TVSquad

I've always had a bizarre fascination with the politics of war, So I was a bit embarrassed when reading about HBO's Into the Storm, premiering this Sunday at 8 pm Eastern, to find that it was a sequel to a 2002 HBO film. I tracked down The Gathering Storm and started watching it yesterday and was blown away by how perfectly Albert Finney captured Winston Churchill. I love Vanessa Redgrave as his oh so patient wife. It's just a fantastic film looking at the state of England and Churchill leading into World War II.

Now I'm ready for this long-delayed continuation, as we see Churchill from the heights of power during WWII to his waning years. But I'm not sure how difficult a transition it's going to be with these key roles recast. It's no knock against Brendan Gleeson (Winston Churchill) or Janet McTeer (Clemmie Churchill). I've just so fallen in love with Finney and Redgrave in those roles, I worry that I'll be comparing their performances rather than enjoying the film.

The cable network History -- formerly known as the History Channel (it'll always be the History Channel to me) -- has a couple of projects in the works, one of which will likely fuel both sides of the political debate as election time nears.

"102 Minutes That Changed the World" is a piece on 9/11, culling footage from pros and amateurs, including two terrified New York University seniors in a high-rise dorm just blocks from the World Trade Center. They started shooting the smoking North Tower after it was hit by the first plane, then captured the second plane hitting the South Tower.

The 102-minute piece will premiere without commercials at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11. Done in "real time" format, it'll feature footage from more than 100 sources, pieced together in chronological order, without narration, to provide what History is calling a "seamless historical record of that day."

"Gee whiz, that crazy nut just shot at me! I'd like to give that silly so-and-so a bop on the noggin, by golly!"

Yeah, I just can't imagine a World War II veteran talking about his experiences and not using a few expletives, and there are more than a few curse words bandied about in Ken Burns' seven-part documentary The War. The swearing comes not only from the soldiers themselves who use phrases like "holy s**t" and "***hole," but from the narrator, who explains what the military acronyms "FUBAR" and "SNAFU" stand for (if you don't know, Google it).

Like everyone else, I'm looking forward to the end of summer reruns, and for the new fall season to kick off over the next several weeks. In addition to returning shows and new offerings from the networks and studios, I'm also quite interested in Ken Burns' new documentary for PBS, The War, which debuts on September 23 at 8:00 p.m. and is scheduled to air in seven parts. Check your listings for airtimes in your area.

I've been drawn to the idea of a lengthy documentary about World War II partially for the historical aspect, but moreso because of the human aspect. Growing up, my exposure to that era was through films featuring rugged heroes and clean, bloodless battles. Combine this with the solipsism inherent in all young people, and the result is a skewed --if not completely false-- perspective on what it was really like to be alive during that era, not only for the soldiers on the battlefields overseas, but also for the people back home.

Ken Burns' upcoming PBS documentary about World War II has angered some veterans and leaders in the Latino community.

The protest was sparked by Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, who runs an oral history project about Latino veterans for the University of Texas.

Burns points out that not every story could be told in The War, his 14-hour documentary slated to air on PBS this September, but the documentary contains no interviews with Latino soldiers whatsoever. Unfortunately, going back and splicing in stories from Latino veterans is easier said than done, and satisfying Rivas-Rodriguez's desire to have at least an additional two hours dedicated to Latino veterans is a rather tall order, considering the documentary focuses on four specific communities and Latino veterans from each of those communities would have to be found and their stories spliced in to fit the overall narrative.

One of the many stories left out of our history books about World War Two is the heroics of the 761st Tank Battalion, a group of black soldiers that history forgot. But not the History Channel. This month, presumably in honor of Black History Month, the History Channel is airing Honor Deferred. Narrated by Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson, the documentary pairs historical photos and video archives with interviews of the black men who served in the 761st. The men spent 183 consecutive days in combat, fighting Nazi Germany and its allies. It comes highly recommended by reviewers as an important piece of American history.