Prelude to War
Prelude to War
| 27 May 1942 (USA)
Prelude to War Trailers

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II. This film examines the differences between democratic and fascist states.

Reviews
artpf

This famous propaganda piece, used as a U.S. Army training film in WWII before theatrical release, asks 'why we fight.' The answer compares the 'free' and 'slave' worlds. 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.Wasn't WW2 great? We actually fought the socialists instead of putting them in the White House! This is a neat documentary. Some people call it propaganda but is it propaganda when there are real bad guys? Obviously 70 years later the socialists are re-writing history!

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whpratt1

If you like Horror films, this one is full of hatred, brutality and things done to humanity that will never be forgotten. America did not want to get involved with War and the U. S. Government stayed as isolationists until Britian & France went to War because of Poland being bombed. Hitler thought he could conquer the world and in some ways he almost did, Japan & Italy also had the same idea, which was lead by a bunch of lunatics. This film breaks down this World War II Documented Footage concerning the Prelude to War, The Nazi Strike, The Secret Life of Hitler and the famous Nuremberg Trials. Even though this film shows the worst real horror film of them all, people still today want to wear their uniforms and their symbol of hatred and death. This is a film that will be viewed by many generations and very Well Remembered.

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rvosa

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.

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a35362

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.

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