Our World War

Got recommended this by a friend. It is now back on Iplayer and I am confined by lockdown. Have to sat this was one of the best I have seen for a long time. The stories picked to shine a light on small aspects of the great war were incredibly well done.

I had six second cousins (two times removed) that I've discovered from ancestry research who died in WW1. From the ages of 18 to 42 they died in Turkey, France, Belgium, and India. All of them were buried where they died except one who died of his wounds and is buried in Kent, England. Two of them were in the Manchester 18th. Watching this series took me to the battlefields, and I felt as if I were in the thick of it with them. The series is an emotional experience when you know that you have the DNA of distant cousins who served, fought, and perished in this terrible war. This has been undoubtedly the most moving re-enactment and documentary about the war, at least for me. Well done.

I'm not sure why so many feel the need for spoiler alerts. Do you NOT know about WWI, the Armistice, Guns of August, etc.? If not, then you probably need a spoiler to appreciate this. Anyway, the drama is top notch and the other features (maps, real-life voices of Vets, etc. ) are well done. Music to me added an interesting twist, but nothing to worry about really. The acting & directing are spectacular. My only regret was that there were only three segments. it would be nice someday to see something similar from the German perspective.

Even if you have just a passing interest in this era, this is well worth watching.

What the negative reviewers are failing to appreciate...

This is a mixed genre piece... Also, get over it.

Remember Knights Tale, and how effectively they used modern music to connect with a modern audience? "We will rock Rock you" for a jousting tournament? Remember Moulin Rouge! Solid examples of modern music, used in period pieces--to great effect, I'm thinking. We all imagine WW11 to the musical stylings of Vera Lynn, or can't imagine a WW1 piece without: It's a Long Way to Tipperary, all in black and white of course.

How does that hit our hearts now? This series has accurate uniform, armory, battles, replete with letters, and recorded statements from the participants involved. You don't get anymore historically accurate than this... Seriously, I can safely say it is a well researched portrayal. How about communicating that portrayal, so it is fully appreciated nowadays? How about expressing the extreme violence, nobleness and depravities of this period of history, in a language understandable to a modern day teenager--which were the fodder that we grinded up in this war? Perhaps, maybe, tell it in now, in this same young person's vocabulary, to express a greater truer impact of this conflict, in a way that will communicate to their own sensibilities? You know are youngsters now have currently been equally called out, and died in wars recently, that are perhaps stupider than this, and they just might benefit from what WW1 has to tell them. Why not make this piece accessible to them? This is nothing new in cinema, that hasn't been done many times over in the spirit of showing a generation, what previous generations have experienced. In my opinion, this is one of the stand outs, which makes history more tangible, something you can taste and feel, instead of a dusty old relic.

This is only a hundred years ago. We didn't have tails and were trying to avoid being eaten on the kalahari. The automobile, airplane, and telephone had already been incorporated into modern warfare.

They were listening to songs, like we are. This mixing of genres brings it home. It shows the relevancy of this war, and these young people, not it's antiquatedness. It was supposed to be: The war to end all Wars, and because it didn't, we might take pains to remind everyone of that fact.

Same assessment, for the modern in-camera portrayals, for the exact same reasons. YES!!! If the filmmakers of that day, could show what their generation went though, with the Pizazz this BBC production has, they would have been equally blown away, as I was watching this show.

Way to go BBC! Another brilliant example of how you are out-pacing other markets. A must see for anyone I can think of.

I take a little umbrage to those who would prefer a more classic portrayal of this war. I have seen it. Yawn.

As for the music, would you rather have the more period specific backing the battle scenes? The music helps put the viewer in the scene by providing a modern touch point of what would probably be playing in the back of the mind of today's soldier if put into a similar situation. Those soldiers had that day's music in their heads; by scoring period music it forces the viewer to distance themselves from the story being told, rather than emotionally putting themselves into the middle of it. The same goes for the GoPro/game play cinematic style.

As far as the Mohawk helmet modification being absolutely unprecedented/not allowed on the WWI battle field, I submit exhibit A: http://tinyurl.com/ybww9dw6 - it did not take long to do a simple Google search debunking this statement.

This is an emotional telling of three distinct periods of a very brutal war.