War

★ 8 · 1983 · Documentary

This series of seven one-hour films examines the nature, evolution and consequences of modern warfare. Filmed in ten countries, on two oceans, and with the co-operation of the armed forces of six nations, War features interviews with top-level NATO and Soviet military leaders and strategists, eminent historians and other professional observers of combat. Drawing as well on film and picture archives worldwide, with footage of important battlefields on three continents, this documentary series argues that war, an institution invented to settle disputes between nations, no longer serves its purpose. It concludes that nations must find other ways to resolve their differences. The on-camera host for the War series is Gwynne Dyer, Canadian international affairs analyst and military historian.

Episodes

▶1. The Road To Total War56m · Dyer analyzes two centuries of world military history and defines the milestones along the road to total war: the birth of nationalism, conscription, the mobilization of large armies, the invention of the machine gun, tank and atomic bomb, and the deliberate killing of civilians. From Napoleon to Nagasaki, The Road to Total War charts how the social, economic and technological developments of the last two hundred years have made warfare so efficient that it can now destroy us all.▶2. Anybody's Son Will Do56m · Photographed on location at the United States Marine Corps Parris Island Training Depot in South Carolina, this film follows a group of young recruits through their grueling ten-week "basic training." Anybody's Son Will Do provides insight into techniques that all armies use to indoctrinate recruits with a new set of morals--techniques that transform ordinary citizens into soldiers ready to kill, even to die, for their country.▶3. The Profession of Arms56m · This film is about professional soldiers--the career officers who devote their lives to maintaining military organizations and nurturing the attitudes that go with them. With extraordinary frankness, officers from six nations recount their combat experiences, describe how they come to terms with their job demands, and explain how sophisticated technology is changing the nature of their profession.▶4. The Deadly Game of Nations56m · To explain the link between war and nationalism, The Deadly Game of Nations focuses on the Middle East, a volatile area claimed by many nations. While making a film about sovereignty, the film crew unexpectedly found itself amidst the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. From the war-torn streets of Beirut to the Golan Heights and the border kibbutz of Kfar Giladi, the film provides a close-up view of the devastating effect of continuous war on the lives of both soldiers and civilians.▶5. Keeping the Old Game Alive56m · Along the vigilantly patrolled line separating East and West Germany lie half the world's conventional (non-nuclear) armed forces--the Warsaw Pact forces to the east, the NATO Alliance to the west. It is here in Europe that military experts predict the next major world war will begin, initially with conventional weapons. In Keeping the Old Game Alive, top military leaders from both NATO and Warsaw Pact countries describe how any future superpower confrontation might evolve. The frightening outcome of one recent NATO war exercise was rapid escalation to all-out nuclear war once supplies of conventional weaponry were exhausted.▶6. Notes on Nuclear War59m · This film follows the development of the nuclear arms race from Hiroshima to the nuclear stalemate of today. It examines the Western military-industrial complex and its Warsaw Pact counterpart, and explains how the concept of "limited" nuclear war came to be. Notes on Nuclear War shows the devastating effect of nuclear bombs; American and Soviet physicians describe the medical consequences and the inability of their profession to cope with the casualties.▶7. Goodbye War56m · Goodbye War looks at some of the causes and consequences of the last two World Wars and of recent small conflicts that have brought us perilously close to nuclear war. As well, it examines why attempts to limit arms and achieve lasting peace have so far failed. Dyer outlines political and international peace initiatives and asks citizens of several nations for their views on war and peace. The series concludes with the warning that we must find a way to say goodbye to war if the human race is to survive.

More Like This

The Australian Wars

2022 · ★ 10

There are more than ten thousand monuments across the country that honour the war dead . But what of the bloody battles fought on our home soil, in our longest-running war that established the Australian nation?

More info →

Clash of Wings

1998

A comprehensive series detailing the great air battles the Second World War as they have never been told. Featuring rarely seen aerial combat footage of all the major combat aircraft types from World II.

More info →

History's Verdict

2013 · ★ 6.5

A group of history experts from London's King's College has created this documentary series that tries to assess the key political figures of WWII.

More info →

War Factories

2019 · ★ 7.5

The untold secret story of war production that shaped the Second World War.

More info →

The World at War

1973 · ★ 8.3

A documentary series that gives a historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath and the lives it profoundly influenced.

More info →

Churchill at War

2024 · ★ 7.6

This captivating docuseries examines Winston Churchill's pivotal role in World War II and the formative events that made him an ideal leader for the era.

More info →

Jutland - Clash of the Dreadnoughts

2004

The only major fleet engagement of World War I, the Battle of Jutland has been surrounded by controversy ever since. The British public felt Admiral Jellicoe had failed – a reaction rooted in a hundred years of the 'Nelson cult', a conviction that anything short of a Trafalgar-style annihilation was letting the side down. On the 31st of May 1916 – 251 British and German battleships set out to annihilate one another in the North Sea. In a vicious engagement that lasted over 12 hours – 25 ships were sunk and 8,600 lives were lost. The German Fleet had sunk more ships and suffered fewer casualties, but the British had forced them to disengage and run for port. This two-hour special tells the true story of the battle. An international team of marine divers and historians set out to explore the wrecks of the great Dreadnoughts that lie 100 miles from shore and up to 60 metres deep. The dives will at last reveal why the British navy failed to score a decisive victory.

More info →