Customer Reviews

Killing Fields: The First World War [VHS]

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This was the first video about the First World War that I have bought. After having read numerous books on the subject, I was looking for a source of moving images of that time. Moving faces of the men who fought, and led the war effort, and of course, actual footage of conflict.

It is nearly impossible to properly describe and show all aspects of this conflict in only 60 minutes. Therefore, it would be unwise to purchase this video if you seek a new understanding of the war; it's causes and effects.

Having written that, the video is useful for the varied film archives that are shown, as well as the interviews with surviving soldiers.

This video is actually part of a 26 hour PBS series entitled, "The People's Century", going a long way towards explaining its general coverage of the war.

As a history professor I am always looking for a way to both educate and entertain my students, and this video fits the bill.
This is a powerful documentary. Its strength is in its depiction of the dehumanization of soldiers during World War One and the futility of this war. Some of my students have been moved to tears and most have recorded (in their journals)a new-found respect for war veterans. I highly recommend this. (A great companion documentary is The Great War.)