THE PLOT THUS FAR
HISTORY’s 100 Years of WWI takes a comprehensive look at the battle that left 15 million dead, 20 million injured, and changed the perception of war forever. Harnessing the industrial know-how of combustion engines, airplanes and even the camera, WWI introduced game-changing weapons of mass destruction: armored tanks, chemical weapons, submarines and the aerial bombardments of cities. See how these weapons were developed and witness the devastation they left behind.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“100 Years of WWI” uses recreations to do what every other History Channel educational program tries to do. Basically, they want you to learn about the wars that shaped the world while you’re waiting for Pawn Stars to start. There is a ton of insight into the mechanics and technology that were used, but there was very little follow-through on the human impact. But, I guess they wanted to bait the gearheads out there. You do what you can with the audience that you have.
World War I doesn’t get the same historical love affair that is shown to World War II. World War II had the more cinematic battles and it was the first War where you had cameras following around every unit. There is something that a movie can do, that still photographs of the Mustard gassed dead can’t accomplish. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that talking about the battles with the most casualties while technology mounted up to ensure that more people died was unsexy. But, those people never saw “Legends of the Fall”. That movie made you believe in the sex appeal of Henry Thomas getting destroyed by the Germans.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is really strong for a documentary. The Dolby track kicks it up where needed. Plus, the transfer isn’t dull. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!