Apocalypse: The Second World War

Country of Production: France
Year of production: 2008 

To mark the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War, National Geographic Channel screens the series Apocalypse: The Second World War. 

This six-part series uses films, captured by amateur filmmakers, who witnessed the war first-hand – the evacuation of Paris; the stoicism of the British throughout the Blitz; the hardships of the Russian campaign experienced by German soldiers. Deemed ‘unfit’ for civilians to see, the films were stashed away and forgotten.

As the French evacuated Paris in June 1940, amateur filmmakers documented the exodus as thousands lined the roads with their families and most precious possessions. As the British sifted through the rubble, people grabbed cameras to capture what it meant to stand up to Hitler throughout the Blitz. And as the Nazi army slogged through the mud and snow of Soviet Russia on the way to Moscow, soldiers used 8mm cameras to film the hardships of the war as they experienced it. This was not the stock, newsreel or propaganda footage from World War II that authorities approved and audiences became accustomed to seeing. This was provocative and sometimes disturbing footage taken by those who witnessed the war first-hand. This was the footage deemed ‘unfit’ for civilians to see. At the end of the war, this and other “Top Secret” footage of the war’s destruction was stashed away and forgotten.

Thanks to the efforts of a few, private collectors and archivists, these forgotten films have been rediscovered, restored and made available by National Geographic Channel in an extraordinary six-part series: Apocalypse: The Second World War, to start from Wednesday September 2 at 8.30pm in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of World War II. In addition to stunning footage, the series presents WWII in an innovative and provocative way, giving audiences an unprecedented sense of the reality of war not conveyed by black and white footage.

Made up entirely of original 35mm, 16mm and 8mm films, Apocalypse: The Second World War includes rare footage of the Polish officers’ massacre at Katyn, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, the inhumane treatment of French soldiers taken prisoner by the Nazis and the sacrifice of Soviet soldiers at Stalingrad. By bringing this incredible footage together, Apocalypse: The Second World War provides viewers with a ground-breaking portrait of WWII that depicts not only its complexity, but the perspectives of both its victims and its victors.

EPISODES 2:

THE CRUSHING DEFEAT 

France. 1940. The Allied defensive lines are broken by Hitler’s daring sickle cut through the supposedly impenetrable Ardennes forest. British troops hastily evacuate from the beaches at Dunkirk, France, but are forced to abandon kilometres of precious military vehicles and equipment. The French army, once considered the best in the world, is in a shambles as almost two million soldiers are taken prisoner. Within a matter of days, the Germans march into Paris at daybreak. The Crushing Defeat includes colourised footage taken by Nazi soldiers on the beaches at Dunkirk as they gather around an old record player to celebrate their victory, as well as sound recordings taken by German Secret Service at the signing of the Franco-German Armistice. Heart-rending footage captures the plight of thousands of French civilians as they flee from the Nazis, as well as home movies taken by Londoners as they dig out from daily bombings, sleep in tube stations and carry on despite the death and destruction that surrounds them. In yet another daring gamble, Hitler now turns his attention to his Eastern campaign.

Format            : AVI
Length            : 465 MiB for 46mn 54s 192ms
Codec             : XviD
Source            : PDTV
Subtitles         : None

Video #0          : MPEG-4 Visual at 1 249 Kbps
Aspect            : 624 x 368 (1.696) at 29.970 fps

Audio #0          : MPEG Audio at 122 Kbps
Infos             : 2 channels, 48.0 KHz

Enjoy!
Ekolb