Prelude to War (1942)

The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.

Directors:

Frank Capra (uncredited), Anatole Litvak (uncredited)

Stars:

Walter Huston, Victor Bulwer-Lytton, Kai-Shek Chiang

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Victor Bulwer-Lytton	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Lord Lytton)
Kai-Shek Chiang	...	Himself (archive footage) (as General Chaing Kai-Shek)
Walter Darré	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Darré)
Otto Dietrich	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Dietrich)
Hans Frank	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Frank)
Joseph Goebbels	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Doctor Goebbels)
Hermann Göring	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Goring)
Rudolf Hess	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Hess)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Hitler)
Saburo Kurusu	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Kurusu)
Robert Ley	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Ley)
Yosuke Matsuoka	...	Himself (archive footage)
Frank McCoy	...	Himself (archive footage)
Benito Mussolini	...	Himself (archive footage)
Puyi	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Henry Pu-yi)

Storyline

This famous propaganda piece, used as a U.S. Army training film in WWII before theatrical release, asks 'why we fight.' The answer compares the 'free' and 'slave' worlds. Included: development of dictatorships in Italy, Germany and Japan, while anti-militarism and isolationism rise in the USA; a look at enemy propaganda; and the first acts of aggression. Walter Huston narrates a combination of archival footage, maps, and other graphics.

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Plot Keywords:

nazi germany | democracy | totalitarianism | authoritarianism | reference to adolf hitler | 

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Taglines:

Your boy wants you to see it!

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian Japanese Amharic Russian

Release Date:

27 May 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Why We Fight, 1

Company Credits

Production Co:

U.S. War Department, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), U.S. Army Special Service Division

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is in the public domain; it was never registered or renewed.

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Goofs

During the (silent) footage of Ethiopians shouting, the angry voices are actually shouting in Kiswahili: "Kwenda!" ("go:), etc. The principal language of Ethiopia is Amharic. Kiswahili (commonly known as "Swahili") is the main language of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Last line] For this is what we are fighting: Freedom's oldest enemy, the passion of the few to rule the many. This isn't just a war. This is the common man's life and death struggle against those who would put him back into slavery. We lose it, and we lose everything. Our homes; the jobs we want to go back to; the books we read; the very food we eat. The hopes we have for our kids; the kids themselves. They won't be ours anymore. That's what's at stake. It's us or them! The chips are down. Two ...
[...]

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Connections

Followed by The Battle of Russia (1943)

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Soundtracks

A Hot Time in the Old Town
(1896) (uncredited)
Music by Theodore A. Metz
Played in the score

User Reviews

Very good to get an idea of perceptions at that time

The series "Why we fight" was US government propaganda to explain to American soldiers, and later the public, why the US was involved in WWII. It is very interesting to watch, and a good way to learn what Americans thought (or were supposed to think) at the time - but on its own this series does not provide an accurate account of the war.

Obviously, this was made before political correctness existed, and you can tell: there is talk of 'Japs', the Holocaust is largely ignored. Also, the movie is necessarily ambivalent about the Russian role, who were allies at the time. For example, the Molotov-Von Ribbentrop pact (especially the annex about the division of Eastern Europe) goes virtually unmentioned, and the Red Army's reasons for showing up in Eastern Poland are nebulous.

On the other hand, the movies are quite detailed about the people involved, the various Nazi leaders and so on - who would have been household names at the time, but would probably be left out of present day WWII documentaries. Also interesting is that one of the reasons, apparently, why Nazism must be fought was their union busting - surely a reflection of the post-Depression Roosevelt era.

All in all, well worth watching. I rate this highly both because it is essential viewing as an historical document, and because it is very well done propaganda (Frank Capra, animations by Disney)! Note that the US government has placed these movies in the public space, which means that perfectly legal, digital versions can be found on the internet.