Does anyone recall another series that came out about the same which covered the 20th century? It was also in b/w but went through the Great War, the inter-war period, the Second World War, Korea and the French-Indo-China War. It may have been a French series because many of the interviewees were recorded in French rather than English. I remember it also being very well done. Anyone? Thanks, Dan.
Rest in Peace Carl Davis. Carl Davis - Wikipedia Carl Davis, beloved conductor and BAFTA-winning composer, dies aged 86 - Classic FM
The CBS Philharmonic Orchestra did the incidental music for the VICTORY AT SEA series. Well done, too. I can still here the narrator saying "And now, War Under The Northern Lights" will arctic music welling up.
The number of times I have heard that music, even hummed it as the programme started and ended, and yet never took the trouble to read the credits and see who had composed such an evocative and memorable piece. Rest well Carl and, going all Bob Hope, thanks for the memory.
I’ve watched it so many times now that, when I spot an episode is on the TV again, I sometimes just turn on for the music and then switch over again. As I said above, I’d never bloody bothered to find out who wrote such an iconic theme. It’s showing on one of the channels here again even now, Yesterday, I think.
Victory at Sea. A superb series which came out in the 1950s.As said a score by Richard Rogers but which was known as I remember first as Under the Southern Cross. Some British might remember the ballad from it by singers such as Ronnie Hilton, entitled No Other Love Have I. The accompanying series was Victory in the Air, a first class account of how Allied air forces contributed to victory in the Second World War. Are these two sets available through the normal channels. I have searched before but was not convinced what was thrown up was pucka.
I watched the World at War when it was first aired starting on 31 October 1973 & ending on 8 May 1974. I was only 9 years old when the series started and 10 when it finished. My parents, both who had lived through/served in World War 2 , allowed me to watch it, because I was already a World War 2 enthusiast, however they warned me I might find some of it upsetting. They weren't wrong. Watching this series was a wake up call, it was when I realised that war wasn't a game, it was horrible and real. It was also the first time I developed a real admiration for those who fought to defeat Nazism & Japanese militarism. The World at War remains, for me, the greatest documentary ever made.
The best part, for me, was the interviews with the veterans. Many were in their fifties and still quite angry about the whole thing.
Dave55 couldn't agree more. I often sat watching it with my Dad, an 8th Army veteran, and he would sit, nodding with agreement at the veterans comments. I remember when Mark Clark appeared on the episode " Tough Old Gut", about the Italian campaign, my Dad burst into a tirade of expletives, accusing Mark Clark of everything under the sun. He was very angry.
My Grandfather used to speak about a programme on a Sunday afternoon called "ALL OUR YESTERDAYS" events from 25 years previously . If I remember it was 1960`s series as my grandfather said he was only young when he saw it ? I looked online and found :- " ALL OUR YESTERDAYS -giving an historical account of the 1930s lead-up to the Second World War and to the war itself. It relied on film footage, and may be considered a precursor to the later Thames Television World at War production. " A possibility ? Kyle
As a result of Dave55's bump above (had missed Dan's initial question on the series) This one maybe? French yes, Canal production. All 13 episodes on YouTube. Kind regards, always, Jim.