The World at War: Your Ultimate World War II Documentary Series

World War II drew to a close more than 60 years ago, and the war’s aftermath continues to reverberate across the globe even today. The conflict, which claimed more than 50 million lives, altered the course of human history in ways that are still not fully understood.

By the 1970s a movement was afoot to present the events of World War II to a large television audience. In the UK this movement culminated in a televised documentary series called The World at War.

Production on the The World at War was done by Thames Television and began in 1971. Initially the producers of the series poured over thousands of hours of film footage and sought out interviews with eyewitnesses. The goal of the series was to capture the causes of the war and the social, military, and political events that transpired during the hostilities.

The greatest emphasis in this series is to present all the most significant events in a televised format, but present those events from the perspective of first-hand eyewitnesses. A special effort was made to capture the viewpoints not of the top generals or politicians, but of the everyday civilian, the Army Private, the concentration camp survivor, or the people who worked closely with the leading figures in the war.

I’m always amazed to hear how everyday people coped with the events occurring all around them. For example, one German woman noted how her child unwittingly told others about how she listened to the radio with her ear up very close to the speaker. She was listening to a foreign broadcast, which was a crime and could have earned her a one-way trip to a concentration camp.

The series is divided into twenty-six separate episodes that are just under 1 hour in length. Each episode focuses on a particular aspect of the war. I will not list the name of each episode here, but the following is a brief description of some of the most interesting episodes:

Select Episodes
A New Germany (1933-1939) - The Nazi Party and Hitler’s rise to power.

France Falls (1940) – Blitzkrieg and the rapid conquest of Western Europe.

Barbarossa (1941) – Germany turns on Russia and seizes control of Eastern Europe.

Wolf Pack – U Boats in the Atlantic (1939-1944) – Germany’s naval warfare tactics.

Banzai! (1931-1942) – Japan and her campaign of conquest.

It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow: Burma (1942-1944) – The China-Burma-India Front.

Genocide (1941-1945) – The Death Camps in Nazi Germany

Pacific (1941-1945) – Naval Warfare in the Pacific between the US and Japan

The Bomb (1945) – The development and use of the atomic bomb.

The film clips presented in each episode are actual footage gathered during the war. According to the series’ producers, great care was taken to weed out propaganda, expect in cases where a propaganda piece is specifically noted to the viewer. The quality of the film varies widely and is mostly black and white until 1944, when more color film was used (especially by US media).

I think the film footage is amazing to see. The most well known events of World War II are all shown, such as: Pearl Harbor, D-Day at Normandy, Hitler’s parade through Berlin, the Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, and Iwo Jima. I am always amazed at the bravery displayed by the Allied Forces in these films. Some scenes are quite graphic and chilling too, especially the photos from the concentration camps in Germany and the Japanese labor camps in southeastern Asia.

The film clips are interspersed with interviews, still photos, and occasionally maps or charts. Any sound or narration on the original film was stripped away and replaced with well-done sound affects, such as guns firing, tanks clanking, or airplanes buzzing through the air.

Narration of this series, done by Laurence Olivier, is exceptional. His clear and commanding (but not overbearing) voice is well suited for describing the various military or political events occurring on the film. He presents an amazing command of the English language, and has the ability to color a phrase to indicate doubt or sarcasm with just a subtle voice inflection. Surprisingly, Olivier himself is never shown – only his voice is heard.

I’ve learned a great deal about World War II by watching The World at War. The series is one of the best I have ever seen and should stand the test of time indefinitely. However, the series does have some shortcomings. From the perspective of an American I think the Pacific War is not sufficiently covered. Also, some episodes dwell extensively of British politics and there is little naval warfare coverage.

I purchased the entire series on DVD for a cost of $109. While that may sound really expensive, the series itself runs nearly 26 hours. My set also included some bonus documentaries, film clips omitted from production, and a Making of The World at War episode, which provided some of the background information I used in this review.

Despite any shortcomings I think there are actually a few episodes that should probably be required viewing! I highly recommend The World at War for anyone with an interest in World War II. Some of the viewing will be unpleasant and uncomfortable, or perhaps even boring in places. But overall this is an excellent series and worth the time and money needed to see it.

Other review that may interest you:

Submarines of World War II
http://www.epinions.com/content_213304053380

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