The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century 

A unique first-person narrative, sewn together from genuine testimonies of frontline soldiers.

Stars:

Judi Dench, Salome Jens, Jürgen Prochnow

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Judi Dench	...	Narrator 8 episodes, 1996
Salome Jens	...	Narrator (U.S.A Verison) 8 episodes, 1996
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Kaiser Wilhelm II 5 episodes, 1996
Michael York	...	Harold Owen / ... 5 episodes, 1996
Tim Pigott-Smith		4 episodes, 1996
Ian Richardson	...	David Lloyd George / ... 4 episodes, 1996
Natasha Richardson	...	Vera Brittain 4 episodes, 1996
Jay Winter	...	Himself 4 episodes, 1996
Rene Auberjonois	...	Jean Jaures / ... 3 episodes, 1996
Leslie Caron	...	Czarina Aleksandra Romanov 3 episodes, 1996
Ralph Fiennes	...	Wilfred Owen 3 episodes, 1996
Rupert Graves		3 episodes, 1996
Jeremy Irons	...	Siegfried Sassoon 3 episodes, 1996
David Keith	...	Himself 3 episodes, 1996
Jeroen Krabbé		3 episodes, 1996
Martin Landau	...	Woodrow Wilson 3 episodes, 1996
Malcolm McDowell	...	Charles Stockwell / ... 3 episodes, 1996
Liam Neeson	...	Adolf Hitler / ... 3 episodes, 1996
Kai Wulff	...	Franz Blumenfeldt 3 episodes, 1996
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Vera Brittain 2 episodes, 1996
David Hayter		2 episodes, 1996
Allan Hendrick		2 episodes, 1996
Udo Kier		2 episodes, 1996
Paul Mercurio	...	Cyril Lawrence 2 episodes, 1996
Helen Mirren	...	Margaret Randa / ... 2 episodes, 1996
Marion Ross	...	Kathe Kollwitz 2 episodes, 1996
Fredrich Solms		2 episodes, 1996
Norman Stone	...	Himself 2 episodes, 1996

Storyline

A unique first-person narrative, sewn together from genuine testimonies of frontline soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

1910s | mud | armenian genocide | tv mini series | war injury | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | Sport | War

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

1914-1918

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Imperial War Museum,KCET

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows A New Nation (1776-1815) (1996)

User Reviews

Great documentary...

I can't really add to the other reviews. This is one of the best documentaries I've seen, and the best on this subject. It really was a case of lions being led by donkeys. I am including a poem by Wilfred Owen (killed a few days before the end of the war in a meaningless assault) that sums up what happened:

The Parable of the Old Man and the Young

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went, And took the fire with him, and a knife. And as they sojourned both of them together, Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father, Behold the preparations, fire and iron, But where the lamb, for this burnt-offering? Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps, And builded parapets and trenches there, And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son. When lo! an Angel called him out of heaven, Saying, Lay not they hand upon the lad, Neither do anything to him, thy son. Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns, A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son, And half the seed of Europe, one by one.