Vorspiel zum Krieg

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.

I usually don't watch old propaganda movies, unless it's meant for fun. The kind that they show on Mystery Science Theater before the main feature are some of those. But Frank Capra had an entire series of films in the second world war educating an American public, whether they knew it or not, about the reasons and and the current fighting conditions, of World War II. Granted, these were made more-so for the US Army as a training film, and in this particular case we get the not-so-subtle look at "Free" vs "Slave" states, the latter being those in Germany and Japan. Did you know, for example, that the Nazis make their schoolchildren pledge allegiance to Hitler every day before school starts and that the Japanese have an unyielding allegiance to their Emperor? It's that kind of movie.

But there is more than I expected here, which is what is so fascinating and satisfying. Capra is a real filmmaker, he's not just some gun for hire that the Army would get to make something fast and message heavy without any artistic merit. So even when Capra's imagery and tactics of narrative devices beat the drum over the head- perhaps for good reason as it was, again, for the US Army- is really does drive the points home as solid propaganda. And, sometimes, as some decent history too about how Germany and Japan got to where they were in the lead-up into the war. On top of this is Capra's skill in combining documentary footage of Nazis and "the Japs" with various maps showing what the axis powers would do with their far-reaching goals in taking over the road (like an oil-slick it goes over the map), and there's even some really creative animation used. Plus, of course, some actual interviews and footage of politicians.

Overall, while not subtle in the slightest, Prelude to War is a fine piece of film-making that achieves its principle goal: get the soldiers (or the audience in general) riled up about what has happened up until this point in time, and, of course, to 'know-your-enemy' as it were. It's no less an artistic achievement really than anything else Capra was doing in the 1940's.

The series "Why we fight" was US government propaganda to explain to American soldiers, and later the public, why the US was involved in WWII. It is very interesting to watch, and a good way to learn what Americans thought (or were supposed to think) at the time - but on its own this series does not provide an accurate account of the war.

Obviously, this was made before political correctness existed, and you can tell: there is talk of 'Japs', the Holocaust is largely ignored. Also, the movie is necessarily ambivalent about the Russian role, who were allies at the time. For example, the Molotov-Von Ribbentrop pact (especially the annex about the division of Eastern Europe) goes virtually unmentioned, and the Red Army's reasons for showing up in Eastern Poland are nebulous.

On the other hand, the movies are quite detailed about the people involved, the various Nazi leaders and so on - who would have been household names at the time, but would probably be left out of present day WWII documentaries. Also interesting is that one of the reasons, apparently, why Nazism must be fought was their union busting - surely a reflection of the post-Depression Roosevelt era.

All in all, well worth watching. I rate this highly both because it is essential viewing as an historical document, and because it is very well done propaganda (Frank Capra, animations by Disney)! Note that the US government has placed these movies in the public space, which means that perfectly legal, digital versions can be found on the internet.

I found this short film fascinating. It very clearly lays out to the "common man" the argument in favor of getting involved in WW II. Yes, the animation is crude by today's standards and the voice-over is melodramatic, but considering most people of fifty-odd years ago never got anywhere near a college campus and their lives stopped at the city limits of their hometowns, this film does a good job of spelling out what was going on around the world and what was at stake. The earnestness with which it is presented may be seen as campy today, but just imagine what it must have been like, trying to understand it all and trying to guess what it would mean to you and your family.

The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.

In the two decades following World War I and the failure of the League of Nations, a spirit of isolationism became prevalent throughout the United States that persisted up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government needed to combat this feeling, and thus the birth of the modern American propaganda film.

The film examines the differences between the U.S. and the fascist states of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Yamamoto, portraying the latter countries working together as gangsters to conquer the world. In order to do this, Capra made use of footage from "Triumph of the Will", but with different narration designed to support the Allied cause.

Although the goal was to get Americans unified for the war effort, it actually does this in a very welcoming way. Early on we see an appeal to people of different faiths -- including Muslims and Confucians -- that would seem very out of place today (2016). So, although this was a pro-war film, it was also very much a pro-melting pot film in its own way.