AllMovie

Watchable, comprehensive and informative, "The World at War" chronicles the Second World War in all its vastness and importance. Ably narrated by Laurence Olivier with a stirring musical score by Carl Davis the series kicks off at a high note. Eschewing dramatization and numerous talking heads the documentary utilizes interviews and priceless historical footage with serviceable maps and graphics to tell the one of a kind story. From the disaster of the Versailles Treaty to the post war era the series focuses on the major events of the war while giving adequate footage on the civilians whose lives were profoundly altered. The invasion of Poland, Blitzkrieg, The Battle of Britain, Barbarossa, El Alamein, Midway, D-Day, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, etc., are all rendered in viewable form. One of the highlights and major importance of the documentary is it was made when many of the people who survived the war were still around and the interviews done are fascinating. From historical figures like Albert Speer, Anthony Eden, Averill Harriman and many more to the fighting men and women and regular civilians caught in the heart of the conflict the interviews give a panoramic picture of the war in all sectors of society. The bonus episodes presented in the home video releases add further to the information and appeal of the documentary. While not as great as the hagiographers and fanboys make it out to be with its slow and tediously glacial parts the film is worth going through in small doses. Originally aired in Britain in 1973-1974 with 26 episodes, "The World at War" set the standard for documentary filmmaking and together with Ken Burns' "The Civil War" the pinnacle of historical documentaries. Essential viewing for history and hardcore film fans.