trial in Israel in 1961, the entire proceedings were videotaped. This is an unforgettable chronicle showing what happened as Holocaust survivors and Israeli prosecutors confronted the man responsible for coordinating the Final Solution throughout Europe. Contains recent interviews with the prosecutors and survivors along with extensive original video footage from the courtroom. 120 minutes.

Triumph of the Will - The remarkable German propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi rallies at Nuremberg directed by Leni Riefenstahl. One of the most important documentaries ever made, it chronicles a people enthralled with their new Fuehrer-god. It also displays the precision and religious-like pageantry of Nazi ceremonies and demonstrates Hitler's mastery over his people and his enormously effective speech making abilities. B&W in German with English subtitles. 120 minutes.

The Wannsee Conference - A dramatic re-enactment by German actors based on the events of January 20, 1942, when Reinhard Heydrich, Himmler's second in command of the SS, convened the Wannsee Conference in Berlin with 15 top Nazi bureaucrats to coordinate the Final Solution in which the Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe. Based on the actual minutes of the meeting and meticulously researched. In German with English subtitles. 85 minutes.

Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl - A recent German produced film in which a now elderly but still feisty Leni Riefenstahl discusses her early career, creating her masterpiece Triumph of the Will for Hitler, and her subsequent life spent living down that accomplishment and her past Nazi ties. 180 minutes.

World at War - The excellent British-made documentary series notable for the stirring narration by Sir Laurence Olivier, extensive use of Allied and Nazi film footage, and comments from participants such as Albert Speer, Doenitz and many others, who were still living when the series was originally produced. 30th Anniversary Edition box set (11 DVDs) includes the 26 original episodes plus over 12 hours of bonus material.

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U.S. History and People

Apollo 13: To the Edge and Back - The true story of NASA's race against time to bring home three astronauts stranded in space during an aborted mission to the moon. 87 minutes.

The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns - The great documentary series that became a national event in the U.S. when it first aired several years ago as millions watched and collectively relived this most tumultuous time in America's history. Much of the power is derived from the simple words of those now long gone, brought to life by actors who read from the diaries and letters of participants. Also features expert commentary by historian Shelby Foote, current views of battlefields, maps, and hundreds of important photographs. Box set of 5 DVDs 660 minutes.

Cold War: A CNN Production - This is the highly informative 24 part series exploring all aspects of the arms race between the US and USSR from the end of World War II, the Marshall Plan, building of the Berlin Wall, through the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War and more. Box set of 8 VHS Tapes 999 minutes.

Complete DVD History of US Wars - From 1700 through the present day, America has been involved in a seemingly unending series of conflicts. This nicely produced 8-part series provides a concise overview of America's storied military tradition, arranged in chronological order. Features informative narration, historical re-enactments, archive footage and DVD extras including downloadable historical overviews, maps and timelines. Recommended for students of American history and military buffs of all ages. You'll want to watch these DVDs again and again to learn more. Box set of 4 DVDs. 216 minutes.

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam - An intimate portrait of the Vietnam conflict from 1964 to 1973 told through soldiers' actual letters to loved ones back home, combined with filmed footage of the actual events and an effective rock music soundtrack. Letters are read by top actors including Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Martin Sheen and Robin Williams. 84 minutes.

The Great Depression - Hosted by Mario Cuomo, this four part series provides an in-depth look at America from 1929 until World War II. Examines daily life, politics, entertainment, and crime, showing how people survived and even thrived following the worldwide economic collapse of 1929. Box set of 4 VHS Tapes 200 minutes.

Irish In America: Long Journey Home - In the mid-1800s famine caused one of the biggest migrations in history as over a million Irish landed in the United States and forever changed the young nation. The Irish were the first big group of poor refugees stepping onto the shores of America. Famous and not so famous Irish-American descendants provide personal insights into the obstacles faced by their forebears, their day-to-day struggles and ultimate success. Box set of 4 VHS Tapes 360 minutes.

Liberty! The American Revolution - The best video available on this topic, this spectacular six-hour series combines dramatic readings from letters and diaries with fascinating live-action re-enactments at the actual locations. From the Boston Tea Party through final victory, you'll see how ordinary Americans came together, forged a new nation, and defeated Britain, the most powerful nation on earth. Box set of 3 VHS Tapes 360 minutes.

Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" Speech - One of the greatest speeches in history, delivered before 200,000 persons at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, is presented here in its entirety, along with scenes of the civil rights struggle in America throughout the 1960s. 60 minutes.

Medal of Honor - A tribute to America's greatest war heroes, the men who earned the highest honor during World War II. The selfless courage and superhuman feats of ordinary men - At Pearl Harbor, Navy officer John Finn drags a machine gun onto an open airfield and single-handedly takes on attacking Japanese Zeroes; Wounded and trapped on the bridge of the U.S.S. Growler, submarine Commander Howard Gilmore orders "take her down," thus giving up his own life to save his crew. Plus many more! 76 minutes.

New York - A thoroughly engrossing and entertaining documentary. Explores four centuries of turbulent growth and change, from Manhattan's beginnings as a Dutch settlement in the 1600s, to its current status as the center of the world's most influential city. The triumphs and tragedies of countless immigrants, the rise of skyscrapers, and the building of Central Park are just a few of the many topics explored in great detail. Highly recommended. Box set of 8 DVDs 600 minutes.

Roger & Me - Irreverent, controversial film by Michael Moore about the human impact of corporate downsizing in Flint, Michigan, after 30,000 auto workers lose their jobs in the 1980s. Moore relieves the sadness of all this with a somewhat comical pursuit of the man at the top of General Motors, at one point barging into corporate headquarters and asking for a meeting, with predictable, but still amusing results. 91 minutes.

The War Room - A close-up look at the inner workings of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign for president, focusing on his top strategists and their amazing ability to think fast on their feet and wage a successful uphill battle against incumbent President George Bush. A truly fascinating look at American politics. 96 minutes.

Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War - This highly informative twelve episode series was produced just a few years after the war ended and features comments from many of the chief participants spoken while the events were still quite fresh in their minds. Kennedy-Johnson advisors who either passed away or stopped giving interviews are seen in this series. That, combined with extensive original American and Vietnamese film footage and narration written by Pulitzer Prize winner Peter Arnett, sets this program apart from later Vietnam War documentaries. Box set of 6 VHS Tapes (in EP mode) 585 minutes.

See also: The History Place selection of
Hollywood's Best History Films
Films in a historical setting that move, inspire, inform and make great entertainment.

The History Place selection of
Books on Hitler's Germany
Complete Histories - Hitler - Holocaust - Gestapo/SS - Biographies - and more! .

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