A look at the world wars in unison
We usually hear about the previous century's two worldwide conflagrations as separate events. But what if we studied World War I and World War II in continuity with each other as part of one historical wave - a wave that saw the death of more than 88 million people.
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We usually hear about the previous century's two worldwide conflagrations as separate events.
But what if we studied World War I and World War II in continuity with each other as part of one historical wave - a wave that saw the death of more than 88 million people.
This is the approach taken by the makers of History channel's World Wars, a unique 270-minute documentary mini-series that looks at the three decades between 1914 and 1945 in unison.
After all, as historians have argued, Adolf Hitler's worldview was deeply shaped by Germany's defeat in WWI and the humiliating armistice it was forced to sign.
Divided into three 90-minute installments, World Wars approaches the story from a unique angle, by focusing on a handful of key figures from each of the countries involved, including Hitler, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Benito Mussolini and Winston Churchill.
World Wars is not always the most thorough study and serious history buffs with previous knowledge may be disappointed, but it's a terrific way for beginners to learn about the wider issues that ignited the wars and the men who lead the fight.
(www.lionsgateshop.com; $26.98 DVD; $29.99 Blu-ray; not rated)
ABC TV on disc
Don't let the fall season open before you've caught up on all last year's shows on disc. Here are a few dramas from ABC. (Unless noted each release is on DVD and has a suggested retail price of $45.99. Information on all titles: www.cafepress.com/abc_media; all titles are unrated)
Scandal: Season 3. Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn return for another season of intrigue, conspiracies, murder, mayhem and forbidden love in the third installment from this strange thriller-slash-soap opera about life in Washington's corridors of power. It's due Tuesday.
Nashville: Season 2. If you thought Washington was strange, get a hold of this town, home to the country music industry. Connie Britton plays an aging crooner and Hayden Panettiere her baby-faced nemesis in this crazy quilt of music, politics and intrigue. It's due Tuesday.
Castle: Season 6. Most TV shows don't dare allow the unspoken attraction and sexual tension between their two lead characters ever to be expressed. Nathan Fillion's novelist Castle and cop Becket (Stana Katic) are the exception: They begin the sixth season of their New York procedural by getting engaged. Then they solve a lot of murders together. And then?
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1. I still don't quite understand what this supersecret government agency and its officers are supposed to do. What is its mission? To suppress the truth about superheroes or to help them? Regardless, what is clear is that the agents do it with a lot of style. ($45.99 DVD; $79.99 Blu-ray)
Grey's Anatomy: Season 10. Grey Sloan Memorial and its doctors and nurses live, love, eat, sleep, make love and drink coffee for another season. Stars Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey still look awfully pretty. One sad note: Sandra Oh's Dr. Cristina Yang left the show in Season 10.