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1914-1918 Total War [1996] | ![1914-1918 Total War [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F248P53SL._SL500_.jpg)
| Actor: Judi Dench
Studio: Dd Home Entertainment
Category: Video
List Price: £18.99
Buy New: £10.00
You Save: £8.99 (47%)
New (1) Used (1) from £7.99
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 4900
Format: Black & White, Colour, Pal
Rating: Exempt
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 204 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 4.9 x 2.4
EAN: 5024165815847
ASIN: B00004CVEN
Theatrical Release Date: 1996
Release Date: October 13, 1997
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: cover has been on shop display. videos are new
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| Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Series December 6, 2001
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This series is a supreme overview of World War 1 with insightful commentary and brilliant footage. A must for students of history, and indeed for all to remind us of the horrors of war.
Tragic Overview of World War I June 19, 2001
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
Where this programme came from is anyone's guess ----- a fusion of BBC Education and the History Channel perhaps ----- but it is accidentally the best series made about the First World War. Combining modern day video production and heart breaking archive from the conflagration, Judi Dench narrates this classic work of conflict and personal loss which ran through our grand-parents lives. This is no chronological run through of events and battles though --- for the first time the devastating losses and contributions of women in the war is assiduously chronicled and at last properly documented. Because my own elderly relations fought and thankfully survived this horrific conflict I find it impossible not to be moved, knowing how kindly and optimistic their generation was. It was a reality that their gentleness and idealism was permanently destroyed by the horrors they witnessed. Focussing on the human cost, time has distanced us from the complex military issues which have dogged discussion of the War for so long. Eventually there is some consensus that the technology evolved a long term war of attrition, where only the strongest survived. There is no heart rending debate about tactics or if the British Generals were 'butchers' or if thousands of lives were needlessly thrown away. Instead we see the war from the perspective of those who fought and supported the troops. As this was a world struggle we learn about the equality of suffering in all nations involved, and not before time commemoration of the hugely brave struggle of the French on whose soil the vital battles took place. This is something of a compendium about the Great War ---- it doesn't get bogged down in detail or facts but does give a strong sense of what it was like to be involved in the conflict. The modern footage of battle sites and homes of the combattants is presented with all the slickness and production values eliciting the heart breaking intrusion of violence and loss on simple lives, yet the editorial pulls no punches in blaming German expansionism for the war and by inference crediting the British for stopping it.....for a while anyway. This is a stunning and lovingly crafted memorial to an innocent generation who fought for their separate ideals. Sadly it signalled the end of the British Empire and twenty years later the demise of Germany itself. This video evocatively details a destructive four year struggle which only postponed the resoloution of competing Euro-powers, it documents the dashed hopes of people like my Grandfather who thought their physical sacrifice would end bullying for good. For the first time this is a fitting testament to the super-human bravery of those who tried to fight facism and failed. It also chronicles the death of our own country, pushed into terminal decline after 1919 and a disasterous showing in World War II only saved by America from invasion and total capitulation. The Great War was one we won....on paper, but it's cost was the end of our status as a superpower, and the question must be asked as to who really was victorious in the conflict?
A great BBC series on World War I September 3, 2000
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This is a two-tape set, and is the first half of a two-set series of tapes on World War I. (The second half is called 1914-1918 The Crucible). Together, they are an excellent review of World War I -- its origins, the soldiers who fought it, the big battles and strategies, the impact on society, and the aftermath. It uses classic film footage, archive photos, and expert commentary to weave together the complex story of the war. This first half, naturally, explores the origins of war and traces the war through the first couple of years of warfare, when the combatants slowly came to realize they were locked in a tragic stalemate that was devastating to all concerned. This is big, lavish and authoritative; a great introduction to this vital bit of history.
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