Prelude to War (1942) *** (out of 4)Walter Houston narrates this documentary, which was the first of seven in Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series. The series was produced by the U.S. Government to explain WWII people who might not understand why we were going to war.When viewing these films today it's important to remember that they were propaganda movies that were meant to gain support for WWII. I'm sure many people could look at these movies today and see various flaws and issues with them but when reviewing them I keep in mind when and why they were made.This documentary starts off talking about what it was that made America get into the war. Obviously Pearl Harbor is mentioned and we also learn about what is going on overseas. From here we learn about the enemies that we are fighting and we also ehar from some Americans on their thoughts about the war.There's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this film or any others in the series but for the most part this here was entertaining enough to make it worth watching. It will probably appeal to history buffs more than film buffs but it's still a good start to the series.

With the Memorial day weekend upon us, I decided to take this World War II documentary series off the shelf and watch it in it's entirety. My father served in WWII, and in recent years I've become fascinated with the scope and dimension of the conflict, as it truly did engulf nearly the entire world of the 1930's and '40's. Directed by the legendary Frank Capra, the series of seven films was produced by the War Department in cooperation with the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They were intended to be shown to all new military recruits so that they would have an understanding of the enemy, and how urgent it was to halt the advancing march of Naziism and Fascism across the globe.The first installment, "Prelude to War", discusses how Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito used their demagogic influence to convince the people of their countries to give up their individuality and become part of a massive human herd, subject to the near god-like decisions of their leaders. It was particularly frightening to see young German grade school children singing "Our Hitler is Our Lord, Who Rules a Brave New World". Juxtaposing images of American school children at play with those of German youngsters marching in military youth camps drew a striking contrast in ideology and mindset of two vastly different societies, one devoted to freedom against one devoted to blind obedience to a Fuehrer bent on world conquest.The film spends a good portion of it's run on that dichotomy - the notion of a Free World in conflict with that of a Slave World, before touching on the opening salvos of the conflict. The War officially began on 9/18/1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria in the northern reaches of China, followed by attacks on Shanghai in 1932. In 1935, Italy began it's imperialistic designs with an invasion of Ethiopia on the African continent. The segment defers Germany's entry into the War to the following chapter - "The Nazis Strike".Should anyone doubt Adolf Hitler's resolve to subjugate the entire known world under his direct control, the film reminds us of that intent with Hitler's own words, describing how he would turn his defeated victims into slaves to enrich the German Master Race. Particularly chilling and even more haunting, Hitler proclaimed - "I want to see again in the eyes of (German) youth the gleam of the beast of prey".

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.

This film is a great opening to the entire series convincing and American public why they are entering WW II. This film shows the viewer much more about American ideals right after the events of Dec 7th 1942.Some of the language is a little hard to handle and the overt nature makes the viewer laugh more than once, its great to look at old training videos as the try and instill a sense of pride in America and hate over the enemy. Recommended viewing for anyone looking into WW II propaganda, also used as a good counter argument to Triumph of the Will.