User reviews

The title sequence of THE GREAT WAR opens with an allied soldier leaning over a cross . The camera quickly pans down a pile of dead bodies then slowly pans left onto a British Tommy , the horrors of war plain to see in his eyes , and all the while doom laden music music plays in the foreground. It`s impossible through words to describe how effective this is , it`s shocking , disturbing and heart wrenching and if this is the title sequence just think how brutal the rest of the documentary is ?

I first saw THE GREAT WAR in 1974 when it was broadcast on Sunday afternoons but for some reason the BBC decided not to broadcast it again until 2003 almost 30 years later . Everyone talks about how great THE WORLD AT WAR ( Which often turns up on British network TV every few years ) is as a documentary but I can`t help thinking this is actually the greatest documentary involving war . Perhaps its greatest strength is that it shows the effect of the conflict throughout the entire world . There is a tendancy for British and Commonwealth historians ( Most notably John Laffin ) to lapse into accusations of incompetence on the part of the British military leaders or even into self sorrow as to the needless slaughter of young British men but as THE GREAT WAR shows this needless slaughter isn`t unique to Douglas Haig . Britain lost 800,000 servicemen while the French lost 1,200,000 while the Germans lost even more while the Russians lost 2,000,000 dead . Would anyone consider the German offensive at Verdun in 1916 as a success for Germany? So the strategic disasters by the British at the Somme and Ypres were in no way unique and the documentary does point out that proportionaly the British suffered higher casualties during the March 1918 offensive by the Germans than they had on the first day of the Somme

If there`s a problem with the documentary then it`s maybe just too informative , it`s impossible to take in all the facts and figures at first showing . Thank gawd for the video recorder where you can tape each episode and slowly assimilate the information ( And the horror ) on screen . There are one or two other flaws like as has been mentioned clips being shown out of context with someone mentioning the day American troops arrived in Britain but instead of American Doughboys on screen it`s clearly British Tommies , but this would be unforgivably pedantic if I described it as a criticism since this is probably the greatest documentary made about any war

I`m afraid I must finish this review with a criticism of the BBC: Their scheduling of this masterwork on BBC 2 was disgraceful with breaks in transmission lasting several weeks whenever it clashed with its sports coverage . Something this superb should have been shown at peak time on BBC 1 at the same time every week

This documentary is possibly the best documentary series ever made. If I could, I would give it an extra star, so it could be the Pershing of documentaries. The fact it beats The World at War and other stunningly epic documentaries shows how incredible it really is.

As a man who has spent his life thinking on history, and could potentially spend a long professional life doing it, all I can say is how refreshing the series is. Unlike other documentaries, it has no platitudes or ahistorical biases, it presents the conflict accurately. Startlingly accurately, with its amazing black and white footage and interviews.

Not only that, but Sir Michael Redgrave topples all narrating rivals in his performances. Forever now will I associate his voice with the conflict, strong, unique and filled with power.

It's the detail that shocks. The emphasis on context, too. By presenting it so historically and professionally, it puts the conflict in its proper place in history and in society. I've watched newer documentaries, and have had to study the literature extensively for my higher education, but never was I more moved than watching this documentary.

Please, seek this series out when you can. It may never be released on Blu-Ray. In-fact, I'd buy a DVD player just for watching this series again, and I'd keep a compatible TV too, just in case. If I was off to a desert island, this would probably be the series I'd take.

I first saw this series when it was repeated by the BBC in the early Seventies on Sunday afternoons. I watched several of the episodes with my grandmother whose beloved brother died at the Battle of the Somme. It is one of the main reasons that I am interested in the First World War, why I became a historian and why I take groups of schoolchildren to the battlefields every year. After years of claiming it was 'out of date' and 'unshowable' the BBC have released it on video/DVD and shown it on TV on Saturday evenings. As I started to watch the first episode the hairs on the back of my neck stood up-the portentous music,Sir Michael Redgrave's melifluous narratiion, the superbly literate script by John Terraine and Correlli ('Bill') Barnett, the archive footage (even if much of it is used out of context)-it was all as I remembered it. This series provided the blueprint for many others, especially 'The World at War'. It is a timeless classic which should be seen by anyone with the remotest interest in history or a moving story superbly told. Interestingly the series was masterminded by John Terraine and, as such, embodies the then unfashionable 'revisionist' view that not all the generals (especially Field Marshal Haig)were blundering idiots who sent men cruelly to their deaths but were limited by the available technology into fighting grim attrition battles as the only means of victory. This now pretty much the academic orthodoxy-40 years after this classic series was made!

I have just been reading other peoples reviews on this series,and found them very interesting.I was born in 1964 the year this series was put together,i remember it was shown in the late sixties i must have been about 4 or 5 years old,i wouldn't have remembered it when it was first shown obviously.My father used to watch this programme religiously,him being a Korean war vet and his own father being a WW1 vet, he was hooked on this series,the scenes in this documentary used to really frighten me as a child i remember leaving the room and i wouldn't come back in until i heard the haunting music at the end,i still remember some of them horrific images today.When they re showed this series a couple of years ago it didn't seem no where near as bad,I'm pretty sure they cut a lot of photos and a lot of footage out which they may have found a bit to horrific for todays audience,as i can still see some of the horrific images they showed back in the sixties,i wont go into detail,but if any one watched this series back then I'm sure they would agree.Before this series was re shown ,they made a documentary about the making of this series,and it turns out they had to pay a lot of money for most of the footage they got hold of,especially the Russian footage as Russia was Communist then,so the programme ended up going well over their budget.Also they had problems with finding reliable veterans,as a lot of old men they interviewed,from one of the film crews accounts were a bit loopy,one chased a female interviewer around the room,and a lot of the old men just couldn't talk about their experiences when it came to it,some broke down and some got angry.So the men you see portrayed in this series were the ones that could talk about their experiences and give accurate accounts in a calm manner.In all this is a very good series it totally covers the events of WW1,it explains the war from the beginning to the end.Oh yes the unknown soldier you see at the beginning opening credits is from an Ulster Regiment,most probably from the Somme.As a lot of people wonder who he is.

In one of my earlier reviews, I wrote at great length of how great World at War is and how it is the apex of ww2 documentaries, delving into almost every single aspect of the war, from Hitler's rise to power, to the german invasion of poland, to barbarossa, d-day, okinawa, iwo jima, dunkirk, and everything in between. This show is basically World at War but for the first war, although because it came earlier, you can argue this was the real trailblazer. It employs many things that would later go on to become a staple of any war documentary worth anything, which includes getting interviews from people that were actually there (even german soldiers are interviewed), using scenes that involve maps that give the viewer a bird's eye view of what the opposing armies are trying to accomplish, the reading of primary sources from the time (like newspapers) and a soundtrack that perfectly fits with what is going on, whether it's sad, heroic, or terrifying. Most importantly, the show covers the entire war from start to finish, and includes the most critical and savage battles of world war 1, including Ypres, Passchendaele, Verdun, the Somme, Belleau Wood, Amiens, Tannenberg, and Gallipoli just to name a few. The series also goes into detail about some of the the first world war's lesser known battlegrounds, such as the german colony in Tsingtao, china, where the japanese fought the very country they would ally with 2 decades later. Just like World at War, the Great War has a stellar narrator, Michael Redgrave. No matter what he's discussing on screen, just the sound of him talking is enough to interest the viewer. To summarize, the Great War is simply a must watch for anybody who likes to study war history, and they shouldn't consider themselves a specialist on ww1 until they see it.

I just finished watching the series again, for at least the fifth time. "The Great War" is one of the best historical documentaries ever made - on-par with Ken Burns' "The Civil War" - and is the definitive program on the subject matter.

Rather than rehash all that's already been said, I would like to make a couple of (hopefully) fresh observations.

This series' soundtrack is an audio masterwork. Aside from occasional interviews, photos, and graphics cutaways, "The Great War" is necessarily comprised primarily of SILENT film footage. The sound added is done so well, it took me some time to remember this.

It is a tour de force of "foley" - sound effects added after the fact. Scenes of men in camp, on the march, and in battle - shots that would otherwise be silent - are meticulously enhanced with believable ambient sounds: footsteps falling, metal clanging, wind blowing, horses snorting, flies buzzing, men shouting, etc.

Add to this the haunting score by the BBC Northern Orchestra, Michael Redgrave's mesmerizing narration, character voiceovers by a talented cast, plus the voices of actual veterans. Sound and visual mesh seamlessly and with perfect pacing.

The series does have one glaring weak spot: Very little discourse on the weapons and technology of the war.

The use of poison gas is detailed, there is mention of flame throwers, and the viewer is told there were varying sizes of artillery. Submarines and surface warships are given a cursory review. That's about it. For the most part, no information is provided about weapons development or capability - virtually nothing on aircraft, tanks, machine guns, or small arms.

For example, unless learned outside the series, a viewer could assume that semi-automatic assault rifles were standard issue in WWI. It's amazing that, in over 17 hours of content, you never hear the terms "Enfield rifle", "Mauser rifle", or even "bolt-action".

Almost nothing is said about the medical technology of the era, or the huge advances made in treatment, like blood transfusions becoming practical. Little is said about disease. The "Spanish Flu" of 1918 was the worst pandemic in human history, resulting in some 50 million deaths, including more than half of all US servicemen who died in the war, but it is never mentioned.

I guess I'm kind of a tech guy. To its credit, The Great War does avoid falling into a pit of techno-babble that might bore the casual viewer. The program consistently stays on-point: the mindset of the era, how and why historical events took their course, and how the war impacted the common soldier and citizen.

Though the series finale spends much time on the Allied celebration of the armistice, it does not mention the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations, or any of the shortcomings made in concluding WWI (key factors in having to fight the war all over again in 21 years, on an even greater scale). I suppose this would have been anti-climatic, but they could have thrown-in at least a sentence or two about the war's legacy.

On the other hand, maybe it's just as well - there's a bazillion documentaries on WWII that start where "The Great War" leaves off. WWI was a watershed event in human history that deserves due consideration outside of WWII's shadow, and "The Great War" drives this point home.

That being said, a true understanding of the Second World War is not possible without an in-depth understanding of the First World War, and "The Great War" is the best source for this that I know of.

Bottom line: "The Great War" is a highly engaging and relevant program, even 50 years after its first showing, and 100 years after the start of WWI. It's a must-see for anyone interested in 20th century and/or military history, and should be required viewing for everyone.

A monumental documentary that has never been rivalled in scope, depth and power. A precursor to the World at War, but, I would suggest, even superior to that superb production. The measured intonation of Sir Michael Redgrave as narrator is unforgettable, imbuing the whole production with the perfect degree of solemnity and gravity. The series studies and dissects the war as if it were a great recumbent beast and does not spare the sensibilities of the viewer. The zone of the armies, the side conflicts, the politics and the social landscapes of the countries involved are all given excellent treatment. Analytical and dense with detail, the series repays multiple viewings. I keep coming back to it again and again.

There are many highlights - the episode dealing with Ypres and Passchendaele, for example, is horrendous and yet at the same time marvellous in its exposition, using excerpts from war poets to terrible effect.

A piece of sublime film-making. I cannot imagine we will see its like again.

No spoilers - I think we know how it ended. This classic is a dated mixed bag and whilst we have enjoyed watching it most of the way through now we are starting to fast forward. The editing is very poor . It is impossible to tell whether the film editor just kept piling on more and more hours of footage (men, mud, guns, horses, guns, explosions, more horses etc) to fill in the time taken by the ponderous, windy script OR whether the excessive poetry, pompous proclamations, cliches and national anthems were there to mark time while hours of archive film were played out. It could have been 1/2 as long at least.

There are constantly interesting questions left unasked, as well as unanswered.

The lack of actual contemporary recorded voices for key players other than the interviewed soldiers is monotonous as all the quotes are acted by a small handful of actors. Oftentimes, the words chosen for the actors to speak are pretty meaningless anyway. Why are the interviewed soldiers, military personnel or other people not given names and titles to help with context? Many episodes are repetitive and lack a clear theme - perhaps as it was broadcast over a long period. Basically, I have learnt many surprising facts and will finish the series but it looks as though the incredible series The World At War about WW2 looked at all these weaknesses and others and addressed them brilliantly. An important archive document and a worthwhile endurance for history fans.

The title of this epic documentary is "The Great War" - an alternative term for World War I. And it does a brilliant job describing the prelude of the War and partly the aftermath. Even more, the analyses of many of the epic battles, but also less known are remarkable. However...

With the title which shows ambition to describe the "Great War, the series failed. Why. Because we have a Western-centric view on WWI - probably some 75% is related to the Western front and others to the Eastern and some the in Middle East. But at the end, giving enormous sacrifices, small countries are, as usual, left with no memory. I will quote the example of Serbia, on the allied side, which 1st defeated a much stronger Austro-Hungarian Army in 1915. Hust a few minutes about that. Even less is on an epic retreat of the whole army over Albania after the Germans occupied the weakened country. Finally, the numbers. In terms of losses, Serbia suffers by far the most - 31% of the pre-war population, counting both army and civilians perished. The second on the list is Romania (again, almost no mention) - 14%. UK and France are 4 and 7,7%. Should I also mention half a million orphans in Serbia after the war? Well, "The great war" has no references to that.

If the title was - "Great War on the Western Front" I would give a 10! With these facts, I will just stay and wonder about politics, visible even when we celebrate the heroes...

In the early 1960's the BBC had a very talented production team that had come together to make a nightly 'magazine' feature called 'Tonight'. They somehow became part of a project to create a series about the First World War (then still known by some people as the 'Great War').

Something of this magnitude had never before been attempted in Britain. It required a great deal of painstaking research and assembling still photographs and archive film from all over the world. More to the point, at this period, a large number of the participants were still alive and could be interviewed - the series is a priceless exercise in 'oral history'.

The principal historical consultant and writer was John Terraine, the foremost military historian of the time, and Michael Redgrave was engaged to speak the narration.

The series appeared in 1964, when I saw it as a child. It was an outstanding success, and spawned a rather weaker sequel, 'The Lost Peace'.

Then, for reasons best known to themselves, the BBC sat on the tapes. Some isolated episodes were sometimes shown at the Imperial War Museum in London, but the series was largely forgotten.

However, it has recently been re-released in its entirety as five double video packs. It should not be confused with any other series of a similar title - this remains the original and the best!

A superb series, this for me is probably the definitive account of WWI. With an incredible 24 episodes, the scope and depth of what's covered here is extraordinary. There's enough time to examine the war industry for instance. The series does not try to pin the blame on any one government for the war starting but seems to accept it was some kind of chain reaction that had to follow the assassination. The series does not blame the generals either for the scale of the slaughter, graphic pictures are not shown, we do though get interviews with many of the former soldiers after all this was made only 50 years after the war had first begun. The series explores the new weapons, new tactics used, the deadlock at Gallipoli, the fighting on the eastern front, the French failures, the USA's political climate, the internal Russian power struggles, the dog fights in the sky, right up to 1918, the defeat of the U-boat campaign, the hunger in Germany and collapse of moral. The scope and scale of what this series packs in for me places it in one of the greatest documentaries of all time. This simply wouldn't get made today on this scale.

Over the course of the 26 episodes it covers the battles, the politics, the economics, the cultural effects and most important - the graft of the men serving both sides as they fight for increasingly fading values.

What's particularly impressive is how well it holds up after almost half a decade. The footage used, while repeated at times, gives the viewer a clear guide of the people involved and what's going on while Redgrave delivers his perfectly pitched commentary. It's particularly appreciated that they managed to get some of the civilians and soldiers who actually experienced all of this, to weigh in at certain points for added humanity. Listening to them speak candidly about trench life, or running into barbed wire while having machine guns blazing at them, certainly brings an unquantifiable respect for those who fought, as the horror unfolds on the screen.

The only thing I would have liked added to the documentary is an episode covering each country post-war. This would have been a more fitting end to a series that shows, quite clearly, that there were no true victors in 1918.

This BBC documentary came out in 1964 when many of the veterans of WW1 were still alive and this documentary has many interviews with those veterans. That is one of the things that makes this very special.

Another thing that makes this excellent documentary special is the editing and narration by an excellent British actor named Michael Redgrave.

Don't let this gem pass you by. This is definitely the best documentary on WW1.

This long ignored TV series from 1964 by the BBC is finally available again.

This used archive film that I have never seen anywhere else. Other histories of the Great War seem to reuse the same old stock footage but not here. The series starts by looking at the state of Europe immediately before the war starts. A great book that compliments this is Barbara Tuchmann's Guns of August. The war itself starts with episode 3 and the pace is relentless there after. So many moving scenes, episode 11 covers the 1916 Battle of Verdun, I doubt anyone could watch this unmoved.

My grandfather's generation fought this terrible conflict, This series shows a little of the terrible cost of this four year long war. I urge you to watch it if you get the chance.

This documentary doesn't have nearly as high a profile as The World at War which came 10 years later. This is sad, because the WaW owes a lot to the GW, which is just as expertly edited and presented.

The series tells each stage of the war by a mixture of narration, archive footage and interviews with participants. The participants are older because they are describing events from 50 years earlier, but their descriptions are still extremely vivid and priceless from a historic perspective.

The narration is beautifully written and the delivery by Michael Redgrave is as good or better than Olivier's delivery on WaW. I have watched this series many times over the years, the last time I engaged with it I listened to it - I.e no pictures - and the narration is so strong that it works as an audio only experience.

Highly recommended - no other ww1 documentary comes close.

This series is a PRICELESS exercise in archive footage - make no bones about it.

The series is over 10 hours long yet consists almost entirely of archive footage from all the major battles of the war, particularly the Western Front. There is the odd interview with the veterans, well and alive and indeed quite young in 1964, yet the amazing sight is the reel after reel of archive footage. Where did they get it all from? (and why is it NEVER used in any WWI film before or since? - they all use the same few stills and films over and over again).

Countless shots of the Somme battlefields, Belgium, Verdun, and everywhere!

I only chanced upon it in the library, for a cheap rental; but watch this urgently.

Another surprising impression is the sheer modernity of the whole thing - great guns, brilliant filming, great troop movements, even aeroplanes and dog fights. Footage shot from old Sopwith Camels of bomb-drops and stuff like that.

It shows the Middle East fronts, Italy vs. Austria, Romanian fronts, Russian, the whole shebang! Also has a fantastic classical score to accompany it and brilliant narration by Sir Michael Redgrave.

Quite simply the definitive documentary on the First World War. 26 40-minute episodes which do as much as any book to encapsulate the 1914-1918 conflict. I'd go so far as to say it surpasses the World at War (which basically copied it!) as THE television documentary. The narration is perfectly pitched, the soundtrack is stunning, and there were enough veterans from all sides to add personal insights into the war. But what I think lifts it above all other Great War programmes (apart from the length) is that it gives airtime to campaigns that simply don't get a look in normally - the Eastern Front and Palestine; there are even lengthy segments on the war at sea with some excellent archive footage. If you've got a day to spare, watch it all in one go: you'll be better for it...

Even though it was nearly 40 years old and in Black & White "The Great War" immediatly grabbed my attention with its music,truly shocking images and excellent narration.

The start alone would be worth a "10" score,showing a British soldier staring blankly beside a German Officers gruesome corpse whilst that haunting,bombastic music plays."The Great War" as it was known before before that other War is a Brilliant and Intelligent series about the First World war that certainly does not hold back.As i said some of the images are truly shocking with film footage of British,French and German dead shown through-out the series,yet this is vital in showing the futility of war and in particular,"The Great War itself." Certainly some of the images you see in this series you will not be able to forget forexample even though i saw the "Gallipoli" over 6 months ago i can still remember the ending showing a British or ANZAC soldier with his head in hands whilst the credits rolled and the sublime score brought the episode to an end.Also the pictures of Lancashires Landing from the same episode are equally hard to forget even though they were just drawings.I can honestly say that Music,Imagery and Narration has never been used together so well,not even in "The World at War"

On the negative side,Propaganda footage was used far to often and was easy to spot(just look at the angle the camera was facing) as was some of the same footage. Also British High Command seemed to get off rather lightly in "The Somme" episode.Because although Haig and Rawlinson should certainly not take all of the blame it annoyed me that they didnt recieve any critcism and the 'inexperience' of the British army was often highlighted as the main problem as far as that battle is concerned.Also of the interviews with those that fought in the war,i didnt think there was enough ordinary British soldiers to give their opinion and to many 'Cut-glass' accented men.Nothing against those men,just i dont think it was a fair representation,regardless of how they speak.

But my complaints are certainly minor and i would advise anyone with an interest in the First World war to watch this or buy the DVD.

This documentry explains about the start of the war,then takes you through the misery of trench war fare.This is heart breaking and informative and moving,old soldiers recall the mud ,the gas,the sheer misery of fighting in water filled trenches. One soldier explains what it was like to take part in a firing squad,the guilt and pain etched on his face. The war is covered from all aspects ,home front,the somme,gallipoli and the russian revolution.Lawrence of arabia is mentioned briefly a romantic hero in a world full of horror. The saying in Britain was that it would be over by christmas and in Germany by the time the leaves fell in autumn.People volunteered to fight in 1914 but by 1915 it was obvious this was the war to end all wars. Watch this its compelling stuff then say two prayers thank God you didnt have to fight it,and ask God that theres no more world wars ,world war 3 will be the end. This series has stood the test of time its for serious students of war. Peace to the world