Tuesday, July 01, 2008

"Ike: Countdown to D-Day" DVD *****


This is an excellent DVD of a made for TV movie about Eisenhower and the days leading up to the Normandy landings during World War II. The movie is more of "a drama" than a traditional "war movie." Tom Selleck is very good as Eisenhower the "Supreme Allied Commander" who planned the attack on Hitler's "Atlantic Wall" and made the final decision to launch the attack. This is not a biography of Ike but just covers the few months of his life leading up to the D-Day landings. Churchill, Patton, Montgomery and Bradly all have substantial parts in this movie. If you don't instantly recognize all of those names it is evidence that the record of those events and their contributions to our freedom is already fading from public memory.For a TV movie the production values are high with great costumes, cinematography and acting. They made the movie in New Zealand and the sets are perfect. Last summer I was in London and toured Churchill's Cabinet's war time bunkers and the locations for this movie really have that feel. You soon forget Thomas Magnum and buy Selleck as Ike.The Dvd is even in the wide screen version. The DVD has a commentary track with Selleck, the director and the writer and it is very informative and they had a good time getting back together and doing the commentary track for the DVD. Well done! 5 ***** on a 5***** scale.

(Click on the title for a link to the IMDB page for this movie)