jcapogrossi I originally heard of this film from watching a (now) favorite documentary about the history of editing ("The Cutting Edge")- I decided to watch "Why we fight" just to see it for it's artistic importance as an influential part of US film history.It is- This film, even though from the 40's, is well made and is, without a doubt, NOT "boring" in any sense. This film moves forward and never lets up. I think what makes this film riveting moreso than other documentaries is that this one was made in the middle of the actual conflict. The outcome of world war II had not yet arrived at the time of this film...the Allies did not know if they would be able to win or not. The plan of attack of the Axis, as outlined in this film through well done animation from Disney, showed that if the U.S. didn't act quickly, soon it would be us versus the rest of the world, under the control of the Axis. Unlike other WWII documentaries, which tell the story from the perspective of history, this one is right in the middle of everything.Especially this chapter, prelude to war, shows the terrifying history of the Nazi's rise to power, and the Imperialist Japan's rise as well. I think for all the danger the U.S. faced at that time, the most chilling, perhaps, to U.S. audiences would be the Nazi regime. If anyone ever doubted how scary the Nazis were, just watch this film. Especially enlightening are facts that many of us likely didn't know or remember,-the fact that the Nazi's were not only anti-Semetic. Hitler's takeover of Germany soon became a decidedly anti-Christian "religion". The Nazi party actually removed crosses off of churches and replaced them with swastikas, and in speeches the Nazi's cast Hitler's words as "Germany's religion". Many Christian ministers and even priests and nuns were jailed. The most eerie was the scene where the children in Germany were made to sing songs like "Hitler is our Lord" etc... CHILLING.Many have called this film slanted, and U.S. propaganda, and this may be true...but I still think it's a great piece of historical film-making. I feel more than other films I have seen, this one really makes us in 2009 realize the seriousness of World War II (The slave world of Hitler vs the free world), and how high the stakes were.It makes me thankful to live in America, and for me also brings about a newfound respect for our senior citizens who lived through that very challenging era of history, especially those who served as soldiers.

classicsoncall With the Memorial day weekend upon us, I decided to take this World War II documentary series off the shelf and watch it in it's entirety. My father served in WWII, and in recent years I've become fascinated with the scope and dimension of the conflict, as it truly did engulf nearly the entire world of the 1930's and '40's. Directed by the legendary Frank Capra, the series of seven films was produced by the War Department in cooperation with the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They were intended to be shown to all new military recruits so that they would have an understanding of the enemy, and how urgent it was to halt the advancing march of Naziism and Fascism across the globe.The first installment, "Prelude to War", discusses how Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito used their demagogic influence to convince the people of their countries to give up their individuality and become part of a massive human herd, subject to the near god-like decisions of their leaders. It was particularly frightening to see young German grade school children singing "Our Hitler is Our Lord, Who Rules a Brave New World". Juxtaposing images of American school children at play with those of German youngsters marching in military youth camps drew a striking contrast in ideology and mindset of two vastly different societies, one devoted to freedom against one devoted to blind obedience to a Fuehrer bent on world conquest.The film spends a good portion of it's run on that dichotomy - the notion of a Free World in conflict with that of a Slave World, before touching on the opening salvos of the conflict. The War officially began on 9/18/1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria in the northern reaches of China, followed by attacks on Shanghai in 1932. In 1935, Italy began it's imperialistic designs with an invasion of Ethiopia on the African continent. The segment defers Germany's entry into the War to the following chapter - "The Nazis Strike".Should anyone doubt Adolf Hitler's resolve to subjugate the entire known world under his direct control, the film reminds us of that intent with Hitler's own words, describing how he would turn his defeated victims into slaves to enrich the German Master Race. Particularly chilling and even more haunting, Hitler proclaimed - "I want to see again in the eyes of (German) youth the gleam of the beast of prey".

Stephen Bailey So says Walter Huston, speaking about Mussolini, Hirohito & Hitler. Prelude To War is the 1st in 7 information films collectively known as the Why We Fight series. Each film is a masterpiece and still, 60 years later, the benchmark of documentary film-making. This particular film shows how the Axis powers (Germany, Italy & Japan) destroyed freedom in their own countries and then set out to poison their youth and conquer the world. It shows why we MUST fight. I don't say "we" lightly. The movie is SO powerful that by the end I actually felt myself involved in the struggle. The film is beautifully narrated by 2 very unique voices who each bring a distinctive style and message. Walter Huston is the voice of experience, and Anthony Veiller's no-nonsense New York accent adds a sense of real urgency to what must be done. The various 'footage' clips are painstakingly collected to back up the narration and they really are chilling; particularly the shots of small children utterly brainwashed by the vicious poison of militarism. WE all know that good triumphed over evil, but it certainly was touch and go back then and this movie played a major role in showing American soldiers "Why We Fight". God bless them for their sacrifice. I bought the entire series on DVD and they are essential viewing.

tombeaman This is Frank Capra's classic first installment from the seven film series entitled, "Why We Fight." It is a masterpiece of US propaganda, shown first to soldiers, later to the US public, and eventually to our allies (including the Soviet Union). With dramatic narration and musical score, it drives home the point that "Our World, the free world" must fight "That other world." Capra's idea was to use the film archives of Japanese, German, and Italian propagandists against them with, of course, careful editing and translating.If you are looking to buy a copy, CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED due to the existence of a fraudulent film by the same title. The original is a classic, starting with a lively series of shots, often employing double exposures and fading edits, listing the fallen nations to the axis powers. One poorly done fraud, sold in a set of four with three of the original series titles, has a narrator reading a textbook or encyclopedia and turning the pages...