The Great War (1964) User Reviews

The Title Sequence Alone Says More About War Than A Thousand Feature Films

[Theo Robertson · 10/10 · 24 August 2004]

The title sequence of THE GREAT WAR opens with an allied soldier leaning over a cross . The camera quickly pans down a pile of dead bodies then slowly pans left onto a British Tommy , the horrors of war plain to see in his eyes , and all the while doom laden music music plays in the foreground. It`s impossible through words to describe how effective this is , it`s shocking , disturbing and heart wrenching and if this is the title sequence just think how brutal the rest of the documentary is ?

I first saw THE GREAT WAR in 1974 when it was broadcast on Sunday afternoons but for some reason the BBC decided not to broadcast it again until 2003 almost 30 years later . Everyone talks about how great THE WORLD AT WAR ( Which often turns up on British network TV every few years ) is as a documentary but I can`t help thinking this is actually the greatest documentary involving war . Perhaps its greatest strength is that it shows the effect of the conflict throughout the entire world . There is a tendancy for British and Commonwealth historians ( Most notably John Laffin ) to lapse into accusations of incompetence on the part of the British military leaders or even into self sorrow as to the needless slaughter of young British men but as THE GREAT WAR shows this needless slaughter isn`t unique to Douglas Haig . Britain lost 800,000 servicemen while the French lost 1,200,000 while the Germans lost even more while the Russians lost 2,000,000 dead . Would anyone consider the German offensive at Verdun in 1916 as a success for Germany? So the strategic disasters by the British at the Somme and Ypres were in no way unique and the documentary does point out that proportionaly the British suffered higher casualties during the March 1918 offensive by the Germans than they had on the first day of the Somme

If there`s a problem with the documentary then it`s maybe just too informative , it`s impossible to take in all the facts and figures at first showing . Thank gawd for the video recorder where you can tape each episode and slowly assimilate the information ( And the horror ) on screen . There are one or two other flaws like as has been mentioned clips being shown out of context with someone mentioning the day American troops arrived in Britain but instead of American Doughboys on screen it`s clearly British Tommies , but this would be unforgivably pedantic if I described it as a criticism since this is probably the greatest documentary made about any war

I`m afraid I must finish this review with a criticism of the BBC: Their scheduling of this masterwork on BBC 2 was disgraceful with breaks in transmission lasting several weeks whenever it clashed with its sports coverage . Something this superb should have been shown at peak time on BBC 1 at the same time every week

Shrewd, Candid, Accurate, Historical: A perfect history documentary?

[rjcroton · 10/10 · 18 June 2008]

This documentary is possibly the best documentary series ever made. If I could, I would give it an extra star, so it could be the Pershing of documentaries. The fact it beats The World at War and other stunningly epic documentaries shows how incredible it really is.

As a man who has spent his life thinking on history, and could potentially spend a long professional life doing it, all I can say is how refreshing the series is. Unlike other documentaries, it has no platitudes or ahistorical biases, it presents the conflict accurately. Startlingly accurately, with its amazing black and white footage and interviews.

Not only that, but Sir Michael Redgrave topples all narrating rivals in his performances. Forever now will I associate his voice with the conflict, strong, unique and filled with power.

It's the detail that shocks. The emphasis on context, too. By presenting it so historically and professionally, it puts the conflict in its proper place in history and in society. I've watched newer documentaries, and have had to study the literature extensively for my higher education, but never was I more moved than watching this documentary.

Please, seek this series out when you can. It may never be released on Blu-Ray. In-fact, I'd buy a DVD player just for watching this series again, and I'd keep a compatible TV too, just in case. If I was off to a desert island, this would probably be the series I'd take.

Really good series

[Caz1964 · 10/10 · 8 May 2006]

I have just been reading other peoples reviews on this series,and found them very interesting.I was born in 1964 the year this series was put together,i remember it was shown in the late sixties i must have been about 4 or 5 years old,i wouldn't have remembered it when it was first shown obviously.My father used to watch this programme religiously,him being a Korean war vet and his own father being a WW1 vet, he was hooked on this series,the scenes in this documentary used to really frighten me as a child i remember leaving the room and i wouldn't come back in until i heard the haunting music at the end,i still remember some of them horrific images today.When they re showed this series a couple of years ago it didn't seem no where near as bad,I'm pretty sure they cut a lot of photos and a lot of footage out which they may have found a bit to horrific for todays audience,as i can still see some of the horrific images they showed back in the sixties,i wont go into detail,but if any one watched this series back then I'm sure they would agree.Before this series was re shown ,they made a documentary about the making of this series,and it turns out they had to pay a lot of money for most of the footage they got hold of,especially the Russian footage as Russia was Communist then,so the programme ended up going well over their budget.Also they had problems with finding reliable veterans,as a lot of old men they interviewed,from one of the film crews accounts were a bit loopy,one chased a female interviewer around the room,and a lot of the old men just couldn't talk about their experiences when it came to it,some broke down and some got angry.So the men you see portrayed in this series were the ones that could talk about their experiences and give accurate accounts in a calm manner.In all this is a very good series it totally covers the events of WW1,it explains the war from the beginning to the end.Oh yes the unknown soldier you see at the beginning opening credits is from an Ulster Regiment,most probably from the Somme.As a lot of people wonder who he is.

Intelligent, moving epic

[Markhoni · 22 February 2003]

I first saw this series when it was repeated by the BBC in the early Seventies on Sunday afternoons. I watched several of the episodes with my grandmother whose beloved brother died at the Battle of the Somme. It is one of the main reasons that I am interested in the First World War, why I became a historian and why I take groups of schoolchildren to the battlefields every year. After years of claiming it was 'out of date' and 'unshowable' the BBC have released it on video/DVD and shown it on TV on Saturday evenings. As I started to watch the first episode the hairs on the back of my neck stood up-the portentous music,Sir Michael Redgrave's melifluous narratiion, the superbly literate script by John Terraine and Correlli ('Bill') Barnett, the archive footage (even if much of it is used out of context)-it was all as I remembered it. This series provided the blueprint for many others, especially 'The World at War'. It is a timeless classic which should be seen by anyone with the remotest interest in history or a moving story superbly told. Interestingly the series was masterminded by John Terraine and, as such, embodies the then unfashionable 'revisionist' view that not all the generals (especially Field Marshal Haig)were blundering idiots who sent men cruelly to their deaths but were limited by the available technology into fighting grim attrition battles as the only means of victory. This now pretty much the academic orthodoxy-40 years after this classic series was made!

This Series Awakened a Thirst for Knowledge I Was Unaware I Had!!

[dkane180 · 10/10 · 5 March 2011]

I stumbled across this documentary series around 2005 when my interest in the first world war was blossoming due to another WWI documentary, aptly titled, The First World War. I was enthralled with this series from the minute I laid eyes on it and continue to watch it over and over again. Sir Michael Redgrave's hypnotizing narration and the eerily haunting score make for the perfect nightcap while relaxing on a lazy weekend or at night before bed. The personal accounts of the soldiers and the memoirs of statesmen and generals add different perspectives on the cataclysmic events which unfold from 1914 to 1918. Anyone who has the slightest interest in WWI should put this series atop a must watch list.

Criticizing this series feels like I am insulting my own child or spitting on my mother but for the integrity of my review I will cough up a few lines of what I would have liked to see more of in this particular series. First I would have enjoyed a little more information and background on the tensions and issues surrounding Austro - Hungary and the tensions with Serbia leading up to and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Second, a little more of the French, Russian, Austrian and Italian perspective because in my humble opinion it focuses to directly on the British and Germans. Out of 26 episodes I think a few more could have been devoted to these other views of the battlefield, the home front and political landscape.

After watching all 26 episodes and the 2 bonus episodes I was thoroughly impressed and will be forever be left with a new understanding of The Great War. Since I watched The Great War I have tracked down as many documentaries and books concerning that war as I can get my hands on and even some of the other WWI documentaries which are considered well done do not come close to the epic event which is "The Great War". This series awakened a thirst for knowledge I was unaware I had. That is exactly what a well made documentary series should do.

The paragon of first world war documentaries

[nickenchuggets · 10/10 · 4 May 2021]

In one of my earlier reviews, I wrote at great length of how great World at War is and how it is the apex of ww2 documentaries, delving into almost every single aspect of the war, from Hitler's rise to power, to the german invasion of poland, to barbarossa, d-day, okinawa, iwo jima, dunkirk, and everything in between. This show is basically World at War but for the first war, although because it came earlier, you can argue this was the real trailblazer. It employs many things that would later go on to become a staple of any war documentary worth anything, which includes getting interviews from people that were actually there (even german soldiers are interviewed), using scenes that involve maps that give the viewer a bird's eye view of what the opposing armies are trying to accomplish, the reading of primary sources from the time (like newspapers) and a soundtrack that perfectly fits with what is going on, whether it's sad, heroic, or terrifying. Most importantly, the show covers the entire war from start to finish, and includes the most critical and savage battles of world war 1, including Ypres, Passchendaele, Verdun, the Somme, Belleau Wood, Amiens, Tannenberg, and Gallipoli just to name a few. The series also goes into detail about some of the the first world war's lesser known battlegrounds, such as the german colony in Tsingtao, china, where the japanese fought the very country they would ally with 2 decades later. Just like World at War, the Great War has a stellar narrator, Michael Redgrave. No matter what he's discussing on screen, just the sound of him talking is enough to interest the viewer. To summarize, the Great War is simply a must watch for anybody who likes to study war history, and they shouldn't consider themselves a specialist on ww1 until they see it.

Monumental Epic,

[screenman · 10/10 · 27 July 2008]

It is easy to exhaust one's stock of superlatives in describing this - now ancient - documentary. Indeed, it is half the age of the war itself. But nothing has ever come as close, either before or since, to such a comprehensive telling of a true story.

Back in 1964, when I was a young teenager, this programme utterly gripped my attention. Like the Great War itself, the series seemed to go on for ever, and formed something of a backdrop to my life. I just had to watch - every gripping and frightful episode.

There were times when it seemed surreal. At other times it resembled a science-fiction movie into which the Keystone cops had strayed. Quirky little manikin figures strutted and struggles across some alien landscape like a waterlogged moon, stippled with broken and skeletal trees and heaps of bloated horses. There were close-ups with forced smiles composed for a moment, and haggard scowls seamed by such unbelievable suffering that no levity remained to express.

By the time of its broadcast, the War To End All Wars, had already assumed a mythical obscurity fought out under conditions that could only be imagined by its largely silent survivors. The rats, the lice, the mud and filth, the smell, the barrages, machine-guns and unremitting slaughter were things only to be experienced. Making breakfast of biscuits and cold water in the company of decaying, disembowelled colleagues, to whom one had been speaking only the night before, and for whom nothing could be done because of the endlessly falling shells, tireless snipers, and ever-busy vermin; these things had no place in official truth or strategic planning.

And the narrative by Sir Micheal Redgrave perfectly interpreted the futile despairing failure. Episode after episode, theatre after theatre; his voice described the arrogant self-belief, the foolhardy assumptions and the telephone-number casualties that were their only outcome. The Somme, Ypres, Bapaume, Verdun and many more: names that will forever mean 'suffering'.

No other war and no other programme demonstrated the truth that in war; it is war that is the enemy.

This programme left an indelible print in my life. Many years later, armed with H Jones's excellent 'The War Walk' I visited the scenes of carnage, often in rain as, perhaps, it should be done. Many of the military places are still there today. Trenches meander through what is now wood and forest. Pill-boxes and gun-emplacements litter the edges of agricultural land. Cemeteries stretch away like fields of white corn. There were places where so much ordnance fell that even today great tracts are fenced-off with danger warnings to discourage the curious.

This documentary couldn't be made today. For one thing; the survivors have all gone. In any case it is too good. too well done. The research too detailed and costly. It is not dumbed down with coloured charts or enhanced with computer-generation or 'docu-drama' for the appeal of simpletons raised in a peacetime life of computer games.

Incredibly; 'The Daily Mail' issued the whole series for free with its newspaper during a 3-week spree. I have 'em all.

Everyone should watch this programme. It's not very nice viewing. It's a tragedy from beginning to end. But it is also a testament to the astonishing endurance of the human will.

The Great War remains arguably the definitive television account of the First World War.

[khanbaliq2 · 10/10 · 7 October 2009]

What a treasure this series is. Before I got The Great War I thought I'd never see an informative, not to mention cinematic, documentary about World War I. This was a war that was hugely influential on the modern world, yet you can learn hardly anything about it in schools or on television. So much is said about World War II, but if there was no first war there's a good chance there would not have been a second. The series contains 26 episodes; each episode lasts for about 40 minutes. That means there's a great deal of footage and information. Episode "on the idle hill of summer..." begins the series. The situation of pre-war Europe is explained in detail and style. Imperial Germany had become a major world power, with perhaps the strongest army in the world and the second largest navy in the world. This caused anxiety and a change in policies by other European powers. It was a time of great innovation. Europeans controlled about 80% of the world through colonialism. It was still the age of steam, yet many inventions that would become very important later were constantly being introduced. The assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Slavic nationalist Gavrilo Princip would draw all the European powers and eventually the world into a war that would cause Europe's end as the center of civilization. World War I included great battles. Millions of lives were lost. All this is covered expertly in the series. Interviewees appeared in several episodes.

The music for the series was composed by Wilfred Josephs. It was performed by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Hurst. His expressive yet unsentimental score was widely acclaimed at the time, and many have recalled the strong contribution it made to the series. In addition to Joseph's original score, much use was made of some great 20th Century symphonies; Shostakovitch's 11th and Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antartica, to name two. The narration by Michael Redgrave is excellent. The series, unparalleled at the time for its depth of research, range of source material and historical accuracy - all presented in a sequence of clear narratives - is now considered one of the finest achievements of BBC documentary. The Great War really shows how great a conflict World War I was. It was epic. Following transmission of the series by the Republic of Ireland's national TV station, Telefis Eireann, The Great War won a Jacob's Award at the 1964 presentation ceremony in Dublin. There appear to be two releases as of mid-2007, both in the UK, both Region 2. If you like documentaries then don't miss out on this series. It is now a favourite of mine.

One of the best programs ever put on television

[dbborroughs · 10/10 · 26 November 2009]

Absolutely one of the finest pieces of television ever produced. This is a staggering 26 part series on the First World War that lays out clearly how we got there and what happened to to the people in the middle of it. Rarely have the horrors and cost of war been so beautifully explained. This is the place to start if you want to know anything about the war. Unfortunately its so good that almost every other series on the war has paled in comparison. Its finely detailed but never overwhelming and the sort of show that makes you regret that each episode is ending. You simply want to keep watching the series because its so compelling. It a series that everyone should see because it explains not only the world of 1914 but also the world to day and is a warning to all of us about what can happen when governments fail to really think. Somewhere beyond recommended.

Sadly this is not readily available in the United States and I had to secure a copy from England. I really wish some one like PBS or the Discovery Channel Networks would pick this up and run it because this has been too long hidden from view.

50 years old, and still a masterpiece

[baltopro · 9/10 · 5 April 2014]

I just finished watching the series again, for at least the fifth time. "The Great War" is one of the best historical documentaries ever made - on-par with Ken Burns' "The Civil War" - and is the definitive program on the subject matter.

Rather than rehash all that's already been said, I would like to make a couple of (hopefully) fresh observations.

This series' soundtrack is an audio masterwork. Aside from occasional interviews, photos, and graphics cutaways, "The Great War" is necessarily comprised primarily of SILENT film footage. The sound added is done so well, it took me some time to remember this.

It is a tour de force of "foley" - sound effects added after the fact. Scenes of men in camp, on the march, and in battle - shots that would otherwise be silent - are meticulously enhanced with believable ambient sounds: footsteps falling, metal clanging, wind blowing, horses snorting, flies buzzing, men shouting, etc.

Add to this the haunting score by the BBC Northern Orchestra, Michael Redgrave's mesmerizing narration, character voiceovers by a talented cast, plus the voices of actual veterans. Sound and visual mesh seamlessly and with perfect pacing.

The series does have one glaring weak spot: Very little discourse on the weapons and technology of the war.

The use of poison gas is detailed, there is mention of flame throwers, and the viewer is told there were varying sizes of artillery. Submarines and surface warships are given a cursory review. That's about it. For the most part, no information is provided about weapons development or capability - virtually nothing on aircraft, tanks, machine guns, or small arms.

For example, unless learned outside the series, a viewer could assume that semi-automatic assault rifles were standard issue in WWI. It's amazing that, in over 17 hours of content, you never hear the terms "Enfield rifle", "Mauser rifle", or even "bolt-action".

Almost nothing is said about the medical technology of the era, or the huge advances made in treatment, like blood transfusions becoming practical. Little is said about disease. The "Spanish Flu" of 1918 was the worst pandemic in human history, resulting in some 50 million deaths, including more than half of all US servicemen who died in the war, but it is never mentioned.

I guess I'm kind of a tech guy. To its credit, The Great War does avoid falling into a pit of techno-babble that might bore the casual viewer. The program consistently stays on-point: the mindset of the era, how and why historical events took their course, and how the war impacted the common soldier and citizen.

Though the series finale spends much time on the Allied celebration of the armistice, it does not mention the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, or any of the shortcomings made in concluding WWI (key factors in having to fight the war all over again in 21 years, on an even greater scale). I suppose this would have been anti-climatic, but they could have thrown-in at least a sentence or two about the war's legacy.

On the other hand, maybe it's just as well - there's a bazillion documentaries on WWII that start where "The Great War" leaves off. WWI was a watershed event in human history that deserves due consideration outside of WWII's shadow, and "The Great War" drives this point home.

That being said, a true understanding of the Second World War is not possible without an in-depth understanding of the First World War, and "The Great War" is the best source for this that I know of.

Bottom line: "The Great War" is a highly engaging and relevant program, even 50 years after its first showing, and 100 years after the start of WWI. It's a must-see for anyone interested in 20th century and/or military history, and should be required viewing for everyone.

A documentary masterpiece

[galeolaria · 9/10 · 31 January 2009]

A monumental documentary that has never been rivalled in scope, depth and power. A precursor to the World at War, but, I would suggest, even superior to that superb production. The measured intonation of Sir Michael Redgrave as narrator is unforgettable, imbuing the whole production with the perfect degree of solemnity and gravity. The series studies and dissects the war as if it were a great recumbent beast and does not spare the sensibilities of the viewer. The zone of the armies, the side conflicts, the politics and the social landscapes of the countries involved are all given excellent treatment. Analytical and dense with detail, the series repays multiple viewings. I keep coming back to it again and again.

There are many highlights - the episode dealing with Ypres and Passchendaele, for example, is horrendous and yet at the same time marvellous in its exposition, using excerpts from war poets to terrible effect.

A piece of sublime film-making. I cannot imagine we will see its like again.

Factually strong, analytically weak

[breezer030 · 8/10 · 22 July 2009]

Most comments on the BBC documentary series The Great War tend to praise its detailed and impressively sombre style. True, this documentary gives details on all the different years, fronts and countries that were involved in Word War I. And true, even though it takes a staggering 26 episodes of 40 minutes each (totaling over 1,000 minutes!), it stays fascinating material and wonderfully narrated.

What I find problematic is that the whole focus is on facts, tending to let analysis and insights get nearly lost. It only briefly discusses the origins of the war. These go way back to the 19th century with the Crimea War, the Concert of Europe, the Franco-Prussian War, the Scramble for Africa and the competitive nature of the great powers. Although some of these elements are briefly mentioned in one of the first episodes, it only scratches the surface. I tend to find reasons WHY things happen more interesting than WHAT happens. If you would make a documentary of the Hundred Years War (14th-15th century), I guess most would focus on the causes, most important facts and the consequences of that war, and not only on every battle. I guess that the production date of this documentary (1960s) can explain the strong focus on facts; in the first decades after highly-emotional wars the focus of history writing tends to be on facts. Insight comes with time and rational distance from the war.

Given the focus on the facts, I was stunned about two major omissions in the documentary. First, there was no mention of the Spanish flu. This could hardly be considered a trivial matter, since it killed more people than World War I and was raging in the trenches from March 1918 on. Maybe the impact of the Spanish flu on the war was not fully understood at the date of production of this documentary. Second, the last episodes ends at the armistice, 11 November 1918. There is no mention of the peace talks and the peace of Versailles. The Great War officially ended after the peace agreement and not at the armistice. And no mention of the aftermath and consequences of World War I.

So my conclusion is that it is an impressive documentary to watch, but it could have been even better.

Be prepared to lose patience while you learn

[suemc-37566 · 6/10 · 22 June 2020]

No spoilers - I think we know how it ended. This classic is a dated mixed bag and whilst we have enjoyed watching it most of the way through now we are starting to fast forward. The editing is very poor . It is impossible to tell whether the film editor just kept piling on more and more hours of footage (men, mud, guns, horses, guns, explosions, more horses etc) to fill in the time taken by the ponderous, windy script OR whether the excessive poetry, pompous proclamations, cliches and national anthems were there to mark time while hours of archive film were played out. It could have been 1/2 as long at least.

There are constantly interesting questions left unasked, as well as unanswered.

The lack of actual contemporary recorded voices for key players other than the interviewed soldiers is monotonous as all the quotes are acted by a small handful of actors. Oftentimes, the words chosen for the actors to speak are pretty meaningless anyway. Why are the interviewed soldiers, military personnel or other people not given names and titles to help with context? Many episodes are repetitive and lack a clear theme - perhaps as it was broadcast over a long period. Basically, I have learnt many surprising facts and will finish the series but it looks as though the incredible series The World At War about WW2 looked at all these weaknesses and others and addressed them brilliantly. An important archive document and a worthwhile endurance for history fans.

For the part - exceptional.But there is a gap...

[UmpahpahBg · 5/10 · 22 July 2022]

The title of this epic documentary is "The Great War" - an alternative term for World War I. And it does a brilliant job describing the prelude of the War and partly the aftermath. Even more, the analyses of many of the epic battles, but also less known are remarkable. However...

With the title which shows ambition to describe the "Great War, the series failed. Why. Because we have a Western-centric view on WWI - probably some 75% is related to the Western front and others to the Eastern and some the in Middle East. But at the end, giving enormous sacrifices, small countries are, as usual, left with no memory. I will quote the example of Serbia, on the allied side, which 1st defeated a much stronger Austro-Hungarian Army in 1915. Hust a few minutes about that. Even less is on an epic retreat of the whole army over Albania after the Germans occupied the weakened country. Finally, the numbers. In terms of losses, Serbia suffers by far the most - 31% of the pre-war population, counting both army and civilians perished. The second on the list is Romania (again, almost no mention) - 14%. UK and France are 4 and 7,7%. Should I also mention half a million orphans in Serbia after the war? Well, "The great war" has no references to that.

If the title was - "Great War on the Western Front" I would give a 10! With these facts, I will just stay and wonder about politics, visible even when we celebrate the heroes...

The definitive television series about the first worldwar.

[shrbw · 7 March 2002]

In the early 1960's the BBC had a very talented production team that had come together to make a nightly 'magazine' feature called 'Tonight'. They somehow became part of a project to create a series about the First World War (then still known by some people as the 'Great War').

Something of this magnitude had never before been attempted in Britain. It required a great deal of painstaking research and assembling still photographs and archive film from all over the world. More to the point, at this period, a large number of the participants were still alive and could be interviewed - the series is a priceless exercise in 'oral history'.

The principal historical consultant and writer was John Terraine, the foremost military historian of the time, and Michael Redgrave was engaged to speak the narration.

The series appeared in 1964, when I saw it as a child. It was an outstanding success, and spawned a rather weaker sequel, 'The Lost Peace'.

Then, for reasons best known to themselves, the BBC sat on the tapes. Some isolated episodes were sometimes shown at the Imperial War Museum in London, but the series was largely forgotten.

However, it has recently been re-released in its entirety as five double video packs. It should not be confused with any other series of a similar title - this remains the original and the best!

Imminent Catastrophe.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 14 July 2014]

This superior series continues in Episode Number Two. The first episode limned in the general nature of the geopolitical framework. Mainly we see happy aristocrats having a ball, poverty everywhere, and tribal allegiances strengthening.

This episode leads the viewer to the declarations themselves, the result of bungling, national pride, religious conflicts, and a general absence of any sense of what would follow. Crowds cheer in Berlin, Paris, and London. They wave flags. They don't seem to realize that every war begins with the feeling that it will be over in a short time, like a high school soccer game.

The act of one crazed nationalist in Sarajevo had just precipitated a conflict that would last four bloody years and result in more than 37 million civilian and military casualties.

It's all tragic and judging from recent iterations, unavoidable. The questions that it raises -- in me anyway -- don't have as much to do with cultural influences as they do with biology. Is there something in human nature that NEEDS to kill? The question practically asks itself.

An Excellent BBC Production

[Vovion · 9/10 · 8 October 2012]

Over the course of the 26 episodes it covers the battles, the politics, the economics, the cultural effects and most important - the graft of the men serving both sides as they fight for increasingly fading values.

What's particularly impressive is how well it holds up after almost half a decade. The footage used, while repeated at times, gives the viewer a clear guide of the people involved and what's going on while Redgrave delivers his perfectly pitched commentary. It's particularly appreciated that they managed to get some of the civilians and soldiers who actually experienced all of this, to weigh in at certain points for added humanity. Listening to them speak candidly about trench life, or running into barbed wire while having machine guns blazing at them, certainly brings an unquantifiable respect for those who fought, as the horror unfolds on the screen.

The only thing I would have liked added to the documentary is an episode covering each country post-war. This would have been a more fitting end to a series that shows, quite clearly, that there were no true victors in 1918.

The history of the 1914 to 1918 Great War

[icj-1 · 10/10 · 26 January 2011]

This long ignored TV series from 1964 by the BBC is finally available again.

This used archive film that I have never seen anywhere else. Other histories of the Great War seem to reuse the same old stock footage but not here. The series starts by looking at the state of Europe immediately before the war starts. A great book that compliments this is Barbara Tuchmann's Guns of August. The war itself starts with episode 3 and the pace is relentless there after. So many moving scenes, episode 11 covers the 1916 Battle of Verdun, I doubt anyone could watch this unmoved.

My grandfather's generation fought this terrible conflict, This series shows a little of the terrible cost of this four year long war. I urge you to watch it if you get the chance.

The single greatest documentary on WW1

[edwardlovette · 10/10 · 12 March 2019]

This BBC documentary came out in 1964 when many of the veterans of WW1 were still alive and this documentary has many interviews with those veterans. That is one of the things that makes this very special.

Another thing that makes this excellent documentary special is the editing and narration by an excellent British actor named Michael Redgrave.

Don't let this gem pass you by. This is definitely the best documentary on WW1.

Astounding archive footage

[frankiehudson · 30 September 2002]

This series is a PRICELESS exercise in archive footage - make no bones about it.

The series is over 10 hours long yet consists almost entirely of archive footage from all the major battles of the war, particularly the Western Front. There is the odd interview with the veterans, well and alive and indeed quite young in 1964, yet the amazing sight is the reel after reel of archive footage. Where did they get it all from? (and why is it NEVER used in any WWI film before or since? - they all use the same few stills and films over and over again).

Countless shots of the Somme battlefields, Belgium, Verdun, and everywhere!

I only chanced upon it in the library, for a cheap rental; but watch this urgently.

Another surprising impression is the sheer modernity of the whole thing - great guns, brilliant filming, great troop movements, even aeroplanes and dog fights. Footage shot from old Sopwith Camels of bomb-drops and stuff like that.

It shows the Middle East fronts, Italy vs. Austria, Romanian fronts, Russian, the whole shebang! Also has a fantastic classical score to accompany it and brilliant narration by Sir Michael Redgrave.

Great War, even greater documentary

[rjhargreaves · 5 January 2004]

Quite simply the definitive documentary on the First World War. 26 40-minute episodes which do as much as any book to encapsulate the 1914-1918 conflict. I'd go so far as to say it surpasses the World at War (which basically copied it!) as THE television documentary. The narration is perfectly pitched, the soundtrack is stunning, and there were enough veterans from all sides to add personal insights into the war. But what I think lifts it above all other Great War programmes (apart from the length) is that it gives airtime to campaigns that simply don't get a look in normally - the Eastern Front and Palestine; there are even lengthy segments on the war at sea with some excellent archive footage. If you've got a day to spare, watch it all in one go: you'll be better for it...

The War To End All Wars

[BusyBusey · 3 February 2004]

Even though it was nearly 40 years old and in Black & White "The Great War" immediatly grabbed my attention with its music,truly shocking images and excellent narration.

The start alone would be worth a "10" score,showing a British soldier staring blankly beside a German Officers gruesome corpse whilst that haunting,bombastic music plays."The Great War" as it was known before before that other War is a Brilliant and Intelligent series about the First World war that certainly does not hold back.As i said some of the images are truly shocking with film footage of British,French and German dead shown through-out the series,yet this is vital in showing the futility of war and in particular,"The Great War itself." Certainly some of the images you see in this series you will not be able to forget forexample even though i saw the "Gallipoli" over 6 months ago i can still remember the ending showing a British or ANZAC soldier with his head in hands whilst the credits rolled and the sublime score brought the episode to an end.Also the pictures of Lancashires Landing from the same episode are equally hard to forget even though they were just drawings.I can honestly say that Music,Imagery and Narration has never been used together so well,not even in "The World at War"

On the negative side,Propaganda footage was used far to often and was easy to spot(just look at the angle the camera was facing) as was some of the same footage. Also British High Command seemed to get off rather lightly in "The Somme" episode.Because although Haig and Rawlinson should certainly not take all of the blame it annoyed me that they didnt recieve any critcism and the 'inexperience' of the British army was often highlighted as the main problem as far as that battle is concerned.Also of the interviews with those that fought in the war,i didnt think there was enough ordinary British soldiers to give their opinion and to many 'Cut-glass' accented men.Nothing against those men,just i dont think it was a fair representation,regardless of how they speak.

But my complaints are certainly minor and i would advise anyone with an interest in the First World war to watch this or buy the DVD.

Waste of the youth of a generation

[toonnnnn · 21 May 2002]

This documentry explains about the start of the war,then takes you through the misery of trench war fare.This is heart breaking and informative and moving,old soldiers recall the mud ,the gas,the sheer misery of fighting in water filled trenches. One soldier explains what it was like to take part in a firing squad,the guilt and pain etched on his face. The war is covered from all aspects ,home front,the somme,gallipoli and the russian revolution.Lawrence of arabia is mentioned briefly a romantic hero in a world full of horror. The saying in Britain was that it would be over by christmas and in Germany by the time the leaves fell in autumn.People volunteered to fight in 1914 but by 1915 it was obvious this was the war to end all wars. Watch this its compelling stuff then say two prayers thank God you didnt have to fight it,and ask God that theres no more world wars ,world war 3 will be the end. This series has stood the test of time its for serious students of war. Peace to the world

The Great War

[I_John_Barrymore_I · 11 March 2009]

As someone with an extremely limited knowledge of the first World War much of what's presented here is staggering. As Sir Michael Redgrave's booming, authoritative narration reels off endless lists of figures - 300,000 dead, a million wounded, etc. - it's hard not to feel a real sense of despair at the total insanity of "total war." The industry of entire countries switching to the production of materials of war; entire towns and villages across Europe decimated either by shelling, starvation or the loss of all the men - or all three, and more - it's frequently too much to absorb, the sheer magnitude of such an event overwhelming.

If as the episodes roll by footage is recycled - rather diminishing the impact of seeing THAT cannon being fired on THAT battlefield - and much of it is clearly more modern recreations with some of the footage a little too convenient - again, diminishing the impact - it's still far and away the greatest documentary series I've ever seen. Superbly written, eloquent and often poetic at times, I had to resist the temptation to watch it with a pen and paper to hand so I could jot some of the more powerful passages down. The score is similarly impressive: by turns rousing and powerful, usually desperately sad (and I'll bet John Barry was at home watching too.) Jaw-dropping in the truest sense, this landmark classic in British television is thoroughly deserving of its status, and I can understand why the streets of this country were empty once a week for six months when it was first broadcast.

AN OPINION FROM ACROSS THE POND

[filmnoirfilms-1 · 30 May 2004]

As a great fan of THE WORLD AT WAR series, THE GREAT WAR was not a disappointment. Essential the same layout, THE GREAT WAR is the best series on WWI. Leave it to the Brits to make a fantastic documentary on this subject, vastly superior to later efforts like the the Robert Ryan / CBS series, the 1990's THE GREAT WAR series and film THE GUNS OF AUGUST.

If there is a fault, it's that is it doesn't move at the quick pace of the THE WORLD AT WAR, but hey, WWII is a much more exciting war. Also, if you live in the states only PAL versions are available. I picked mine up on EBAY, the Chinese version with subtitles.

Other than that it makes a must bookend for TWAW.