Wwii why we fight

Adolf Hitler Self as Self archive footage as Hitler. Saburo Kurusu Self as Self archive footage as Kurusu.

Robert Ley Self as Self archive footage as Ley. Yosuke Matsuoka Self as Self archive footage. Frank McCoy Self as Self archive footage. Benito Mussolini Self as Self archive footage. Puyi Self as Self archive footage as Henry Pu-yi. Fritz Reinhardt Self as Self archive footage as Reinhardt. Frank Capra uncredited Anatole Litvak uncredited. More like this. Watch options. Storyline Edit. This famous propaganda piece, used as a U. Army training film in WWII before theatrical release, asks 'why we fight.

Included: development of dictatorships in Italy, Germany and Japan, while anti-militarism and isolationism rise in the USA; a look at enemy propaganda; and the first acts of aggression. Walter Huston narrates a combination of archival footage, maps, and other graphics. Your boy wants you to see it! Not Rated. Did you know Edit. Trivia This film is in the public domain. As a work by Federal Government employees on behalf of the Federal Government, the film is by law ineligible for copyright protection and was released into the public domain at its creation.

Goofs During the silent footage of Ethiopians shouting, the angry voices are actually shouting in Kiswahili: "Kwenda! The principal language of Ethiopia is Amharic. Kiswahili commonly known as "Swahili" is the main language of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Quotes Narrator : [Last line] For this is what we are fighting: Freedom's oldest enemy, the passion of the few to rule the many. User reviews 21 Review. Top review.

Well-done and educational propaganda. Prelude to War is the first in a series of well-made propaganda films that were co-directed by Frank Capra during World War II with the intention of educating new U. Watching them at this point in time, they are fascinating as a glimpse into more or less official propagandistic stances. Of course it's to be expected that the films go to pains to dehumanize, even demonize, then enemy cultures.

Because this specific material is so far removed from our current stances and concerns, it's instructive to watch and especially to show it to students, because it's much easier to see through the propaganda tactics, enabling similar tactics to more easily be identified in modern politics.

But perhaps surprisingly, Prelude to War and the other films in the series also contain a good deal of accurate factual information, so that unless you're a World War II buff, you can learn quite a bit about how the war progressed and at least one side of why it progressed one of many necessary sides --if you watch the series with a critical eye.

The series also contains a lot of intriguing historical footage--including films of Axis military campaigns in execution, and some of the more typical newsreel-type shots of the three Axis leaders--Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito, their right-hand men and their military and civilian support systems.

Just as notable now is footage of various aspects of American life that would have passed by without much thought in such as cars traveling on relatively sparse, newly built U.

You can gain as much from Prelude to War by simply watching the images and keeping in mind the historical context as you can by listening to the narration. There are a couple rough spots--a montage of Axis armies marching like huge, well-oiled machines probably goes on too long something years later, but surely the aim was to put just a bit of fear as well as an increased fervor to conquer into the new U.

This film isn't crucial viewing for everyone, but for those who study history, politics, sociology, the military and especially World War II, it is essential. BrandtSponseller Jul 10, Details Edit. Release date May 27, United States. United States. Prelude to War. Army Special Service Division.

Technical specs Edit. This may fall short of the journalistic standards of today, but Capra and his team had a war to win. The footage of the murders of opponents of the Axis powers is clearly staged, particularly as the murder of Japanese Viscount Sait? Makoto is seen from the point of view of the victim! And while the song the children sing at praising Hitler is real, American journalist Gregor Ziemer reported the song in his book Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi , and it was incorporated into the Nuremberg trials , the footage is an American imagining of such a scene.

But the film also offers original images of Americana and things worth fighting for, as opposed to against. The last film in the series, War Comes to America , would explore this further. Among the new scenes created for Prelude to War is Capra quoting his own Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Skip to content Why We Fight stands among the most ambitious and successful film projects ever undertaken by the United States government. Newsmap — Volume 1, Number 30 NMb Many of these events seen in the film were documented by newsreel companies.

Screenshot from Prelude to War , OF-1 And while the song the children sing at praising Hitler is real, American journalist Gregor Ziemer reported the song in his book Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi , and it was incorporated into the Nuremberg trials , the footage is an American imagining of such a scene.

Clip from Prelude to War , OF-1 But the film also offers original images of Americana and things worth fighting for, as opposed to against.

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