FOYLE'S WAR: COMPLETE SAGA

Foyle's War Complete Saga 29 discs, CC seasons 1-6 WWII, subtitles seasons 7-8 post-war Great Britain. Interviews with writer Anthony Horowitz, Imperial War Museum historian Terry Charman, actors, production design, hair, costume. Mass Observation Project British government encouraged ordinary citizens to record their experiences from 1937 of ordinary life under international political siege.Food shortages led to rationing of meat to pets. Horse meat intended for dogs was sprayed electric green to indicate NOT for human consumption. But bright green steaks appeared in 5* restaurants. After the war rationing was even more severe than during the war. Britain was desperate to sell luxury goods (whisky) to the US to gain dollars to pay back the loans from the US used to fund the war effort. American hesitation to support Great Britain in its sacrifice to preserve freedom from encroachment from across the English channel as Germany consumed the European continent resulted in tremendous suffering in the United Kingdom at home.Everyday life was altered permanently for individuals on The Homefront. Wounds mental physical emotional social spiritual financial invisible were born by individuals of integrity courage and determination like Foyle, who tries repeatedly and desperately to join the war, but is forced to remain in his local job as a local policeman in a tiny town along the British coast. German spy "You investigate murder in a time of war?" Bonus Features interviews a real life Foyle, a coastal policeman who recorded his experiences throughout WWII.Pilot episode The German Woman competed with 300 other pilots to replace the Inspector Morse series on British TV. After 8 seasons Foyle's War actors mature, like naive truth telling enthusiastic curious 20 year old Samantha Wainwright "Sam" (Honeysuckle Weeks) a country vicar's daughter, volunteer in women's motor transport garage mechanic, to a married 33 year old who becomes PWP pregnant without permission.Foyle (Michael Kitchen) remains a moral core of integrity, dignity, self and other respect who wrestles with ethical dilemmas involving fair equitable justice for everyone, political pressure to ignore criminal behavior by the wealthy and politically connected, and his ability to look himself in the mirror each day while bearing the knowledge of lying deceit profiteering murder. Foyle asks: What would you do?War inventions like the Bouncing Bomb incorporate actual footage at the time of test trials of a back spin mechanism for bombs on water. Trial transcripts, media reports on radio (Churchill announcing the end of WWII), newspaper clippings from the archives of the Imperial War Museum are included thanks to historian curator Terry Charman who collaborated with writer Anthony Horowitz on each episode. Horowitz and Charman converse about specific details of each episode in Bonus Features included with each disc. Horowitz and Charman begin with a year, then Horowitz read 5-6 books relating to those years. Charmon collected archival bits from the Imperial War Museum along with anecdotes from the diaries of the Mass Observation Project for incorporation into each episode. Each episode is a remarkable tale of ordinary people under siege, wrapped around a murder mystery.Foyle's War recounts wounded soldiers treated with experimental social and surgical techniques by a pioneer in plastic surgery. It was discovered that badly burned pilots retrieved from the Atlantic recovered more quickly than those who were found burned on land. This led to the discovery that bathing wounds in salt water improved healing. The surgeon is profiled in Bonus Features, his use of laughter, music, and burning the military uniforms soldier patients were supposed to wear is highlighted: it is excruciating and embarrassing to try to button up clothes when your fingers have been burned off. Instead he allowed patients to wear their own clothes, sing and produce musical comedies for one another, laugh aloud at the expense of military high command, and grow healthy. The surviving patients formed a Guinea Pig brigade, to honor the surgeon, which continues to meet even today.Foyle's War the entire series is informative of the history of PTSD, AWOL behavior, the results of doing things one is not proud of, and nervous system collapse due to unremitting stress of being under fire, the sadness of war, disability, loss of job home family and coming home wondering: did we even win the war? when War Profiteers make money from the deaths and suffering of ordinary citizens.Foyle's War is engagingly portrays the British as they saw themselves at the time from their diaries, and records British perception of American arrogance, racial prejudice, infidelity, hunger, wealthy who hid from danger in Funk Holes, and Home Guard protectors who looted homes after bombing.And the genuine heroes who lost their lives hoping to protect loved ones from harm.Sets 1-2 are 13.5 hours not including Bonus Features, so for 29 discs plan on a long winter of viewing, learning and thoughtful engagement.5*

Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Anthony Howell, Anthony Horowitz and Jill Green ROCKS!For all you sissys out there SPOILER ALERT! Do not read this... *eye roll* So don't complain if you read too far and it hurts your feelings knowing something beforehand NEVERMIND that seeing it for yourself doesn't compare to anothers opinion or vague recollection. =P I loved in the first Episode how they were showing about the fraud in how they were able to make people disappear from the call up roles if you could pay. and then When Foyle chases one of the guys that could make that happen down Sam clocked him with a trashcan lid. I loved the way Kitchen portrayed that moment when he said: "Sam." "Yes sir?" "Thanks." Then kind of had a brief smile. But it just went to show that even in wartime if you had the money you could get away with damn near anything. Or like the Fiancee that was doing the stepmother when she came to his law firm to check out the estate papers. But when he realized the daughter was going to inherit he dumped the step mother and wooed the daughter, arranged for a little decapitation, besmirching someones character after their death and vehicular manslaughter along the way and he thought he could get away with it because he was ESSENTIAL to the war effort.In the fifty ships episode I get the impression that Foyle might have an illegitmate kid. Though to be honest I missed a chunk of this episode cause the DVD skips every single time I try to view it at the exact same spot and picks up like 3/4s through the episode. Theres no scratches on the disc so I'm at a loss and guess something happened when the disc was being made. All the other episodes and discs run smoothly just that one episode on the one disc messes up.I think My favorite episode though was the War Games. The one with the kids that were trying to help by collecting stuff. I thought it was funny when Sam came across them and one had been bit by the dogs and she said they needed to get him to a hospital. One of the kids said 'You think that's bad you should see what his dads going to do!' lolA war of Nerves was an awesome episode too that involved the E.O.D. guys if I'm remembering right. I loved the ending where the captain of the disposal squad says to the thugs that were war racketeers and profiteers "Aren'tcha gonna count it?" Yes the E.O.D. guys were wrong for taking the already ill gotten gains, stealing from thieves and thugs masking as business men, But wow the ending was literally explosive.Speaking of explosives... The last episode Elise. WOW Loved that episodes ending too. I totally did not see that coming... Sure I figured there was going to be someone winding up dead, but by a bullet and NOT the way it happened. Props to Anthony Horowitz for that one. =DThere were a few other episodes That I remember things in just not the names off hand. Like the one involving the confiscated turkey and Sam looking longingly at it behind the bars of the evidence room where finally at the end Foyle, with the magistrates permission, takes a picture of it then lets the turkey out of lock up and they take it to a local orphanage or shelter and Sam is invited to share it with them. Every time Sam mentions food or the lack there of I always hear in my head "DAMN rationing!" I also enjoyed the episode where, in Foyles forced absence, the temporary inspector sends her back to the MTC, she says to Andrew shes waiting for his father to come rescue her. But what she does to her CO's car at the end is hilarious.Overall an enjoyable series covering everything that can happen in wartime. From spies to treason to murder to profiteering... Its got it all. Though I kind of felt that Sam being with the 'B&B owner turned Politician' seemed a bit forced. But if shed have chosen the American she would have had to go to California. But as for local they never pursued the Sam-Tony thing. But she had more chemistry with Andrew than the politician guy (I forget his name at the moment.) but Andrew was a skirt-chaser-and-a-half and dumped Sam by mail, although he did claim to have been changed towards the end which would have been interesting to see played out. But from what I understand the brakes were put on that cause it would change the dynamic between her and Foyle in their eyes. Early on sure I can understand that, but not later as the series was ending IMO.Anyway just my 2-cents,~Cyn

I love Foyle's War series after viewing a few episodes on YouTube as recommended by my sister. Very happy to find the complete saga on DVD at a reasonable price used. I was born in England, and my parents both served during WWII there so this series hits home. I like the addition of the sports cards and related things added by the seller... very thoughtful. Product is in very good condition for "used" and I will treasure it. Thank you.

Loved the Series but wished it would have provided closed captions for all 8 Series.

The stories and picture quality are great, but disappointing for me due to lack of advertised subtitles. Amazon provided great service in replacing the original because it was thought to be faulty. However, the replacement also lacks subtitles indicating false claims by Acorn. Surprised because all my other Acorn products had subtitles.

Michael Kitchen is superb and the supporting cast is solid. Interesting stories placed against a backdrop of notable events and developments in WWII. The series starts just before the war and proceeds through to the end. Picture DVDs are nice and so far (not quite half way through) all work perfectly. A few special features are good but most are just short explanations for you to read on the screen! This is a DVD! Who thought that written special features were a good idea?! At least have one of the cast members read them out for us!! Anyway, 5 stars regardless.

Simply the best of British detective series ranking at the top with Morse and Lewis. The strengths of the series are its writing, its acting, its production and, most of all, its historical accuracy. Anthony Horowitz, the creator and principal writer, has done painstaking research to present murder mysteries within the context of historically accurate war conditions and events affecting and involving the civilian population. A particular treat for me in a couple of shows in the early war years were the flying sequences involving Spitfires. This series is not to be missed.

I like everything about Foyles War. Learning the history of what happened in Britain at that time was interesting. The stories well written, the actors did a great job bringing it to life. My Mum was a war bride so this brings everything close to home v

We just started watching this No Subtitles on these dvds my husbands hearing is deminising and he can't follow the stories I bought for his birthday and now it can't be returned as it's over a month.