The World Wars (miniseries)
| The World Wars | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Historical Drama Docudrama |
| Distributed by | History |
| Directed by | John Ealer |
| Produced by |
Stephen David Russ McCarroll Paul Cabana Elaine Frontain Bryant Christian Murphy Brian Burstein David C. White Tim W. Kelly Randy Counsman |
| Written by |
David C. White John Ealer Alec Michod Chelsea Coates Jordan Rosenblum David Schaye[1] |
| Narrated by | Jeremy Renner |
| Cinematography | Roger Chingirian |
| Editing by |
Tim W. Kelly Jonathan Soule |
| Production company | Stephen David Entertainment |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Original channel |
History H2 |
| Original run | May 26, 2014 – May 28, 2014 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Official website | |
The World Wars is a three-part, six hour event miniseries by the History Channel that premiered on Monday, May 26, 2014, (Memorial Day) airing for three consecutive nights. An extended version of the series (now divided into six episodes) with never before seen footage was subsequently broadcast on H2 and in more than 160 countries on June 22, 2014.[2]
The show was produced for History Channel by Stephen David Entertainment, the production company behind the Emmy Award-winning miniseries The Men Who Built America.[3][4]
Narrated by Jeremy Renner,[5] the documentary series features a mix of dramatic reenactments, archival stills and footage, and interviews with historians and authors alongside current and former prominent political figures such as current U.S. Senator John McCain from Arizona, former U.S. General and Secretary of State Colin Powell, former British Prime Minister John Major, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and many more.[2][6]
A portion of the filming took place in and around Martinsburg, West Virginia in October and November 2013.[7]
The series was introduced by President Barack Obama in a pre-recorded message.[8]
Plot
According to the History Channel, the miniseries "showcase(s) the thirty year period that changed the course of human history", documenting both World Wars and the interwar era in a continuous timeline from 1914 to 1945. The series takes a personality-driven approach, focusing on some of the key players of World War II (Hitler, Mussolini, Patton, Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt), and chronicling how their experiences as younger men in the First World War shaped them into the leaders they became in World War II.[9]
Tagline:
| “ | Before history knew their names, they fought their own battles. World War 1: The world changed them. World War 2: They changed the world. | ” |
Cast
The series features two actors for each of the main characters, one young (during WWI) and one older (during WWII and its lead-up.)[10]
|
|
Interview subjects
The following people appear as talking head experts throughout the series.
|
Politicians/Military Figures: |
Historians/Authors:
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Episodes
| No. in series |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Trial by Fire" | John Ealer | David C. White | May 26, 2014 | 3.4[11] |
|
An assassin’s bullet sparks a global conflict that quickly evolves into the deadliest war humanity has ever seen. In the chaos, a new generation of soldier emerges, including a group of men who would become the most infamous leaders of the 20th century. The show began with a brief introduction recorded by President of the United States Barack Obama.[12]The first episode also began with a quote: "One must regard these 30 years of strife in Europe as part of one story...one story of a 30 years' war." – Winston Churchill | |||||
| 2 | "A Rising Threat" | John Ealer | David C. White | May 27, 2014 | 2.8[13] |
| 3 | "Never Surrender" | John Ealer | David C. White | May 28, 2014 | 3.3[14] |
Expanded version
During the expanded re-airings during June, instead of 3 episodes, the series was split into six episodes, titled:
- Trial by Fire, aired 22 June: An assassin's bullet starts a global conflict that escalates into a deadly war; a new generation of soldiers emerges, including world leaders Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, and Adolf Hitler; tanks and chemical weapons enter the battlefield.
- The Price of Glory, aired 22 June: The Allies turn Germany away from France; leaders are dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles; Germany's economy collapses with the end of the war; Hitler begins his rise to power.
- The Rising Tide, aired 23 June: The entire world plunges into an economic depression; Josef Stalin seizes power; Japan makes plans to dominate Asia; Adolf Hitler begins taking back the territory Germany lost.
- The Storm Explodes, aired 23 June: Hitler takes over Czechoslovakia; Stalin and Hitler sign a shocking pact; Churchill rises to Prime Minister as Hitler invades Poland; Hitler betrays Stalin; Japan makes a move toward the United States-controlled Philippines.
- Never Surrender, aired 24 June: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brings the United States into the war; Germany almost takes Moscow; the Nazis continue to execute the Jews of Europe; the Allies gain a victory at the Battle of Midway
- Peace at Last, aired 24 June: Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt meet to discuss an invasion of Europe; D-Day is launched and the Allies defeat Hitler on the beaches of Normandy; Hitler tries to retaliate; the war ends when Hitler commits suicide.
The two bolded titles use the same names as episodes 1 and 3 of the original 3-part series with 2-hour episodes.
Home media release
On September 9, 2014, the miniseries was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. The two-disc includes English subtitles and bonus material, such as deleted scenes of over an hour of footage cut from the original U.S. broadcast; "Characters In Depth" of Churchill, Stalin, Truman, FDR, Eisenhower, and Hitler; and 10 featurettes on both wars. UltraViolet digital copies of each episode were also included.[15]
References
- ↑ http://www.emmys.com/shows/world-wars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "‘The World Wars’ to Premiere Monday, May 26 on History - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ↑ "TV Review: History’s ‘The World Wars’". Variety.com. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
- ↑ "Emmy Award Status for 'The Men Who Built America'".
- ↑ "Jeremy Renner to narrate History’s 'The World Wars'". Real Screen. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
- ↑ "History Orders Six-Hour 'World Wars' Docuseries". 2014-02-05. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ↑ "Residents audition for chance to be on History Channel". The Journal. 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
- ↑ "President Obama to intro History’s 'The World Wars'". 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
- ↑ "'The World Wars' on History Channel a six-hour, three night miniseries". The Denver Post. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
- ↑ "iMDb Cast List".
- ↑ "Monday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta', 'WWE Raw', 'Hit The Floor', 'Real Housewives of Orange County' & More". 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
- ↑ Benzine, Adam (May 23, 2014). "President Obama to intro History’s "The World Wars"". RealScreen.com. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Tuesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Deadliest Catch', 'The Haves and the Have Nots', 'Bad Girls Club', 'True Tori' & More". 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
- ↑ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'Catfish', 'The World Wars', 'Melissa & Joey' & More". 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
- ↑ Lambert, David (August 6, 2014). "The World Wars (mini-series) - The Recent History Channel Mini-Series Comes to DVD, Blu-ray". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved August 7, 2014.