1914-1918: Total War [VHS] [1996]

This is a two-tape set, and is the first half of a two-set series of tapes on World War I. (The second half is called 1914-1918 The Crucible).

Together, they are an excellent review of World War I -- its origins, the soldiers who fought it, the big battles and strategies, the impact on society, and the aftermath. It uses classic film footage, archive photos, and expert commentary to weave together the complex story of the war.

This first half, naturally, explores the origins of war and traces the war through the first couple of years of warfare, when the combatants slowly came to realize they were locked in a tragic stalemate that was devastating to all concerned.

This is big, lavish and authoritative; a great introduction to this vital bit of history.

This is a two-tape box set, and is the second half of a series done in 1997 for the BBC and KCET in America. It's a great introduction into the history of World War I. [The other half is called 1914-1918, Total War.]

The series uses historical films, photos, and music to paint the picture of WWI. This part of the series begins in 1917, and traces the last two years of the war, including the first glimmers of protest against the war in Britain; the mutiny of the French army; the revolution in Russia; and the total exhaustion of all the European armies before America entereed the war. The final tape discusses the aftermath of the war, including the silliness of Woodrow Wilson trying to impose his principles at Versailles with no real sense of what he was doing.

Finally, it includes extensive footage from a French (silent) anti-war film that was produced in the 1920's. If you ever thought that war protests were just invented in the 1960's, learning about this French film alone is worth the price of this tape set.

Where this programme came from is anyone's guess ----- a fusion of BBC Education and the History Channel perhaps ----- but it is accidentally the best series made about the First World War. Combining modern day video production and heart breaking archive from the conflagration, Judi Dench narrates this classic work of conflict and personal loss which ran through our grand-parents lives. This is no chronological run through of events and battles though --- for the first time the devastating losses and contributions of women in the war is assiduously chronicled and at last properly documented. Because my own elderly relations fought and thankfully survived this horrific conflict I find it impossible not to be moved, knowing how kindly and optimistic their generation was. It was a reality that their gentleness and idealism was permanently destroyed by the horrors they witnessed. Focussing on the human cost, time has distanced us from the complex military issues which have dogged discussion of the War for so long. Eventually there is some consensus that the technology evolved a long term war of attrition, where only the strongest survived. There is no heart rending debate about tactics or if the British Generals were 'butchers' or if thousands of lives were needlessly thrown away. Instead we see the war from the perspective of those who fought and supported the troops. As this was a world struggle we learn about the equality of suffering in all nations involved, and not before time commemoration of the hugely brave struggle of the French on whose soil the vital battles took place. This is something of a compendium about the Great War ---- it doesn't get bogged down in detail or facts but does give a strong sense of what it was like to be involved in the conflict. The modern footage of battle sites and homes of the combattants is presented with all the slickness and production values eliciting the heart breaking intrusion of violence and loss on simple lives, yet the editorial pulls no punches in blaming German expansionism for the war and by inference crediting the British for stopping it.....for a while anyway. This is a stunning and lovingly crafted memorial to an innocent generation who fought for their separate ideals. Sadly it signalled the end of the British Empire and twenty years later the demise of Germany itself. This video evocatively details a destructive four year struggle which only postponed the resoloution of competing Euro-powers, it documents the dashed hopes of people like my Grandfather who thought their physical sacrifice would end bullying for good. For the first time this is a fitting testament to the super-human bravery of those who tried to fight facism and failed. It also chronicles the death of our own country, pushed into terminal decline after 1919 and a disasterous showing in World War II only saved by America from invasion and total capitulation. The Great War was one we won....on paper, but it's cost was the end of our status as a superpower, and the question must be asked as to who really was victorious in the conflict?