The Winds of War

POWERFUL! POWERFUL! POWERFUL! Herman Wouk's novel is nearly as good adapted to the screen as it was a novel. The mini series was perfectly cast and superbly acted. I'd forgotten how beautiful Polly Bergen and Ali McGraw are in this film! Robert Mitchum's performance is absolutely flawless. I recall seeing this several years ago and I loved it then. I love it even more on DVD! I am now trying to find the sequel, War and Remembrance. If I recall, it is every bit as good! Back to this one, however. Ali McGraw does a fantastic job as a jewish woman trapped in a Europe dominated by the jew-hating Nazis. She is trapped because of the trepidation of her uncle, who hates to leave his beloved Italy. As a consequence, she ends up stuck as well. There are many complications, not the least of which is that she is married to an American Naval Officer, Byron Henry, superbly played by Jan Michael-Vincent. This is a long one (>15 hours!) but is well worth the time it takes to watch it.