"The World at War" (1973) TV series

User Rating:

9.7/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1976 (Denmark)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Plot:

A series of accurate documentaries about World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Resistance | Germany | Japan | Dam Busting | Dive Bomber

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Laurence Olivier

...

Himself - Narrator (26 episodes, 1973-1974)

(more)

Series Directed by
Hugh Raggett		(3 episodes, 1973-1974)
John Pett		(3 episodes, 1974)
David Elstein		(2 episodes, 1973)
Ted Childs		(2 episodes, 1974)
Michael Darlow		(2 episodes, 1974)
Martin Smith		(2 episodes, 1974)

Series Writing credits
Peter Batty		(6 episodes, 1973-1974)
Neal Ascherson		(3 episodes, 1973-1974)
Laurence Thompson		(2 episodes, 1973)
Charles Bloomberg		(2 episodes, 1974)
Jerome Kuehl		(2 episodes, 1974)
David Wheeler		(2 episodes, 1974)
John Williams		(2 episodes, 1974)

Series Produced by
Peter Batty	....	producer (6 episodes, 1973-1974)
David Elstein	....	producer (3 episodes, 1973-1974)
John Pett	....	producer (3 episodes, 1974)
Ted Childs	....	producer (2 episodes, 1974)
Michael Darlow	....	producer (2 episodes, 1974)
Martin Smith	....	producer (2 episodes, 1974)
Phillip Whitehead	....	producer (2 episodes, 1974)

Series Original Music by
Carl Davis		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Eva Braun		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Jeff Harvey		(unknown episodes)
Peter Lee-Thompson		(unknown episodes)
David Taylor		(unknown episodes)
Beryl Wilkins		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Liz Sutherland	....	unit manager (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Tony Bulley	....	graphic artist (unknown episodes)
Lester Halhed	....	graphic artist (unknown episodes)
Ian Kestle	....	graphic artist (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Keith Barber	....	sound (unknown episodes)
Nigel Bell	....	dubbing editor (unknown episodes)
Colin Charles	....	sound (unknown episodes)
Bob Harvey	....	dubbing editor (unknown episodes)
Sandy MacRae	....	sound (unknown episodes)
Brian Rendle	....	sound recordist (unknown episodes)
Nola Schiff	....	dubbing editor (unknown episodes)
Freddie Slade	....	dubbing mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Fash	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Peter Goodwin	....	camera operator: rostrum camera (unknown episodes)
Peter Lang	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Ray Orton	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Alan Afriat	....	supervising editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Roger Chinery	....	laboratory liaison (unknown episodes)
Louis De Jong	....	special consultant (unknown episodes)
Raye Farr	....	film researcher (unknown episodes)
Michael Fox	....	film researcher (unknown episodes)
Noble Frankland	....	historical advisor (unknown episodes)
Sherman Grinberg	....	archive source (unknown episodes)
Isobel Hinshelwood	....	researcher (unknown episodes)
Heinrich Hoffmann	....	archive source (unknown episodes)
Ian Kestle	....	opening titles (unknown episodes)
Jerome Kuehl	....	script associate (unknown episodes)
Susan McConachy	....	researcher (unknown episodes)
Alan Patient	....	researcher (unknown episodes)
John Rowe	....	film researcher (unknown episodes)
Ben Shepard	....	researcher (unknown episodes)
D.A. Spencer	....	archive source (unknown episodes)
John Stamp	....	opening titles (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Imperial War Museum (in cooperation with)
• Thames Television

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2001) (UK) (TV)
• Danmarks Radio (DR) (1976-1977) (Denmark) (TV)
• Danmarks Radio (DR) (2004) (Denmark) (TV)
• Danmarks Radio (DR) (2004) (Denmark) (TV) (repeats)
• Danmarks Radio (DR) (2006) (Denmark) (TV) (repeats)
• Fremantle Media (1974) (UK) (TV)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1974) (UK) (TV)
• Oy Nordisk Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)

Runtime:

52 min (26 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | French | Japanese

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-15

Company:

Imperial War Museum

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Anglian Lives: Alan Partridge (2003) (TV)

The war documentary to end all war documentaries

Utterly brilliant. Powerful and evocative. The most compelling documentary series ever made concerning war. It's tone offers a stark contrast to the often gung-ho attitude towards World War 2 that the media exhibits. Rather than opting for screaming about the horror of war, it allows Sir Laurence Olivier's quiet voice to take a back seat to the true images of war: corpses everywhere, explosions, terrified citizens and soldiers, broken men, indifferent politicians, mistakes that cost thousands of lives, the suffering of the innocents. Most of all it truly brings home that mankind is capable of when all normal rules of "civility" are removed. There is something distinctly Hobbesian about man in a true state of nature, he will return to a more beastly form capable of crimes that will still shock and fascinate 60 years on. Perhaps there could be a follow up series called "The century at war" for the twentieth century was truly the century of horrors. I feel it is an irony of immense magnitude that it took an event which caused the death of 50 million people to produce such a compelling and excellent series such as this.