The First World War (2003) User Reviews

Probably the best documentary ever on the great War

[SpanishInquisitionMP · 10/10 · 9 June 2005]

There have been some pretty good documentary series on World War One - like the BBC's '1914-18' and 'The Great War,' which inspired 'The World at War' - but this Channel Four series is the best ever. Unlike almost all of the others it gives you a look at the WORLD war aspect of it, not just focusing on the Western Front or (like most poor US documentaries) on the last year when America was involved, you also see the war in Russia, in Arabia, in Africa to get a real sense of the scale. Unlike 1914-18 it takes a chronological look at the war, but does it in a riveting way: the first episode plays like a thriller, while others are like tragedies. And it doesn't fall in for clichés or easy targets. It dispels a lot of myths along the way (for example, did you know the assassinated Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand was anti-militarist and had actually prevented war breaking out several times? I didn't) and holds your attention throughout. And the haunting end title music written by a composer who died in the war is unforgettable.

One of the greatest TV shows ever, it's a crime this is so little known and failed to win any major awards. It's on DVD and if you've any interest in the subject at all, it's the only WW1 doc you need to buy.

The Best WWI documentary I've ever seen.

[quadrivist · 10/10 · 4 August 2009]

I had to write this comment because the person whose comment I saw first was absolutely ridiculous, saying that this documentary is slanted and biased toward a British point of view. I disagree.

I watch everything I can about WWI & WWII, and have been repeatedly dissatisfied with most WWI doc.s because they are too few and often do not even attempt to take on the monumental task with such depth as did this series. Specifically, I recall thinking to myself several times how honest and objective the documentary was.

I came away from the series with an understanding of the gray aspects of all the sides concerned and their respective actions (sometimes ethically questionable, sometimes not - on all sides). This war was not like WWII in many ways, not as clear cut, not as linear. Each nation, each major player, had its own entry and mode of operating during the war, which differed as time passed. No one was clearly the knight in shining armor, nor does this documentary propose such a thing, though the players involved at the time may have. I dare say it would not hold your attention for ten episodes if it was not masterfully nuanced in its portrayal of this under-studied, seldom understood war. This series satisfies the desire to know the time line in much deeper detail, spans many countries, people, and reminds the viewer to try and see the story unfold from the perspective of the contemporary.

Wonderfully produced. A must see.

10 out of 10 !

Superior Documentary.

[rmax304823 · 9/10 · 8 February 2006]

I guess I'll simply echo UnionMan's sentiments. It's a well-balanced presentation of what used to be called The Great War before we learned to number them.

It covers all aspects of the war and pulls no punches.

There is footage here that you are guaranteed not to have seen before. A distant column of cavalrymen ride their horses along a dirt road. A huge explosion covers the center of the column with a cloud of dust. The last part of the column rides around the smoke. When, finally, the dust clears we see the column has halted and is looking back at the debris, which includes a couple of smudgy black figures flat on the ground, one of them a thrashing horse.

Personalities are explored and politics brought in just enough to illuminate the battles that form the centerpiece of the film. Enough for us to see the seeds of the next war being sown.

The images are finely defined in crisp black and white. The motion is smoothed out and takes place in real time, adjusted for the change in camera speed since the early days of cinema.

What a bitter thing war is. The film prompts one to wonder why we rush to embrace another one every twenty years or so.

There will probably not be another documentary dealing with World War I that will be the equal of this one.

One of the best series on the Great War ever made

[dbborroughs · 10/10 · 26 November 2009]

One of a small handful of great documentaries on the Great War. This series of ten episodes nicely explains the war simply and directly. It also manages to cover a variety of other subjects that most other documentaries and books on the subject don't, or example the fighting in the Italian mountains. I'm a student of the First World War and I find it hard to find good films on the subject. Most are dull affairs that rehash the same old facts and figures using a limited number of film clips. Here the filmmakers have broadened their net covering a wide variety of subjects, but also using footage of many of the locations shot today. The result is a series that makes the war very current and alive, no longer is it a far away and long ago war, but one that happened in places that still exist. Its magical. Its so good that I found that after the second episode I was rationing the episodes out since I didn't want the mere ten to run out too quickly. This is a must see not only for people wanting to know about the war but also wanting to know about how we got to today.

Brilliant: An Fitting Tribute For the Last WW I Veterans

[davidm923 · 10/10 · 5 September 2009]

Given my love of history, the cataclysmic, foolhardy nightmare that this represents was something I wanted to investigate further. Video could add a dimension that even a brilliant book could not illustrate.

Lucky me, and fortunate viewer, who took the time to watch this dazzling miniseries! I rented this a few days after the UK's last veteran, and world's oldest man, passed away. He had been in many ways a guardian, helping others comprehend the nightmare, and was so forgiving as to insist on adding German pallbearers at his funeral, age 114.

The miniseries is expansive (as others have mentioned), fascinating, and most importantly, brings the horror to life (and death). A great compliment - it had me racing back to read more about the conflict, especially the myriad ideas on WHY it began.

There are so many memorable scenes! The use of personal memoirs, and the film footage, then and now, are wonderful.

Most highly recommended!

Excellent if overwhelming intro to World War I

[Miles-10 · 9/10 · 21 March 2017]

You would not recommend reading only one history book, so why would anyone recommend only one documentary about World War I? This is a good documentary because it covers a great deal and very engagingly, but sometimes it tries to cover too much and necessarily leaves gaps.

If you watch other documentaries, you will find out that the first great tank breakthrough was preceded by a tank failure and that the British Expeditionary Force was so unprepared for the breakthrough when it came that they failed to send enough troops into the breach to secure it, leading to the German recapture of the temporarily lost territory.

There is confusion, too, as when it is said that German commander von Hutier's attack on Amiens, France had no purpose, but a few minutes later it is said that when Ludendorff decided to attack Amiens he had an objective of smashing the railroad nexus there. Had Hutier succeeded, wouldn't that have served the same purpose even if accidentally?

A mass of information is presented that dizzies the old hand let alone the beginner, but even so, I was glad that this documentary offers a wealth of stimulating information about all sides of the conflict. The fact that it is British-made gives it an unavoidable bias that is made up for by its attempt to bring other nation's voices into the narrative, using the accounts of both well-known and relatively unknown participants.

There are many documentaries about World War I that are also good. Some, for example, focus more than this one on the war from the point of view of those outside of Europe. This one gives a lot of information about that aspect of the war even though it tries to cover too much ground to tell the viewer all the details. This is a survey, and a pretty good starting point. Learn more about World War I, and you will come to see that there are other opinions on some of the topics. There is more subject matter than this documentary had time to cover, and you might even think that what they left out is awfully important. You might, nevertheless, always remember "The First World War" fondly as an equally informative and moving introduction.

Where are the real credits for this documentary?

[drosett · 8/10 · 8 July 2012]

This IS a very well done documentary. In fact, it is so well done that it leaves me speechless that the credits are so poor, both in the original 10 episodes and at IMDb.com. Who, for example, actually wrote the series? At the closing of each episode, the series is credited as being "based on a book by Hew Strachan." Does this mean he actually wrote the script? If not, who did? Was it Jonathan Lewis, who was credited as the series narrator? Even more irritating is that NONE of the actors who read from diaries and other primary source material are credited at all. The IMDb site credits the actual historical figures, as if they were still alive to read out loud material that is now almost 100 years old! Very weird at best, and unnecessarily dodgy at worst.

Amazing WWI series.

[LW-08854 · 9/10 · 28 December 2023]

A very interesting and detailed WWI series which is based on the excellent book. The series consists of 10 episodes.

Call to o Arms Under the Eagle Global War Jihad Shackled to a Corpse Breaking the Deadlock Blockade Revolution Germany's Last Gamble War Without End

The series uses a mixture of narration, maps, archive pictures, archive videos and also filming from the battlefields as they exist today. The series gives a good deal of focus to the eastern front which not all British TV programmes do. The series also makes excellent use of first hand diary accounts of ordinary people such as a 12 year old Serbian girl fleeing her country or a Belgium boy living in his now occupied town to give you a taste of how it was experienced by those who were there. While nothing will probably ever top the 1964 series this comes close. The program attempts to explain the causes of the war and the forces which kept the enemy countries locked in mutual embrace for so long.

The music in the series is also superb, it also goes on into 1919-1921 examining the way in which those affected continued to reflect on it. The series also rightly acknowledges the results of the war a communist Russia, a contained Austria and Germany, a powerful position for the USA and also what it failed to achieve.

The series for me also manages to convey the mass scale of the suffering without falling into the usual trap of blaming all of this on bad tactics by the leadership.

Terrific

[rkehler3 · 10/10 · 23 January 2021]

I discovered this program on TubiTV, a free video streaming service, and as some of the other reviewers have mentioned, this is, without a doubt, one of the best WWI documentaries produced to-date. At over eight hours in length, it is a comprehensive and balanced look at the Great War for those of us who did not live through it and do not fully understand the political and social contexts of the day. Unlike most others, it examines not only the causes of, events, and impact of the war as it pertains to western Europe, but also, in great detail, the war's global impact on all the major players, their allies, and colonies around the world. A commendable effort is made to present the narrative from a neutral point of view and and avoid being just another sentimental British or American war documentary. It's not perfect--there are a few topics that probably could have been expanded upon-but this is still an outstanding and informative production and a must-watch for anyone studying WWI or 20th century history.

Episode Six is a smoke screen for the military incompetence of the British Generals

[mark700 · 3 March 2008]

Episode six 'Breaking the Deadlock' claims that technical innovations were created to bring a speedy end to the war, but instead they were quickly countered. That war then dragged on into a war of attrition. The middle of the segment shows that the soldiers from both sides didn't always try to kill each other and had to be encouraged to do so. The episode makes an effort to refute the saying about British soldiers being 'Lions lead by Donkeys' by quoting how many German, French and British generals died during the war and how the generals had to face the reality of trench warfare. The soldiers could see that it didn't make much sense to stop machine gun bullets with your chest. The British High command was still believing in the superiority of horse cavalry. The horses didn't do well against bullets either.

This episode is a smoke screen for the military incompetence of the British High Command, particularly General Haig. Haig's premature application of the first few tanks lead to the German Army development of anti-tank gun crews which were able to decimate many tanks when they were used in strength and did have a breakthrough at Cabrai. Haig and his staff ignored intelligence reports of the Germans massing reinforcements for a counter-offensive that took back the five miles of ground gained by the breakthrough. The show neglects to mention that Haig's headquarters was far behind the front lines.

Also neglected is Sir John French's headquarters was 35 miles behind the lines at the battle of Le Cateau in August 1914 when he would have lost the whole British Expeditionary Force if the commander of 2nd Corps, General Smith-Dorrien, had not disregarded an order to retreat. Smith-Dorrien was congratulated by the King for saving the B.F.E. but General French had him relieved nine months later.

Comprehensive Historical Perspective

[bnwfilmbuff · 9/10 · 28 March 2020]

Incredibly detailed account of the war and the European political landscape in the early 1900s. The only thing I took issue with is the perspective of Russia going into the war. Russia had come off a long unproductive conflict on the Korean peninsula. The Russian generals were well aware of Germany's military might and superiority over their capability. They tried in vain to advise the czar against getting involved as they strongly believed they would be crushed by the Germans. I'm also not sure that Germany went into the war with the trepidation that is expressed in the documentary. This is the first documentary I've seen that correctly depicts the Kaiser for the monster he was. Also it does an excellent job of reviewing the worldwide nature of the war and the broad scope of the German attack including fomenting internal turmoil within its adversaries. This is must viewing for any student of history.

Well-paced striate forward with great photography.

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 4 March 2024]

Before watching this excellent program, you will want to read "The Face of Battle" By John Keegan as the beginning episode is a tad more complex. This will also make the video presentation better as you will not have to stop to look anything up and can binge-watch.

If you are really into reading, this program is based on the book of the same name by Oxford professor Hew Strachan.

The narration is mostly Jonathan Lewis and does not sound monotones. It may have been a tad better if they had used Peter Coyote for the narration.

With 10 parts it is difficult not to see something you may have missed in history class.

Exhaustive but biased documentary disappoints despite high promise

[eschetic-1 · 6/10 · 25 February 2008]

I was eagerly looking forward to this ten episode, four DVD set (8 hours and 23 minutes in all) based on the claims on the box of previously unseen film footage and newly accessible archival material from Central and Eastern European sources and most especially the ties to a book by a "professor" (presumably of history - Hew Strachan). Unfortunately, as assembled (in an initially promising chronological format) by BBC 4, there is little or no pretense of objective history and far too many omissions and distortions in the service of a strictly British viewpoint. The over all effect, despite copious quotations from participants on all sides, is like a history of World War II's "D-Day" told entirely from Field Marshall Montgomery's aide de camp's viewpoint.

The vast majority of film footage (mostly acknowledged - but not some of the obvious naval model work; possibly from faked "newsreels"?) is from 1920's and 30's film reconstructions and fictionalizations mixed with color footage of locales as they look today. While there is interesting period movie footage, it is almost all behind the lines and of close-up non-action scenes and TV cameras scanning across still photos.

One of the single most desired sequences, the final newsreel footage of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand leaving the Serajevo City Hall moments before his assassination, is only shown in the abbreviated and already much circulated cut. The reasons for Franz Ferdinand - a fascinating, complex figure given very short shrift here (and his Sophie) being in Bosnia that day (their 14th Wedding Anniversary) are totally omitted - as are any understanding of his reigning Uncle, Emperor Franz Joseph at the head of a great multi-cultural empire or the reasons the majority of Moslem Bosnia was opposed to Eastern Orthodox Serbian pretensions over their territory since both broke away from the shrinking Ottoman Empire.

Once the war itself started (you will be hard pressed to understand why from the sketchy story told here), the British documentary almost entirely ignores the original combatants but focuses on the British and their conflict with Austria's unsubtle allies in Germany.

Because of the British confrontations (to their considerable discomfort) with the Ottoman Turk, much time is spent on this front, allowing at least rudimentary (and that's about all) discussion of the source of the continuing Armenian question in Episode Four, but even here, there is almost no followable line of the way the Ottoman wobbled in and out of the war until finally committing to the Central Powers following the second Russian Revolution in 1917, removing them from the war. There is even less discussion of impact of the tenuous Japanese alliance with the Russians and British springing from the settlement of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.

A far better look at the complexity of World War I (although neither attempt or claim to be as complete in the material covered), with far more actual footage from the period in question is available in several documentaries ranging from Hollywood GOES TO WAR to WORLD WAR I IN COLOR. This Anglophile attempt at history is only for the dedicated Anglophile looking for entertainment pretending to be serious, not the serious amateur historian who will see too many holes spoiling the fun.

Embarrassingly biased

[danielscovedo · 2/10 · 29 May 2021]

This documentary is so biased towards the British that it's embarrasing to watch. Every important historical aspect of the war is minimized in order to make the central powers look bad, unsurprisingly this is particularly true in regards to the German army who is basically depicted as a kind of "evil horde" or "Sauron's army", as if the German were the villains of the story the documentary want to tell. It fails to mention so many important aspects of the war that it's painful to watch.

Great Doc

[Movie_Man111111 · 8 November 2018]

All aspects are very good. Music, narration, animation and script. Best WW 1 doc by far.

The Great War

[Screen_O_Genic · 9/10 · 24 July 2023]

Watchable and informative, "The First World War" chronicles what was then the greatest war known in terms of scale and consequence. Well narrated and presented this 10 part series chronicles the war's turbulent origins in Europe to its world-changing end highlighting the important events that shaped and affected the conflict. Making good use of historical footage from the time and images with a stirring soundtrack the era comes to life onscreen. Martial aspects like Gallipoli, the Somme, trench warfare and the revolution in war like poison gas, the flamethrower, aircraft and the tank are ably touched on. The documentary rightly focuses on the worldwide reach of the war giving just due to the struggles in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The lives of civilians are adequately shown from the untold sufferings people had to endure and their resilience in seeing the war through. The political and economic machinations are given their proper notice highlighting the crucial importance these play in global affairs. From the conversations of historical figures like Kaiser Wilhelm to the diary entries of French soldier Paul Truffaut and the memoirs of British nurse Vera Brittain to the opinions and recollections of individuals from the highest ranks of power to the humblest worker all are given voice providing a broad and sweeping picture of the lives involved in the great conflict. Unfortunately one of the few flaws in a film about war is the handling of war itself. The military aspects of this most carnage-ridden of clashes are missing in a number of parts like the failure to detail the Battle of Mons and the unpardonable omission of the American side in the nitty gritty of battle itself. While slow going in parts especially the first half the film is overall well paced in its depiction. Concluding convincingly that the war was not the senseless bloodbath it's commonly known as but a war that ushered change both good and bad, "The First World War" shows us the fragility of everything that we strive to uphold and the necessity of humanity to basic morality and vigilance in preserving civilization and peace.

Best WW1 documentary.

[jkro67 · 10/10 · 28 December 2023]

A very complete and and deep look into a greatly forgotten, and without a doubt, the most significant war of human history, that changed the make up of our world. The effects we still feel today.

Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn about the causes, impacts and effects of the war.

The flow works well, and the footage is very thorough.

I would recommend watching an episode or two at a time, vs binge-watching, to let it all sink in.

It would be nice today, if someone redid this series with updated colorization, and formatting. This should be required viewing in my opinion, for history classes covering this period.

Biased Colonial Doc

[raffipharm · 1/10 · 8 November 2020]

Trivializes the Armenian Genocide. Guess this is the reason why history unfortunately keeps on repeating. Shame on them.

Couldn't hear the commentary!

[bigtimelsu · 2/10 · 29 April 2020]

Probably would have been a great documentary, but I couldn't hear a thing over the music. I had to stop watching it. It was way over bearing!

The Sound Track Was Horrible

[kkdenmark · 3/10 · 25 October 2018]

I have never heard a musical sound track as discordant, annoying and distracting as this. Terrible!. So irritating at times I had to turn it off. A teo year old could have done a better job breaking glass or beating on cans than this talentless musician.

Bias

[jsaegusa · 3/10 · 14 July 2020]

Too many gaps and terribly bias toward British viewpoint.

No Mention of Greece! Bias or Incompetency?

[Foufas · 2/10 · 6 June 2018]

Imagine if someone was making a documentary for the First Civil War without even mentioning Belgium ,what kind of documentary would that be deemed?

Now the producers managed to achieve no mention of Greece, whilst having the opportunity to do so for 10 episodes!

And no, we are not talking about interpretations of facts (the Armenian/Pontian genocide is 'disputed' according to the authors) , we are talking about just mentioning Greece (!) despite the fact that Greece participated in the First World War

If someone didn't know anything about the First World War ,this documentary gives the impression that Greece didn't participate at all!!

That's an utter disgrace and the explanation is simple.Either the producers did that one deliberately , or they are incompetent

And whilst the documentary is in general well produced , they managed to fail spectacularly by NOT including one of the main countries who participated in the First World War