THE PLOT THUS FAR
The popular view of the First World War is dominated by cliche. Young soldiers were led to ghastly deaths in muddy wastes on the Western Front by incompetent generals for reasons that were seemingly futile. And although cliches are not necessarily lies, they are, at best, a selective view of the truth. On the centenary of the start of this terrible conflict, this special edition ten-part series offers a stunning account of the war, presenting new insights into one of the defining events of modern history, and, for the first time ever, a truly global vision of the conflict.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The First World War” is a reissue of the original 2003 series that aired in England. The material is fairly smart and covers a wide spectrum of affairs. However, it’s pretty boring and conducted with the sense of a High School lecture. If you expected to learn anything, you’ll find that you’re tuning out after an hour or so. Which is sad, because the program is 500 minutes long. That’s right, kids. You’ve got eight and a half hours of this stuff.
World War I is such a weird time, because Americans fetishize World War II so much. That was the last good War and the lack of media for World War I makes it so easy to forget. Hell, I know a ton of history students that can’t really pin down why Verdun was so important. Biggest one day loss of life in modern warfare and it doesn’t even get an eyebrow raised by the mainstream. For shame, people!
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is on par with standard definition releases. The transfer has a muddy sheen. But, the Dolby track does its work. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!