a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

First of all, I have to say this is definitely the best WW1 documentary I have seen, not just because it's in color, but also because it brings a fresh view on such an old topic. The whole documentary is built upon a cause-and-effect logic, which I really appreciated and this is valid especially when analyzing how a seemingly tranquil and prosperous Europe was suddenly plunged into the chaos and nightmare of a world war. Furthermore, I was happy to see the documentary also talks about the less glorious aspects of the war (such as the mutiny of soldiers, especially in the French army) and that it includes information about less known theaters like Turkey and the Pacific.On the downside, however, the main weakness of the documentary is that it is dis-proportionally focused on the Western front, possibly creating the impression that the other fronts were just side-shows and that the whole war was just a crawl through the muddy trenches. This is absolutely not the case especially for the Eastern Front, where an even higher number of casualties than on the Western Front occurred and where the large spaces offered opportunity for wars of maneuver, unlike the trench warfare predominant in the West. In this respect, I was disappointed that the Russian Brusilov offensive of 1916, the greatest advance any army achieved during the war is not even mentioned. Furthermore, information is severely lacking for the following countries: Serbia: the only information about Serbia is that the Serbs initially stopped the Austrian offensive in 1914; absolutely nothing afterwards about its defeat and occupation by the Central Powers in 1915.Bulgaria: it is only mentioned that it joined the Central Powers, but there's not the slightest information about what happened afterwards and who they fought.Romania: I found it absolutely inexcusable that Romania is not mentioned even once during the 4 and a half hours of the documentary. Without saying a word about the fact that Romania had even entered the war, at the very end they say that among others some 200,000 Romanian soldiers died in the conflict. At this point even the most basic information is missing, for example on whose side Romania fought. It would have probably been useful to mention that the Germans had to relocate much needed divisions from the battle of Verdun the moment Romania entered the war in order to stabilize the front. In addition, the German conquest of half of Romania in 1916, an extraordinary feat of arms, which historian Michael Barrett named a "prelude to blitzkrieg", could have also been interesting to include.I totally understand the need to focus on the main aspects of the war, but I think applying a principle of proportionality is preferable to overlooking some potentially relevant information. A few phrases would have been enough to give a general overview also on these aspects above.To sum up, great documentary and analysis for the Western Front, but unfortunately it fails to cover some relevant aspects from the Eastern Front.

Of the many film documentaries of the First World War, this is by far the best. I have seen nearly all available film material about the war and shows the quality of production that can be achieved when dedicated professionals are attached to a project. I teach a college-level course on WWI and use excerpts from this series to help the students get a better feeling for the century-old conflict that shaped our modern world. All had positive comments about the film. This series includes film I have not seen previously and the use of colorization along with modern frame-timing make it much more agreeable to twenty-first-century eyes.

Unfortunately what could have been an informative series on an important war turns out to be a biased anti-war piece of pacifist propaganda. Whatever other misquotes, misrepresentations and just plain lies are told by the author I leave to WWI historians to uncover and reveal. But one clear distortion of literature can easily be verified by anyone who chooses to look it up. In the one hour part of the series labeled "Rage" at the very end, as the credits are rolling, the famous poem In Flanders Fields by Major John McCrae is quoted. But in keeping with his melancholy rant on the war the series author chose to quote only the first two stanzas which completely distorts the meaning of the poem. Viewed that way the poem sounds like a bitter lament over the war. In fact when stanza 3 is included one sees that the poet's intent was the exact opposite. It was, and is, a spirited call to arms! I quote the poem in its entirety below so the reader can make up his own mind.IN FLANDERS FIELDSSTANZA 1.In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.STANZA 2.We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields.STANZA 3.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.Worse than plagiarism is the deliberate distortion of a dead poet's work to further a cause antithetical to his heartfelt belief and intent. We owe him better than that.No matter what his personal political beliefs about war the author of the TV series should at least be honest when quoting famous literature. And AHC-TV should do a better job of editing and fact checking.

The documentary is great, has amazing pictures, the sound is very nice. The order of the footages is intrinsically linked to the history, narration is impeccable, showing both sides and their expectations, with rare footage. With scenes of real situations, you shall feel rather than occurred, he feels how a war is inhumane. possessing scenes impactful. Politics is naked and demonstrates the willingness of power between the parties, with reports of soldiers' letters and excerpts from historians. Worth every minute watching.