The World at War 

A series of documentaries about World War II.

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Anthony Eden, Averell Harriman

Top Rated TV #11 | 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Laurence Olivier	...	Himself - Narrator 26 episodes, 1973-1974

Storyline

A multi-volumed documentary mini-series, "The World at War" covers the entire history of World War II from the causes of the 1920s to the aftermath of the Cold War in the 1950s. Emphasis is also placed on several inside story episodes, where events are covered which occurred inside Germany and Japan such as resistance to Hitler, life in general under a dictatorial regime, and particular emphasis is focused on the Jewish Holocaust.

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Plot Keywords:

battle | allies | armament | warfare | politics | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German French Japanese

Release Date:

31 October 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Die Welt im Krieg

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imperial War Museum, Thames Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min (26 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the information, especially with regard to German-Soviet relations in 1939-41, is considered outdated due to the release of new material after the end of the Cold War.

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Connections

Featured in The 50 Greatest Documentaries (2005)

User Reviews

powerful and spellbinding

i watched this series when it first came out in the 70s.i was 14 years old and i watched it at my best friends house as my dad didn't want to watch it.it became a weekly ritual every Sunday, and as anyone will tell you for two fourteen year olds to watch a documentary in almost reverential silence must mean that this was something special.

the broad sweep of the events of world war 2 makes for a difficult subject to document.so the makers broke it down into what they considered to be the most significant key happenings and devoted one episode to each.some episodes covered long periods such as 'wolf pack' which covered nearly all six years of the battle of the Atlantic.while the battle of Stalingrad had one episode to itself.

this documentary could not be made today quite simply because most of those interviewed are dead.the list of significant players appearing gives an amazing insight into the thinking at the time.Anthony eden the foreign secretary,Carl donnitz,head of the u-boats,Albert speer,pet architect confident and later armament minister for Hitler.in one of the later episodes we see traudl junge, Hitler's secretary,who was with him in the bunker and it was to her that he dictated his last will and testament-she left the bunker after Hitler's suicide and escaped through the Russian lines.these and many others play a major role in the realism of the events portrayed.

if i have any criticism of the series it is that the code-breakers of bletchly park are not included but the revelations of their part in the war only emerged after the series had been made so i cannot blame the programme makers.

the opening titles and music are magnificent,and Lawrence Olivier's narration lends a natural gravity to the script.

the best documentary series ever made? without doubt.unmissable