The First World War - The Complete Series [DVD]

The 1960's BBC series, "The Great War" is more definitive than this latest production. Examples where there is lack of completeness are the Verdun and Somme campaigns which are compressed into one episode. The Eastern Front which was cataclysmic from a Russian perspective is also sparsely covered. This is undoubtedly an unbalanced production in terms of the importance of the action versus the time spent on the aspect covered. If one requires a definitive documentary on this war, rather purchase the BBC version but this production being more than 40 years old, although excellent, is rather dated in style.In contrast in this DVD little known actions are covered in a disproportional amount of detail. No other video covers aspects such as the campaign in the ex-German colonies such as German East Africa [now Tanzania] & German South West Africa [now known as Namibia]. The German attempts to incite the Islamic world into anti British & Russian actions are also covered quite comprehensively.Even though the aforementioned aspects are treated at the expense of more important parts of the war, it does add a new dimension to a war which otherwise comprised an unremitting series of artillery bombardments, machine guns scything down lines of soldiers "going over the top" & battles which are similar to one another & which in the facetious words of Rowan Atkinson a la Black Adder merely resulted in General Haig's drink's table moving one yard nearer to Berlin.The style is a balance between three presentation styles. The backbone are videos many of them new to this reviewer. These are interwoven with extracts of diaries from eye witnesses. This provides a sense of immediacy. It would have been preferable to use the testimony of the actual eye witnesses but given the effluxion of time this was probably not possible. The third component of the style is the use of contemporary & current views of the same scene. This certainly provides an additional dimension to this production. The blend of these three styles does provide renewed interest in the subject.Overall this is an excellent production & deserves to be purchased but bear in mind that a comprehensive account is not possible within a 10 hour production. For those who have all the currently available videos on this war, this DVD covers certain neglected aspects & for those who are neophytes to the subject it will give one a feel for the combatants, style of warfare & modus operandi.

The Great War is a tragedy that can be hard to comprehend from such a distance in time. Even those who participated were reluctant to speak and the 'horror', (including my own great grandfather who refused to talk), and the myths grew through the proverbial mists of time.This series does cover all the main political intrigues of the war and while it doesn't cover every event in detail, (what series could), it chooses a majority of the major events, places then in context and articulates them in an engaging manner. A wonderfully story of an often miss-understood period.Beautifully scripted and though provoking without the undue (and often over done) sentimentality. The presentation retains a dignity to the great events and tragedy that was the Great War.(PS ignore the talk about the cover picture, it is utterly irrelevant to the content).

This is a re-release of the 2003 series, originally distributed by Channel 4 and now timed to coincide with the anniversary of the First World War. It constitutes 10 episodes, each running for 50 minutes.Disk One1. To Arms - the origins of the War2. Under the Eagle - the German invasion of Belgium and France3. Global War - the spread of the war to the imperial colonies4. Jihad - the Ottoman Empire's warDisk Two5. Shackled to a Corpse - the Eastern and Italian fronts6. Breaking the Deadlock - the stalemate on the Western Front7. Blockade - the war at seaDisk Three8. Revolution - the Easter Rising, Arab Uprising, French mutiny and Russian Revolution9. Germany's Last Gamble - the Spring Offensives and the collapse of morale among the Central Powers10. War Without End - the Hundred Days Offensives and subsequent ArmisticeInevitably covering such a vast topic in such a brief period forces some short-cuts: battles such as Ypres and Passchendale, the fall of Baghdad and the Vardar Offensive are merely glossed; Lemberg, the Brusilov Offensive and Vittorio Veneto are not even mentioned. The narrative emphasises the human experience, and is successful in offering a broad perspective from both soldiers and civilians, from Ireland to Armenia. The documentary places the war in a global context and offers a balanced analysis although it keeps one eye on subsequent events (the viewer will share some moments of hindsight). Although it borrows from Satie, Orlando Gough's score is weak.Overall, this is a very good introduction to the Great War, fairly comprehensive and objective. Students and those new to the subject will find it both helpful and fascinating.

This 3 DVD set is for me by far the best of all the First World War documentary sets. Almost all geographical areas of the conflict are covered, historical background to the outbreak and military/naval strategies and weapons employed by all countries involved are clearly explained. Much old film footage appears that I have never seen in previous First World War documentaries (old film of an Austro-Hungarian river gunboat is one of many examples here). I thoroughly recommend this set. It is well worth the money.

This is probably the best documentary on the subject since the 1960's series 'The Great War'. It attempts to explain and highlight the tactics and strategy's employed in the conflict and is both revisionist and traditional in its interpretation of events. Its clever use of letters and diaries of the time helps to produce a sense of the time for the viewer. Although unseen footage of the period is now hard to come by this series does manage to include some previously unseen pictures.The series will be useful to anyone interested in British and/or military history. A very good aid for the pupil at school learning about the Great War just as for the graduate.