Apocalypse World War I

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5 Excellent Documentaries to Cover World War I

Few films explain the causes of World War I like the acclaimed French documentary series “Apocalypse World War I, directed by Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle, and narrated by Mathieu Kassovitz. The series is a superb compilation of excellent narration and fascinating colorized archive footage. As a result it is by far the most impressive and complete documentary series about World War I.

In 1914 the world entered into a period of unimaginable conflict and suffering. How did such a cruel and far-reaching conflict occur? Why did the warring parties resort to trench warfare? How did humankind endure this atrocity for four long years? Could the sacrifice of an entire generation have been avoided?

Apocalypse World War I is the best and most complete documentary series about the first World War. A superb narrative feeds the audience over 500 hours of archival footage, much of it previously unseen, and now completely colorized. The series tells the story with compassion and brings us to the heart of battle. It covers the full story of the war, from the trenches in the North of France to the lesser-known fronts of Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Palestine, as well as to the everyday life of civilians behind the lines. The narration brings to life the memories and the experiences of these men and women, and helps us better understand and feel how yesterday’s world was driven to apocalypse.

Expected to be short, the war became a long and horrendous “total war”. Eventually, the first world war caused an estimated total of 40 million military and civilian casualties. When in April 1917 America entered the war, it shifted the offensive in favor of the allied forces.

Once, ended in 1918, the war had torn apart the old state structures and completely dislocated the European Economy. Because the 1918 armistice failed to address the true causes of the war, the end of World War I had also set the stage for World War II. Within a decade, totalitarian political forces emerged, strengthened by the social and economic crises of the post war period. In 1937 Japan invaded China. Soon after, in 1939, Germany invaded Poland, marking the official beginning of WWII

This serie consists of 5 documentaries