Posts
The reason I'm reviewing this series is because BBC never showed it in the US and it has only been released on video cassette and than DVD in the UK on PAL format.After writing BBC American I was informed there were no plans to release it here or in the near future.
You can get it on Amazon UK for about 150 US but in PAL format than buy a multi region DVD player for 50 or so.When your my age thats what you do since "no plans in the near future"means after I die !!!So maybe if everyone writes the BBC………
WW 1 is the forgotten war as we relive and honor the dying " greatest generation"and I guess thats as it should be.However the seeds of WW 11 were sown by this war and even the acclaimed "World at war"was inspired by this series of 1964 made by BBC in the UK.Like many TV shows its now gone and worse it was NEVER released in the US.I had never heard of the series till I saw a series called "the first world war"on the military cable channel and wanted MORE.Looking up the series I learned of this earlier BBC series that is acknowledged as the best ever made on the subject.In fact the producers of "World at War"admit to being inspired by it and even made their series 26 episodes as this series is.However there are differences in the way the producers did that series and this review is ONLY on "The Great War"as I'm sure more than enough is known about "World at War"in its own right a fabulous series.
This series tries to keep a orderly flow of events and battle timelines.
In 1964 there were still veterans left from the war and this series used film and photos and even theatrical film to fill in the blanks with dialogue from these veterans to give a first hand idea of what life was like in the trenches.Even though the war ended but 22 years earlier than the second world war,it seemed to be more like the US civil was or the Napoleon wars.That is great "static"infantry battles on steroids because on the new inventions of the Tank and airplanes and poison gases as well as super artillery with ranges up to 75 miles.The second world war was more bombing as fast moving blitzkrieg infantry tactics.The war lasted from 1914 to 1918 with the US entering in 1917.Although it was fought all over the world,Africa and the middle east and both oceans,for the most part in was a eastern and western front as was WW11.In this case,the western front was the main area of battle,France for the most part as well as Italy and Belgium.Believe it or not,Germany was never invaded !!!!
From 1914 to 1918 both sides just killed each other from basically the same point as the end of 1914's trenches were formed from the north sea to Switzerland.There were estimates of only 1/3 the losses of the second world war,but civil losses in WW11 were more than military,not the case in WW1.Far more soldiers were killed than civilians although it was total war for the first time.England was bombed but only had a little over 1000 civilians die in the whole war,that was a night during the "Blitz"in the second war.
The series tries to put everything in context but at the end it still these 2 tough guys fighting over nothing !!!The cost of soldiers on both side was staggering and for what,the right to do it all over again 22 years later ??Russia becomes communist,Germany and Italy,fascist,Japan,militaristic,all a result of this war.At least the second war had a cause if only that could be said of the first.Oh wait,it can,the cause was to set up the next one 22 years later.It's also worth watching to see a very different France from war to war.
If you want to brush up on world events and the history behind them,this is a MUST watch.To bad its not that easy to watch on many levels including the least of witch is availability.
The Palestine issue grew from that war,womens suffrage and labor issues to get woman BACK in the kitchen in the UK after the war.Rosie the riveter's MOM was a WW1 worker. The trailer URL following the pix is a segment from episode 21.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_69PTVIvYJI
No comments:
Post a Comment