The Guns of August

The Guns of August is a documentary that follows the book by the same title by author, Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989), an eminent American historian. She received the first of her two Pulitzer prizes for this 1962 masterpiece on World War I. The documentary was made in 1965. Barbara Tuchman was highly respected for her ability to present complex subjects and present them with clarity. Until I read the previous review, I have never heard of anyone accusing her of hating Germany or its people or of her book being anti-German propaganda. But there are pictures of shot civilians and movies of smoldering ruins. Then again, there are people who claim the Holocaust never took place and is just anti-Nazi propaganda... Facts: On August 3 1914, Germany declared war on France. The German invasion plan for France called for an attack through Belgium, instead of through the heavily defended Franco-German border. Belgium was neutral and its neutrality was protected by treaty with Great Britain. The Germans attacked on August 3rd. The next day, August 4th, Great Britain declared war on Germany. Germany warned Belgium that they only wanted to reach France and if Belgium complied, there wouldn't be any trouble. Despite its small army, Belgium chose to protect its sovereignty and its honor and paid for it. Liège, Aarschot, Andenne, Tamines, Dinant, and Leuven, where the worst of the German depredations occurred. Just look at the ruins of the city of Leuven! 90% of the 500 years old Middle-age University town reduced to ashes, including its precious library with many priceless manuscripts. (The town hall only survived because it was the German QG.) Without any legitimate pretext, German soldiers killed nearly 6,000 non-combatants in Belgium, including women and children (the equivalent of about 230,000 Americans today), and burned some 25,000 homes and other buildings. In this instance, Germany acted more like Attila the Hun that the noble birth country of Goethe, Holbein or Bach. I am not passing judgment on a country or its people but on a time in the history of a country and its people at that time. World War I started 96 years ago and for the sake of the victims, you just cannot ignore the facts, the films and the testimonies of the survivors. For more on this subject, read Jeff Lipkes "Rehearsals: The German Army in Belgium, August 1914" http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4865. The documentary was released on VHS in the 80's but I am not aware of a DVD version.

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.

This is the movie version of Tuchman's anti-German propaganda book.Tuchman was a rabid German hater and her book(and this movie)are little more than a replay of old allied propaganda from the war years.As history it is worthless.Turn the sound off and look at the old film footage.It is a shame that after all these years we still can't get an honest and objective look at these important events.Instead we are stuck with the same propaganda lies that our grandparents were fed 90 years ago.Even 70 years after historians like Harry Elmer Barnes and Sidney Fay totally demolished these faulty theories many people still believe them,probably because they have been trained since youth to unquestioningly believe any anti-German fairy tale that's trotted in front of them.WWI has been over for almost 90 years isn't it time we called off the propaganda campaign?

This documentary tries, but falls short of the quality of Barbara Tuchman's book. Worth watching anyway for the film footage. I am perplexed by the reviewer below who sees Ms. Tuchman as a revisionist and this film as propaganda. I do not view her that way at all. I think there is great value in history and that the original book was well researched and written. If only more world leaders would read it, the world would be a better and safer place. I remember John Kennedy said he read it and that it influenced his thinking. So, Goofy, you can bend over, kiss you little self and be glad he did because you came within a hair's breath of becoming a little puff of white ash during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I was impressed with all the authentic films of World War I. It's a Who's Who of historical figures, and the battle scenes are amazing. They're old and grainy, of course, but I didn't know footage like this existed. There are scenes of soliders going over the top and getting mowed down by gun fire, and a great view of the damage to the French countryside from the air.

I teach history and plan to start showing parts of this regularly in my class.