Customer Reviews

The Guns of August [VHS]

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The Guns of August takes its title, its pace and its studious approach to the events of the First World War from Barbara Tuchman's extraordinary book. The film cannot provide the detail or the masterful objectivity of the book, and wisely makes no attempt to be a visual clone.

Although both start well before the beginning of hostilities, the printed version draws to a close at the end of August 1914, whereas the movie takes us through to the cessasation of the fighting.

A great deal of archival film is included in this ambitious production, adding to the authenticity and the odd sense of disbelief one gains as the incredible series of miscalculations leading to war unfold before the viewer's eyes.

The Guns of August is presented in a straight-forward documentary style, making no effort to embellish the accounts included or to make itself entertaining. It is a thoughtful, often morose recounting of the tragic events that consumed an entire generation of Europe's fighting men and untold numbers of innocent civilians unable to avoid its terrible path. It leaves the viewer unable to believe that such horrors could be loosed on the world again, yet knowing that they were a scant two decades later.

For any student of military or political science, this is a film not to be missed. The awful depiction of the results of failed diplomacy is a lesson not to be dismissed, lest it must be relearned yet again.

Anyone who thinks that the horror of nuclear war makes it impossible should read "The Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchman. Immediately after the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by Serbian agents, it appeared to be a crisis, but not a severe one. Then suddenly, it all spiraled out of control into a conflagration that engulfed the world, which is now known as World War I. Monarchs signed decrees that led to their dethronement and in one case, their death and the entire order of Europe was destroyed. The leaders were pushed to a point where they felt their only option was to have their nations fight to the death. This tape is based on that book and on the whole, gives a reasonably accurate portrayal of the events of that time.
One omission is a brief rehash of the Franco-Prussian war, the subsequent German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine and the French desire for revenge. This was the strongest force among the French that pushed them towards the war. The narrative is also somewhat biased against the central powers, in that the footage is almost exclusively from the allied side. The critical involvement of Turkey on the side of the central powers is also ignored. If Turkey had at minimum stayed neutral instead of entering the war on the side of the central powers, it is most likely that the war would have ended in 1917. Had she entered the war on the side of the allies, it may have ended even earlier. Of all the countries who was heavily engaged, she was the one who most easily could have stayed out.
Diplomacy and statecraft will never be exact sciences, so nothing is ever certain. If you read the book or see this tape, you will learn how true that is. Our only hope to do better next time is to understand the mistakes of the last times. This tape is a reasonably accurate portrayal of how what should have been a minor event can escalate to a disaster due to inept leadership, a lesson that should be re-learned on a regular basis.

I watched this just after reading Barbara Tuchman's book of the same name. This is not a movie production of her work, but rather a good visual tool in the form of a documentary. It contains a treasure trove of WWI film, most of it of excellent quality. I enjoyed seeing the characters I had only imagined from the book come to life. For me, the combination of the book plus the movie made for a more satisfying experience.

Although the length of the documentary cannot do justice to the book by Tuchman, it is probably the most thorough WWI movie ever made. If you want to know why the world is the way it is today, watch this film. It will show you how the conflicts of this century came about. Remember, the war that began in 1914 led us to the war in 1939, which in turn led us to the Cold War that last until the 1990's - and, in my opinion, is still going on.

For those of you who are enjoying the book Paris, 1919, this is the pictoral history that lead up to that time. It graphically answers the questions what prompted the starting of the war,, why,, how did it become probably the most horrible war for the average fighting soldier in the history of mankind. You will see what they had to endure for four years, poison gas, massive artillery bombardments, flamethowers, machine guns, barb wire, and battles that now counted death in the millions. They called World War I the great meat grinder, because of the way machines mangled and pulverized the soldiers fighting it. This video is probably the best anti-war film make, simply for the honesty of showing the butality of war at its absolute worst.

"The critical involvement of Turkey on the side of the central powers is also ignored. If Turkey had at minimum stayed neutral instead of entering the war on the side of the central powers, it is most likely that the war would have ended in 1917. Had she entered the war on the side of the allies, it may have ended even earlier. Of all the countries who was heavily engaged, she was the one who most easily could have stayed out."

Brazilian and Turkish battleships 1914

In 1910 Brazil decided on a design of a Battleship to supplement the Minas Gerias class battleships, the design chosen (Rio de Janeiro) was armed with 14, 12inch guns. The Brazilian Naval minister decided on the 12" gun design because the German Navy still considered this caliber adequate for battleships. Construction started in 1911, but by 1913 the Brazilian Navy came to regret the decision in light of the trend to larger calibers. Brazil offered the ship for sale and Turkey agreed to buy it.

The Armstrong Co then undertook a new design for the Brazilian battleship. Four designs were prepared for "Riachuelo" but no decision was reached before WWI broke out to end any possibility of construction.

Riachuelo class Battleship
Four designs were considered for the next battleship project. They ranged from 31,500 tons normal to 36,000 tons normal and had main batteries of 12, 14"/45, 10, 15"/45, 10, 16"/45, and 12, 15"/45. The ship was cancelled due to cost and lack of need.

Riachuelo Would have been built by Armstrong, Elswick.

Design A: 31,500 tons, 208.8 meters long, 29.2 meters beam; 12, 35.6cm (14") guns, layout similar to Fuso & Yamashiro, 12" armor belt, 23 knots.

Design B: 32,500 tons, 210 meters in length, 29.2 meters beam; ten 38.1cm (15") guns layout similar to British Iron Duke class, 24 knots, 13" armor belt.

Design C: 36,000 tons; 225 meters in length, 29.9 meters beam; ten 40.6cm (16") guns.

Design D: 36,000 tons; 225 meters in length, 29.9 meters beam; 12 38.1cm (15") guns.

Rio de Janeiro was renamed Sultan Osman I and completed in July 1914, the Turkish crew arrived on 27 July and planned to leave for Turkey on 3 Aug 1914. She was occupied and confiscated by the United Kingdom 2 Aug 1914 and commissioned into the Royal Navy as Agincourt.

Erin
In 1909 Turkey started negotiations in England for the construction of two battleships to be laid down in 1910. The design was very similar to the current British battleships and armed with the same 13.5" guns. Built by Vickers, Barrow and named Reshadije, she had 10 13.5" guns and was laid out similar to the Iron Duke class of British battleships but with a smaller superstructure and of shorter length. She was confiscated by the United Kingdom shortly before delivery in August 1914, and after completion was commissioned in the Royal Navy as Erin.

Reshad i Hamiss
A second ship was laid down for Turkey in 1910 by the Armstrong Co. and named Reshad i Hamiss. Work was suspended during the Balkan war and was never resumed. The order was canceled and material dismantled.

Fatikh
A third ship was to have been built in a Turkish shipyard with British assistance. Plans were abandoned after the outbreak of the war.

Britain's confiscation of the Turkish battleships was a major factor in bringing Turkey into the war on the side of the Central Powers.

At the exact same time the German battlecruiser (actually more akin to a fast battleship) Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau had just entered the Med prior to the outbreak of war. The two ships fled to the Bosporus Straits, where the Turks, in response to the British seizure of their battleships, allowed the two ships to enter the Black Sea, lower the German ensigns and run up the Turkish flag.

The Guns of August is a must see for anyone who has ever shown an interest in the sutdy of the Great War. Told entirely through the use of film from that era, Guns takes the viewer from pre-war days, including the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophia, to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Even those who have little interest in this type of movie will find this film throughly riveting. It has all the makings of a big screen blockbuster complete with an all-star cast; however, the plot, characters, horrors of war, and its tragic effect on the people of Europe are all very real. The most powerful documentary I have ever seen.

This is an excellent tape following the book of the same name. It uses actual film of the events that led to WW1 reccommend anyone who has 1 hour 40 mins to spare to watch it.

The Guns of August is a boring documentary of WW1. It is educational if you want to learn about WW1 but the movie seems to be biased about Britain and Germany. In this movie, Germany is portrayed as the "bad guy" as while the British are the "good guys". The movie includes actual footage from the trenches, which I found amazing, but The Guns of August is slow paced. I recommend it only if you want to put your grandmother asleep or are not easily bored.

The Guns of August is an absolutely boring documentary. It is very slow paced with no excitement, even though the subject is war. Actual footage from the trenches is used it's the only good part in the film. The narrator's piece has no emotion. I don't recommed this movie because it is boring and flat.