The World at War on BBC2

The Highwayman

Just flicking around and found it. The voice of Laurence Olivier brings me back to my childhood and my fascination with WWII. I watched it all on youtube about a year ago

PatsytheNazi

The Highwayman wrote: »

Just flicking around and found it. The voice of Laurence Olivier brings me back to my childhood and my fascination with WWII. I watched it all on youtube about a year ago

Good series alright, Laurence Olivier voiceover is excellent on it. I also remember watching it as a young lad with my father. Must have been one of the very few programmes that kept me inside on a sunny day !

I think the very last programme is worth watching, where sodleirs, sailors and air men give their persective on the war. One German soldier remarked that future generations will have to address the sense of excitement young men experience when it comes to violence and battle. He gives the example of how young lads will make up catapults, line up a bunch of bottles on a wall and then proceed to take aim and smash them to pieces. He said don't be surprised when they grow up and join a tank regiment or something that they don't get the same thrill and honestly cites his own and his comrades feelings at times in the war. Thought provoking.

Morlar

I believe this series is over now, the 'Remember' episode was the other day. Some very poignant footage too. One interesting interview was with the then director of the IWM london talking about re-adjustment to civilian life, including how many soldiers felt that society 'owed them', the interviewees point was that this is a common view and understandable but wrong. One american who lost his legs recalled how his doctor told him 'Go open a dictionary and look up the word sympathy, it's right there between shít and syphilis'. There was another British man who recalled that for the entire year 1946 he just could not communicate with his family, he mentioned how if there was a local event like the 'opening of a new mens lavatory' that his neighbours or family might mention in passing then he just could not fathom how something so mundane and trivial could be worth attention after what he had seen and been through. Very moving interviews in my view. Also some Germans interviewed about the post war exploitation by allied troops of German women and so on.

Prefab Sprouter

Fantastic series. Filmed at the time when a lot of the "personalities" associated with the conflict were still around so in depths opinions were elicited and Oliviers voice and gravitas added to the series and showed how a good narrator can make a difference to a documentary. Essential viewing for anyone with an interest in World War 2. My favourite episodes include "the Fall of France" and the one on the Strategic Bombing Campaign against Germany.

Hondo75

Great series and have Sky+ it. There was a bargain alert on the boxset a couple of months ago.

gaelicred

Best series on the war that i have seen