"The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century" (1996) TV series

Directors:

Carl Byker
Lyn Goldfarb

Writer:

Joseph Angier (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Sport | War

Plot Keywords:

Conference | Spiritualism | Shell Shock | Prisoners Of War | Canadian

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Judi Dench	...	Herself - Narrator (8 episodes, 1996)
Martin Landau	...	Woodrow Wilson (3 episodes, 1996)
Malcolm McDowell	...	Charles Stockwell / ... (3 episodes, 1996)
Ian Richardson	...	David Lloyd George / ... (3 episodes, 1996)
Rene Auberjonois	...	Jean Jaures / ... (2 episodes, 1996)
Paul Mercurio	...	Cyril Lawrence (2 episodes, 1996)
Liam Neeson	...	Adolf Hitler / ... (2 episodes, 1996)
Michael York	...	Harold Owen / ... (2 episodes, 1996)

Also Known As:

1914-1918 (UK)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Features The Battle of the Somme (1916)

The Forgotten War

This series chronicals the first world war from start to finish. Using first hand accounts(via letters read by voice actors) and rare footage, this documentary is very fair and thourugh. I particularly liked how the makers explained the events of The Great War in the context of history as it related to europe's past and future (WWII). At times, the letters can be quite moving, bringing the viewpoints of unsung heroes and victims as well as political leaders to the forefront in a very personal way.