Reviews for Oberon Reader

The average rating for Oberon Reader based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-09-04 00:00:00 Jeff Charles 3 stars for its qualities as a read, 5 stars for its bonkers take on World War One by a man who, though prone to exaggeration, was clearly remarkable. Taking lunatic risks to move his primitive movie cameras (one hand cranked, the other powered by compressed air) from one bloody part of a battlefield to another, or into the rear seat of an aeroplane, Malins is responsible for some of the most enduring war footage shot more than a century ago. The major contributor to the block busting 1916 documentary, The Battle of the Somme, in which he reconstructed some 'over the top' sequences that for decades have masqueraded as fact, he also captured masses of first hand actuality that truly reflects the brutality, mindless attrition and sudden slaughter of trench warfare. And all the while he cheerfully dodged shells and bullets and seemed to find the whole process of industrial warfare to be some kind of grand and glorious game. I used some of his material in this short film that imagined how the war might have looked if the men and women who fought and endured it had possessed 21st century technology.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-07-01 00:00:00 Kevyn Smith John Eisenhower wrote a very comprehensive look at the Bulge, and seeing as his dad was the Eisenhower with five stars on his uni, well, you can imagine he had access to some great details about the Allied side of the Battle. What you might not expect is how detailed his account is from the Nazi side of the fight. Surely you have an idea of how political Ike's job could be trying to keep the British, French and American generals on the same page and without unruffled feathers. Amazingly enough, part of Hitler's plan was to pressure the Allies and cause some internal strife, to the point of a total split. He thought the Americans would maybe re-align themselves with Germany or just take their ball and go home. I must admit, I totally dismissed that notion early in the book. However, Ike had some real trouble with the British press, Monty pressing his ideas and Churchill trying to politic for the Brits' ideas while still being supportive of Ike. . . when push came to shove. This is an excellent, and well-written book covering the straw that broke the Nazis' back. If it has a weakness, it may be that it is too detailed in parts.