ITEMS Video Descriptions


Why We Fight 1: Prelude To War
WAR VT3000A

PRELUDE TO WAR This first film of the WHY WE FIGHT series is based on the principle that all countires are divided into "free" and "slave" worlds, and establishes the enemy, Germany, Japan and Italy. An exceedingly patriotic and pro-war film, its purpose is to answer the Why WE Fight question and explain the causes and events leading up to America's entry into the war. 1942. 54 min DIVIDE AND CONQUER This film describes the Nazi strategy to divide and conquer the wall of allied forces to Germany's west through the use of war propaganda. The conquests of Norway, Holland, Belgium and France are recorded and explained, with France defined as "cynical and disillusioned" before Hiltler's arrival. 1943. 57 min


Ordinary Americans: The Vietnam War
WAR VT0844

Provides overview of Vietnam War personalized by accounts of people who were there. See how political figures reacted to war. Discover how it was waged on 2 fronts. Learn about war's financial expense & its cost in human lives. 35 min


Peoples Century: Sporting Fever 1900-39
WAR VT0869A

1900-39 Rise of Major League Sports; Sporting Fever follows boxing, baseball, soccer & more as sports transition from a modest pastime to a fiercely commercial business to potent expression of national pride & politics. Sports fans remember drama, thrill, exhilaration & patriotism their favorite athletes & sports teams aroused. (The people remember: Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, World Cup soccer, Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens, American sportswriters, live radio & television broadcasts)


Why We Fight II: The Nazi Srike
WAR VT3000B

THE NAZIS STRIKE Traces the growth of Nazi zeal and German history leading to Hitler's regime. Analyzes Hitler's plan for world conquest, including his "pagan pageantry," secret manufacturing of arms, creation of a strong military force, and systematic indoctrination of youth. Captured Nazi footage from the conquests of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, and from Britain's declaration of war on Germany is used to emphasize the extensiveness of the threat. 1942. 41 min THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA Describes Russia's history, industry, culture and cities. Documents the massive Nazi strike on Russia in 1941, stressing the vastness of its territory to be occupied, the bitterness of its weather, and Russia's strength in terms of power. The film explains, through diagrams and exceptional footage, the siege of Leningrad and the battle of Stalingrad. 1943. 80 min


Peoples Century: On The Line 1908-39
WAR VT0869B

1908-39 Mass Production Creates Mass Consumption; On Line follows acceleration of mass production, from days of master craftsmen to pressures & benefits of assembly line work to growing strength of "people power" as labor & management struggle to divide fruits of increased productivity. (The people remember: Henry Ford, Model T, moving assembly line, Detroit's River rouge Plant, American consumer goods, UAW union organizing, Stalin's Industrialization)


Peoples Century: Lost Peace 1919-36
WAR VT0869C

1919-36 Ideals for a United World Fail; Lost Peace revisits popular hopes & experiences in years following WWI & looming threat of a new nationalism: despite Woodrow Wilson's promise of a "people's peace," old prejudices refused to die & nationalist passions began to rise. Defeated nations were left out in cold, resentful & unreconcilled. Fascism & militarism spread while pacifist movements fought increasingly unsuccessful rear guard action to preserve dream of peace. By late 30s, people had to choose between avoiding war at all costs or taking up arms to resist aggression. Fifty-five million lives were about to be lost in a Second World War. (The people remember: Woodrow Wilson & League of Nations, Yankee isolationism, German reparations, American volunteers fight Spanish Civil War, invasions by Mussolini & Hitler)


Peoples Century: Master Race 1923-47
WAR VT0869D

Nazism Overtakes Germany; In Master Race Germans talk candidly about initial allure of Nazism; Gypsies reminisce about life before Hitler; & German Jews recall their persecution & internment in concentration camps across Eastern Europe as Hitler's master race pursued its destiny, & descended to greatest depths of barbarism in human history. (People remember: Hitler, book burning, assaults on Jews, ghettos, "Final Solution," concentration camps, Hitler, Youth annexation of Austria)


Why We Fight III: The Battle Of Britian
WAR VT3000C

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN Centers on the blitz of England, after the battle at Dunkirk, and ends with the Christmas firebombing of London in 1940. Describes, in a heart-wrenching style, the lives of British civilians and how they survived the Nazi bombs. Portrays the valiant effort of the Royal Air Force and its ability to keep the Germans from invading England. 1943. 54 min WAR COMES TO AMERICA The final film is a patriotic staement designed to eliminate any reluctance of the U.S. entering the war-"Let out freedoms be endangered and we will fight." The quiet peacefulness of American streets is juxaposed with war footage as Americans listen to war reports on the radio. Ending with Pearl Harbor and Roosevelt's declaration of war, this film asserts the previaling sentiment that the U.S. was the symbol of the free world and the only means to stop teh NAzis. 1945. 67 min


Peoples Century: Great Escape 1925-46
WAR VT0869E

The Movies Capture Our Hearts In Great Escape moviegoers remember how film persuaded & influenced, enthralled, seduced, & entertained them & offered welcome refuge from century's pressures & tempo. (The people remember: silent movies, Charlie Chaplin, movie palaces, Hollywood stars, American musicals & westerns, WWII propaganda films)


Peoples Century: Breadline 1929-36
WAR VT0869F

The Great Depression at Home; In Breadline, people who were there remember blow felt 'round the world as workers from US, Chile, Britain, Belgium & Scandinavia recall hungry '30s. (The people remember: Wall Street, stock market crash, hobo jungles, riding rails, public works projects, FDR's new Deal, rise of Fascism in Europe)


Peoples Century: Total War 1939-47
WAR VT0869G

WWII & Home Front; In Total War eyewitnesses from Britain, Germany, Russia, Korea, Japan, & U.S. tell story of civilians, children, sisters, brothers who suffered & died in Second World War. Residents of Plymouth, Tokyo & Hamburg remember air raids; Russian peasants recall siege of Leningrad; Japanese soldiers & Korean slave-laborers describe brutality of war in Asia. Throughout, interviewees remember extraordinary suffering of a people's war like none before. (The people remember: Rosie the Riveter, shipbuilding, Pearl Harbor, war raids, Blitz, Siege of Leningrad, atom bomb)


Peoples Century: Boomtime 1947-60
WAR VT0869H

Post-War Prosperity; Growing up in 50's was golden remembers Caryn Pace. My parents wanted me to have everything they couldn't. But ownership wasn't just an American dream. As Marshall Plan aid rebuilt Europe, cars motorbikes, washing machines, TV's & refrigerators became affordable for newly employed. It was like a fairy tale. We could buy something & enjoy it. Desperate days of breaking ice at wash house or farming with horses were over, replaced by steady work, rising wages, mass production & an American inspired consumer economy. Cheap oil sustained boom for 30 years until Arab oil embargo & cost of fuel slowed it down. (The people remember: American cars, motorbikes, vacations, electric kitchens, Levittown, Marshall Plan, Edith Piaf.)


Great War
WAR VT0888A

EXPLOSION - Volume One-Episode One. 1st World War begins with look at conditions & events that caused it to unfold. Why did Serbian fanatic's assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (heir to Austrian throne) in Sarajavo engulf world in war? How did rise of labor & women's demands for equal rights contribute to unsettling unease throughout Europe in 1914? How could those in power take so great a gamble, yet have so little understanding of war machine they were setting into motion? 60 min: STALEMATE - Volume One-Episode Two. The military believed that advances in weaponry would make for a quick outcome on battlefield. How did modern weaponry bring about a deadly stalemate? How was a war that most believed would be over by Christmas transformed into a gigantic war of attrition? Explains from beginning war was out of hand & new styles of warfare were producing new kinds of horror, suffering & death. To escape machine guns, soldiers dug into the ground & soon trenches stretched along the Weste


Great War
WAR VT0888B

TOTAL WAR - Volume Two-Episode Three. Shows that by 1915 conflict had spread across boundaries between continents & peoples, becoming a global war. Great War chronicles lives of very different people. The episode concludes with telling of first genocide of the 20th century & fact that mass murder of Armenian civilians planted seeds in mind of a young German soldier: Adolph Hitler. 60 min: SLAUGHTER - Volume Two-Episode Four. World War I gave new meaning to death on battlefield; slaughter. Reveals some of most appalling battles in human history. French lost one million men in 9 months; British did same at The Somme & at Passchendaele a half a million more. Chronicles carnage & highlights ways men kept their sanity using music, theater & trench newsletters to replicate world they left behind. 60 min


Vietnam: Chronicle of a War
WAR VT0230

From our early moves in Southeast Asia through final escape from Saigon, CBS news follows history of Vietnam War. Narrated by Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Mike Wallace, & Eric Sevareid. 1981. 89 min


Civil War
WAR VT0257A

Beginning with indictment of slavery, 1st episode evokes causes of war, from Cotton Kingdom of South to northern abolitionists. Episode comes to climax with Union defeat at Manassas, where both sides learn it is to be a very long war. 99 min


Civil War
WAR VT0257B

Birth of modern warfare transformed Lincoln's war to preserve Union into war to free slaves. Topics discussed are political. In North, Gen. McClellan's ill-fated campaign, battle of ironclad ships, camp life, slavery begins to crumble, Grant's exploits at Shiloh & rumors of Europe's readiness to recognize the Confederacy. 69 min


Great War
WAR VT0888C

MUTINY - Volume Three-Episode Five. By 1917 armies & nations were nearing a breaking point. For soldiers it emerged as "shell shock", a personal withdrawal from an intolerable reality. For armies it was rebellion. Question is not why was there mutiny, but why did it take so long to erupt? Shows how strain could be felt on homefront, & greatest mutiny of all Russian Revolution - an uprising that reverberates to this day.: COLLAPSE - Volume Three-Episode Six. At start of 1918 odds looked bad for Allies. With Russia knocked out of war by revolution & French Army rocked by mutiny, Germany stepped up offensive on Western Front. But Europe was running out of men. A new player came into the game. In 1917 President Wilson urged U.S. into war to "make world safe for democracy" & by 1918 5 million Americans were in uniform. Explains myriad factors on warfront & homefront that led to Germany's ultimate collapse. 60 min


Civil War
WAR VT0257C

Charts dramatic events that led to Lincoln's decision to set the slaves free. Comes to climax in Sept. with Lee's invasion of Maryland. On banks of Antietam Creek, bloodiest day of the war takes place, followed shortly by brightest - emancipation of slaves. 76 min


Great War
WAR VT0888D

HATRED & HUNGER - Volume Four-Episode Seven. The Great War had been worst disaster in history. Nine million soldiers were killed & millions more injured. Four empires had collapsed & large parts of France, Belgium & Russia lay devastated. Episode reveals war laid groundwork for cold War between the U.S. & U.S.S.R. Peace treaty proved no real peace. Instead seeds were sown for an even more catastrophic war just one generation later. 60 min: WAR WITHOUT END - Volume Four-Episode Eight. The world at end of war was full of broken hopes, broken families, broken lives. Episode explores aftermath of the war & failed peace. For "lost generation" it spawned, war became a war without end, one that continued through missing limbs, mutilated faces & shaking bodies. Question that haunted people throughout Europe was why so many of their husbands, sons & brothers had to die? Writers tried to create an answer & millions searched for messages from departed loved ones through Spiritualism. In Germany


Civil War
WAR VT0257D

Episode begins with the nightmarish Union disaster at Fredericksburg & comes to climax that spring: at Chancellorsville & Vicksburg. We learn of fierce Northern opposition to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, miseries of regimental life & increasing desperation of Confederate homefront. 62 min


50 Years War Video 1
WAR VT0916A

Leading Statesmen, generals, terrorists, & others who made headlines in one of history's most bitter enduring struggles tell the story of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Opening with U.N. decision to partition Palestine in 1947 program charts the half-century of enmity, warfare, mediation & negotiation. 1999/Color/150 minutes/Not rated


Civil War
WAR VT0257E

Opens with dramatic account of turning point of war, Battle of Gettysburg where in 3 days, 150,000 men fought to their death. Episode goes on to chronicle fall of Vicksburg, New York draft riots, 1st black troops, western battles & closed with dedication of a new Union cemetery at Gettysburg where Lincoln struggles to put into words what is happening to his people. 95 min.


50 Years War
WAR VT0916B

Leading Statesmen, generals, terrorists, & others who made headlines in one of history's most bitter & enduring struggles tell the story of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Opening with U.N. decision of partition Palestine in 1947, program charts the half-century of enmity, warfare, mediation & negotiation. 1999/Color/150 minutes


Civil War
WAR VT0257F

Begins with comparison of Grant & Lee. In 30 days, the 2 armies lose more men than both sides have lost in 3 years of war. Hospitals in North & South are visited & as horrendous casualty lists increase, Lincoln's chances for re-election begin to dim, & with them possibility of Union victory. 70 min


War That Never Ends Thucydides
WAR VT0919

27 year war between 2 powerful states of Athens & Sparta destroyed an empire. Film analysis of that war is an intelligent documentation of politics of conflict. Thucydides is always relevant & you could bring it out for any great political crisis of world. 72 min


Vietnam: A TV History: The Roots of War/First Vietnam War 1946-54
WAR VT0509A

The Roots of War and The First Vietnam War, 1946-1954. 120 min.


Vietnam: TV Hist.:Americas Mandarin 54-63/LBJ Goes To War 64-65
WAR VT0509B

America's Mandarin, 1954-1963 and LBJ Goes To War 1964-1965. 60 min.


Vietnam: TV His.: America Takes Charge
WAR VT0509C

America Takes Charge, 1965-1967 and America's Enemy, 1954-1967. 120 min.


Vietnam: A TV History: Tet
WAR VT0509D

Vietnamizing The War, 1969-1973. 116 min.


Vietnam: A TV History: Cambodia & Laos/Peace Is At Hand
WAR VT0509E

Cambodia and Laos ---and Peace Is At Hand, 1968-1973. 120 min.


Vietnam: A TV Hist.: Homefront
WAR VT0509F

Homefront, U.S.A and The End Of The Tunnel, 1973-1975. 120 min.


Vietnam: A Television History: Legacies
WAR VT0509G

Legacies. 61 min.


Courage Under Fire
WAR VT1550

When Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling accidentally orders an attack on one of his own tanks, he is temporarily sent home from the Gulf War to await an investigation into his conduct. Asked to review the posthumous candidacy of the first woman to receiv a Medal of Honor, he finds himself plunged into an apparent cover-up surrounding the actions that led to her death. With time running out, he must not only uncover the truth, but conront the demons that torment him about his own actions during the war. Video/Rated R/Color/115 minutes


Civil War
WAR VT0257G

Begins with presidential campaign that sets Lincoln against George McClellan. North has turned strongly against Lincoln & war, but 11th hour Union victories at Mobile Bay, Atlanta & the Shenandoah Valley tilt election to Lincoln, & Confederacy's last hope for independence dies. In an ironic twist, Lee's Arlington mansion is turned into a Union military hospital & estate becomes Arlington National Cemetery-Union's most hallowed ground. 72 min.


U. S. - Mexican War 1846-1848 Pt 1
WAR VT0986A

Part One: In 1820s, Mexico is suffering aftermath of war for independence from Spain. To north, U.S. is expanding its territory at a pace that alarms Mexican government. Tensions mount when Texas breaks free from Mexico in 1836 & is later annexed by U.S. In 1846 U.S. & Mexican troops clash over a border dispute in Texas & war explodes. President Polk orders Army & Navy to conquer Mexican territories of New Mexico & California. When Mexico refuses to surrender, Polk turns his attention to Mexico City.


Civil War
WAR VT0257H

Begins with Sherman's March to Sea, which brings war to heart of Georgia & Carolinas & spells end of Confederacy. In March, following Lincoln's 2nd inauguration, Petersburg & Richmond fall to Grant's army. Lee's army flees westward towards Appomattox Court House. Their surrender of Lee to Grant takes place. Episode ends in Washington where John Wilkes Booth begins to dream of vengeance for South. 69 min.


U. S. - Mexican War 1846-1848 Pt 2
WAR VT0986B

Part Two: Former Mexican President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna returns from exile to unite Mexico against U.S. invasion. Polk decides to open a second front against Mexico & strike deep into Mexico's heartland. Santa Anna is unable to turn back invaders & a dramatic battle for Mexico City ends when capital finally surrenders on 9-14-47. A few months later, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ceding all of states of present American Southwest to U.S. 2 tapes total 4 hours


Civil War
WAR VT0257I

Begins in aftermath of Lee's surrender & narrates events of 5 days later when Lincoln is assassinated. Series recounts final days of war, capture of John Wilkes Booth & fates of major characters. Episode then considers consequences & meaning of a war that transformed country from a collection of states to nation we are today. 1989. 68 min


Back to Bataan
WAR VT1405

John Wayne is the rugged Colonel Joseph Madden, battling the Japanese on Bataan. When Bataan falls to the enemy, Wayne stays behind to organize a guerilla resistance movement. And Anthony Quinn is the Filipino captain who joins the heroic effort. Beaulah Bondi plays a refugee American teacher who stays to help. Edward Dmytryk's stunning direction creates a vivid sense of war. And the film makes use of a rather unusual and highly effective technique--combining real combat footage and documentary-style narration with ficitional characters. Back to Bataan is a must-see for World War II buffs and John Wayne fans alike. Especially memorable is the touching re-enactment of the liberation fo the Cabantuan prision camp. 95 minutes--B&W


Korean War
WAR VT0481A

Korean Broadcast System spent years compiling information with never-before-seen film of this epic. Collection is rendering of conflict, beginning with dividing of Korean Peninsula after World War II, & continuing through today, where an uneasy truce still exists. Series is most complete record of Korean War ever produced. Gives look at nations & men caught-up in dramatic struggle, which shaped course of modern history. 120 min


Korean War
WAR VT0481B

Korean Broadcast System spent years compiling information with never-before-seen film of this epic. Collection is rendering of conflict, beginning with dividing of Korean Peninsula after World War II, & continuing through today, where an uneasy truce still exists. Series is most complete record of Korean War ever produced. Gives look at nations & men caught-up in dramatic struggle, which shaped course of modern history. 120 min.


Korean War
WAR VT0481C

Korean Broadcast System spent years compiling information with never-before-seen film of this epic. Collection is rendering of conflict, beginning with dividing of Korean Peninsula after World War II, & continuing through today, where an uneasy truce still exists. Series is most complete record of Korean War ever produced. Gives look at nations & men caught-up in dramatic struggle, which shaped course of modern history. 120 min


Know Your Enemy: Japan
WAR VT1409

"Know Your Enemy-Japan" depicts a country with a dedicated, disciplined people that believe the highest human achievement is that of being a Japanese soldier. The japanese believe the soldier who dies in battle becomes a warrior god and is enshrined in a sacred temple. A surrender in battle shames one's living family and all of his ancestors. The dedicated soldier obediently goes into war following the will of his emperor Hirohito, believed to be a direct descendent of the fun. To the Japanese people the emperor embodies all religous, political and military power. In his name, you'll see the Japanse fight for justice, enlightenment, truth and victory at any cost. 62 min


Korean War
WAR VT0481D

Korean Broadcast System spent years compiling information with never-before-seen film of this epic. Collection is rendering of conflict, beginning with dividing of Korean Peninsula after World War II, & continuing through today, where an uneasy truce still exists. Series is most complete record of Korean War ever produced. Gives look at nations & men caught-up in dramatic struggle, which shaped course of modern history. 120 min


Korean War
WAR VT0481E

Korean Broadcast System spent years compiling information with never-before-seen film of this epic. Collection is rendering of conflict, beginning with dividing of Korean Peninsula after World War II, & continuing through today, where an uneasy truce still exists. Series is most complete record of Korean War ever produced. Gives look at nations & men caught-up in dramatic struggle, which shaped course of modern history. 120 min


Way West
WAR VT0598A

Story how West was lost & won from Gold Rush till Indian Wars. Chronicles decades expansion, from 1840's through Civil War.


Way West
WAR VT0598B

Story how West was lost & won from Gold Rush till Indian Wars. Examines period following Civil War, when restless, war weary nation took up task of conquering West with renewed fury.


Way West
WAR VT0598C

Story how West was lost & won from Gold Rush till Indian Wars. Follows events that led to battle of Little Big Horn of 1876


Way West
WAR VT0598D

Story how West was lost & won from Gold Rush till Indian Wars. Crackdown on Native American tribes that occurred in battle of Little Big Horn; surrender of Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull; rise of Ghost Dance religion; & massacre at Wounded K


Liberators
WAR VT0649

Tells story of African-American battalions, focusing on heroic actions of 761st, which spearheaded General Patton's 3rd Army & helped liberate concentration camps at Buchenwald, Narrated by Denzel Washington & Louis Gossett, Jr. 90 min


Buffalo Soldiers
WAR VT0750

From Indian Wars to Spanish American War relive heroism, & adventure of Buffalo Soldier. Chronicles history & accomplishments of all black cavalries & infantries during last half of 19th century. Named "Buffalo Soldiers" by Cheyenne, these brave soldiers played an important role in settlement of American West. 50 min


Men of Bronze - Black American Heroes of WWI
WAR VT0753

Definitive story of black American soldiers of 369th combat regiment, known as "Harlem Hellfighters," who served with French army in WWI. Although relegated to non-combat duty by U.S. command, the 369th was sent to France & spent more time in front-line trenches than any other American infantry unit. 60 min