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New WWI Series on PBS

3K views 36 replies 16 participants last post by  Correus 
#1 ·
Hello Gents,

I would have posted this sooner had I known about it? However if you miss part of it, PBS normally reruns specials like this. Starting tonight, on Monday night, 4-10-17 is part one of a three parts series "The Great War" that will run consecutively on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

I don't know if this the same series by the same name that ran on PBS years ago? With the Centennial upon us it just might be new??? But who knows no-a-days??? We'll see!

More to follow as the show unfolds.

Warmest regards,

John
 
#2 ·
I watched it. It's a decent show and new.

Something that never ceases to amaze me is how much late war footage they used (most of what they used) when talking about the events of 1914, 1915 and early 1916. And it's not just this series either, all of them seem to do it.
 
#4 ·
Well produced and extremely biased first episode. It was all the German's fault you see, and oh by the way, the German's started all the atrocities. The talking heads catered to a rather smug and simplistic audience of PBS viewers who, knowing nothing about the Great War, could come away satisfied that the Progressive (and racist) Woodrow Wilson was the hero of the day, having had his patience tried by a ruthless Germany. Calling support of the Allies "neutral with a tilt" is laughable. They barely got in the fact that the Lusitania was loaded with munitions.
Another example was the black woman ( who it must be said was charming and quite well spoken) who danced completely around Wilson's re-segregation of the Army and only admitted that black Americans had come away "disappointed" with Wilson the Progressive (must not shoot our own, must we).
There was no mention of the complicity between France and Russia before the war or of Russia's opportunity to stop their mobilization. Nor of France's long and successful campaign to entangle Britain in their designs for revenge of the humiliation of Sedan a generation earlier. Nor of Britain's Sir Grey's late engagement and incompetence.
Indeed there is plenty of blame to go around as to "who started" what would become the Great War. It really is rather complicated though the scholarship of the last 30 years has brought quite a lot of light to shine through the propaganda of the victors. But I doubt any of that will be found in the remaining two episodes of this rather pedestrian, and quite frankly, produced-for-our-Progressive-and-somewhat-dim PBS audience, nod to a war long forgotten by most Americans.
 
#6 ·
You guys do realize the show IS GOING TO BE BIASED - right?

The 3 part documentary isn't about WWI in general, it's about America's experience during the war and the perception of it seen through the eye's of Americans at the time.

The show specifically points out that - at the time - it was heavily biased due to that fact that the main newspaper owners were very pro-England as well as the fact that all trans-Atlantic cables had been cut - by the British - save one, the cable from London. There was no easy, direct line to Germany any longer so the German version wasn't easily kno wn by the common person.

The show did point out though that the German -Americans did do everything they could to get information out anout the German side. They also protested and demanded the Government stop sending supplies and arms.

Wilson's re-segregation (If you want to call it that) was touched on as well as the re-segregation of government jobs.

Due to the nature, and intent of the show, why would it touch on France's and Russia's complicity? Nor the "who started what" aspect.

The intent of the series - again - is NOT a general history of the war but the war seen through Amercan eye's, the people's desire to stay out of it and America's experience durind the war. After all - this 3-part set is just a chapter in a rather long set of chaperts that are part of a series called "The American Experience".

Something else to keep in mind... This series is intended for the general public who typically knows little to nothing about the war. Its intended audiance isn't the person who makes a study of the war.

Personally I think they did a decent job considering who their intended audiance is. I just wrapped up doing a 2-day event wherein I displayed my collection and the local VFW/Legions items. It astounds me just how ignorant the general population is about WWI. I even had a couple of people I couldn't convince that the Nazis didn't start the war! Easily 1/3 of those who came by thought the display was for WWII. That being said I think that if a tv show, like this one, diverges too much off its topic, and starts heading down the "complacency" and "who started it" trails they loose the audiance and muddy the topic.
 
#7 ·
I started watching and decided that it was like the rest of the pbs shows, very biased toward progressive socialistic revisionist history. No real new info but a lot of new angles showing how "We" held the moral high ground and beat those nasty Germans down. I have to admit I was shocked to see them admit that the communist wilson re-introduced segregation at a time that it was being eroded by the reality of life. Wonder how many knew it actually happened that way.
another show not to watch.

Frank
 
#9 ·
Morning Gents,

IMHO it was much better than I expected. I expected the warts in terms of the use of photos and film clips used out of context. Did any of us truly expect that they would get it right??? Robert Ryan narrated the last top notch documentary produced in the U.S. The producers more than likely didn't bother to hire any technical experts, just ultra liberal university professors who couldn't tell a French uniform from a German one.

Since then there have been some excellent British productions, but just as is the case with this series, all of the British documentaries are British- centric. Big surprise! Works like this are produced for the general public. Just the fact that it's a 6 hour program is amazing in this day and age.

With all of that said, there were some excellent photos and film clips, some of which I had never seen! Considering how many Americans don't know that WWI was ever fought, anything that helps bring attention to a lost segment of our History is better than nothing.

I set my expectations very low and enjoyed it very much! It beat the hell out of the usual crap on TV.

More to follow after this evenings episode.

Warmest regards,

JPS
 
#15 ·
I agree with much of the above as far as the series being American centric and having a liberal bias, but tonight's episode (#2) laid into Wilson pretty good. If there was a theme tonight, it was how Wilson simultaneously was making the world safe for democracy while creating a proto-dictatorship at home. You could say he out did Lincoln in restrictions on speech and liberty with first the Espionage, and then the Sedition Acts. It also said that the war's hysteria destroyed what was a very vibrant German culture in the US, something that happened, but is never recognized. And who started the war? The Russians started the war. Sorry, couldn't resist.
 
#16 ·
The indictment of Wilson, going through episode three, is pretty severe, as it ought to be. The series was pretty good in some aspects, but the over-concentration on certain topics means that that they did not address other, significant issues at all. On thing covered that was really important, was Wilson's take it or leave it attitude on (Republican) Senate ratification of the treaty.
I suspect that Wilson's basically illiberal behavior has left him in bad odor with today's Left (PBS) which is one of the few revisionist efforts that might lead to exposure of historical truth. Even the PBS blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a awhile.....
 
#17 · (Edited)
I was surprised that during the course of a fairly in depth look at the 15th New York National Guard that was nationalized as the 369th, later to become known as the Harlem Hellfighters, they didn't bother to ever mention that there were three other "*****" regiments also on loan to the French by Pershing.

The 93rd Division of the AEF included the 369th, 370th, 371st and 372nd Infantry Regiments.

They should have advertised this program as "The Woodrow Wilson Story."
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hey John, it really was the Wilson story, I was surprised by the description of the Spanish Influenza and its symptoms, the discription sounded more like the black death. As one who has had the H1N1 virus, I can assure you that the symptoms described have nothing to do with the H1N1. The "expert said that it was worse because there were no antibiotics available, antibiotics do noting for the virus, they can be used to treat pneumonia, but that is a secondary ailment.
I also question that US troops were sent to the front with out weapons and told to grab the first one available, I do not think this happened and have not read anything to support this claim.
 
#19 ·
I had to turn it off, I got sick to my stomach on how we came and saved the Europeans in this conflict ... we were the saviors of the war ... well it is catered to the American public audience .. and who are these historians, never heard of them before either.

Patrick
 
#24 ·
Missed episode 2. Episode 3 was much clearer on what a sanctimonious, materialistic, messianic, megalomaniac Wilson was. I'm guessing the "experts" and "historians" were PBS mega-donars are kin of the producer. Still, well produced, and if it gets some more Americans to say "you mean there was a World War I ?" then all the better.

God protect us from ever again electing an Ivy League president.
 
#25 ·
I just watched another PBS program that followed a repeat of the 2nd episode. Title the Ford Model T goes to War or something like that. I should have paid better attention so I so do not watch it again. It was an hour program that if it had been edited to 30 minutes it would have been very good. The modern contribution to the program was very poor indeed, a lack of knowledge of ordinance, and even a lack of basic understanding of a oil lamp. I have to give a presentation at our local museum tomorrow, and at least it was a good lesson in how not to teach history.
 
#26 ·
i watched the 3rd episode last night. I agree they should have hired some technical people!! ( they kept showing british soldiers with their enfields coming out of the trench's and calling them Americans?? We should have had different style helmets from the Tommy's??) I didn't realize Wilson was such a control freak? A lot of racism towards blacks ...but many Americans were prejudice toward blacks at that time.
 
#28 ·
As much as I thought I knew about history, it was a revelation to learn that Wilson was a southerner, and a racist. I knew he was an egomaniac, but his re segregating the civil service, ( giving new jobs to whites) and re segregating the Army were a shocking surprise to me. His arrogance about his peace plan can now be viewed as a part in the causes of the 2en World War.
Always lots to learn and PBS does it very well indeed. You never get the whole story from any one source, but to get something new is to be praised.
 
#29 ·
PBS Steps Up, But Are Other TV Networks?

The "American Experience" multipart TV program on "The Great War" is applauded by me because of the effort, by an American TV broadcaster, to produce a program about World War I on the 100th anniversary of the United States of America's entry into the Great War; and doing so on the month of America's declaration in 1917.

If there are currently other TV networks producing/broadcasting programs on the subject, their efforts to promote the program(s) for attracting a general viewing audience are mute, as the PBS network is the only one I've heard of so far. PBS went as far as to buy Ad time on the major network TV newscasts to promote its multi-part program.

While there are throngs of individuals that have a vast knowledge of The Great War, where they can nitpick to extents about the PBS program's biases, omissions, and some dramatic license taken with film clips . . . at least PBS made the efforts to produce a TV program covering some aspects of that international conflict, with its emphasis on what the American culture/mindset was during the second decade of the 20th century. After all, "The Great War" PBS program is under the moniker of "The American Experience". It was a tremendous time of transition for America at that time.
 
#30 ·
The "American Experience" multipart TV program on "The Great War" is applauded by me because of the effort, by an American TV broadcaster, to produce a program about World War I on the 100th anniversary of the United States of America's entry into the Great War; and doing so on the month of America's declaration in 1917.

If there are currently other TV networks producing/broadcasting programs on the subject, their efforts to promote the program(s) for attracting a general viewing audience are mute, as the PBS network is the only one I've heard of so far. PBS went as far as to buy Ad time on the major network TV newscasts to promote its multi-part program.

While there are throngs of individuals that have a vast knowledge of The Great War, where they can nitpick to extents about the PBS program's biases, omissions, and some dramatic license taken with film clips . . . at least PBS made the efforts to produce a TV program covering some aspects of that international conflict, with its emphasis on what the American culture/mindset was during the second decade of the 20th century. After all, "The Great War" PBS program is under the moniker of "The American Experience". It was a tremendous time of transition for America at that time.
Hear, hear!! Hear, hear!!!
 
#32 ·
Actually Jeff, I was amazed at how bad a picture the program painted of Wilson. The left often blames the right for all the evils that have been done, such as racism and violation of civil liberties, but this program portrayed Wilson as the one who introduce Jim Crow to the US government and the northern regions. The program also showed that politics of the present where the democrats and republicans will vote against anything that the other introduces really is the way things have been since the beginning of time.
 
#34 ·
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