August 1914

This is a historical documentary on the first World War starting with 1910. Great Britain's King Edward VII is dead. All the European royalties gather for the funeral. They would be going to war in a few years. Narrator Fritz Weaver brings the traditional Hollywood Trans-Atlantic accent and gives that documentary heft to the material. I am fascinated with the first thirty minutes up to the Archduke's assassination. I didn't know some of the situations. It's great to see the old photographs. This is all black and white with a lot of moving pictures. Director Nathan Kroll keeps the stationary images moving by panning around. The style is old but it seems to be very well researched and well made. It does have an Allied slant, but nothing is too propagandistic. I used to watch a lot of Vietnam War documentary and this one is laying out the format for all those shows.