51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Capra's coverage of the war...badly dated but entertaining!, February 10, 2005
This review is from: Why We Fight World War II - The Complete Series (DVD)
As a child I thought Frank Capra's highly acclaimed "Why We Fight" (made between 1942 and 1944) documentaries were outstanding and totally authentic. However, as I grew up and read many books about World War Two, I realized just how inaccurate these dated propaganda films are. Even so, I still find watching these documentaries very entertaining, and the amazing footage speaks for itself.
The first film in the series, 1942's "Prelude to War", recounts the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, and Germany's massive preperations for war in Eastern Europe. The footage of goose-stepping German and Italian troops in parades is haunting and unforgettable.
The second film, 1942's "The Nazis Strike", chronicles the Nazis' "peaceful" conquests of the Rhineland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and the invasion and conquest of Poland. It's obvious from the narration that the filmmakers relied on the German reports to recount the brutal campaign for Poland. For example, the narrator claims that the Polish Air Force was wiped out on the ground by the Luftwaffe. The fact is that the only planes destroyed on the ground were for training, and the Polish fighter planes had been well-hidden prior to the German attack. No mention is made at all of the brave counterattacks made by the Polish ground forces, or of the fact that Russia betrayed Poland while the Allies did nothing to help Poland.
The third film, 1943's "Divide and Conquer", focuses on Hitler's "blitzkrieg" which resulted in the capture of Denmark, Holland, Norway, Belgium, and France. This is one of the very best in the "Why We Fight" series, and the music by famed composer Dmitri Tiomkin adds a lot.
The fourth film, 1943's "The Battle of Britain", recounts the amazing courage of the people of Britain, who endured the merciless bombing from Hitler's Luftwaffe and still refused to surrender. The ariel combat footage is awesome!
The fifth film, 1944's "The Battle of Russia", is a very mixed bag. The combat footage of Barbarossa is very impressive, but the false image of Russia's society and military along with the corny narration makes this hard to sit through at times.
The sixth film, 1944's "The Battle of China", has some of the best combat footage in the whole series, much of it being captured from the Japanese. From the brutal slaughter in Nanking to the creation of the Burma Road, this is one of the most important campaigns of World War Two. I especially enjoyed the content on Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers. However, this documentary, like the one on Russia, is not an accurate depiction of the country it portrays, but remember this series is better viewed as propaganda, not history.
The seventh film, 1944's "War Comes to America", is a corny depiction of how and why the United States entered World War Two. Personally, I think this is one of the weakest in the series, but it's at least watchable.
Well, there you have it. Although there are many documentaries that are far more accurate and exciting, the "Why We Fight" documentaries are still very important, both for studying propaganda of World War Two as well as experiencing a different side of the multi-talented Frank Capra.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting, January 20, 2003
This review is from: Why We Fight World War II - The Complete Series (DVD)
This four disc set from Frank Capra and the US Armed Forces is an interesting piece of documentary film. The seven films are loaded with historical information as well as propaganda. Some of the things said here, Amazon.com would never let me repeat. But it is a piece of our history--of the war, or our military, of world politics, and of the propoganda machine. It's worth watching, especially with the information we have now. Disc one contains 'Prelude to War' (which covers the initial aggressive acts of Italy, Japan, and the Nazis) and 'The Nazis Strike' (covers the Nazis early conquests); disc two contains 'Divide and Conquer' (mostly the fall of France) and 'The Battle of Britain' (covers the attacks made on England); disc three contains 'The Battle of Russia' (the longest of the seven films, this one runs almost an hour and a half and covers the invasion of Russia and the Nazis retreat--lots of unintentional irony here); and disc four contains 'The Battle of China' (covers the Japanese invasion of China) and 'War Comes to America' (the final documentary just sorts of rehashes the other films and then pumps us up as to why we fought the war and makes excuses for not going into it earlier).
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IS, PLEASE, July 23, 2005
This review is from: Why We Fight World War II - The Complete Series (DVD)
Please, this is nothing but 5 star material, it one of the most highly regarded films (set of films) made of this genre (motivational, propaganda); it was a brilliant move by the US government and Army Signal Corps to utilize the incredible Oscar winning talents of Frank Capra . It REALLY puts you in the place of the free world being threatened by three dictatorships and why the US needed to stay motivated to the bitter end of the war. Don't listen to the other reviews that are less than 5 stars, Capra was surprisingly accurate in the facts and timelines (his emphasis) he put in the movies; do what I tell you in the following paragraph and you will see. It is fascinating to see what the US did to motivate the public and fighting men during that era.
OK, let me say something that I have not heard and you might find even more useful. I recommend the "Why We Fight" and then compare notes to the BBC/Thames TV "World At War" series. VERY interesting and you see why Capra was so highly regarded as a filmmaker, he had it NAILED down and my parents VERY much remember those films as teens during the war (they felt motivated to defend the US when seeing these). Ah, now take "Triumph of the Will" and see how Leni Reifenstall used her skills to motivate the German people, amazingly skillful and eerie. Folks, there is some education going on there and if you have kids get them to watch the three together and talk to them about people, war, and why we all need to get along in the world.
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