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All This and World War II

Play trailer Poster for All This and World War II PG 1976 1h 28m Documentary History Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Peter Gabriel is among the stars performing music of Lennon and McCartney against a montage of World War II film clips.

Critics Reviews

View All (4) Critics Reviews
Ruth Batchelor Los Angeles Free Press Bad taste was shown in the selection and use of songs. Oct 28, 2019 Full Review Edward Havens FilmJerk.com Nostalgia often incurs when an item is kept from public consumption, and it is likely all wistful feelings for this film would disappear if it ever becomes available for mass consumption. Rated: C+ May 30, 2007 Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat The most brilliantly reckless film I've ever seen. A triumph of audacity and bad taste. Rated: 5/5 Oct 1, 2004 Full Review Shane Burridge rec.arts.movies.reviews Like seeing the world's biggest school project unfolding before your eyes Jun 30, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (8) audience reviews
Audience Member It is a weird strange history piece. This may be worthy one day of Cult Classic is you saw greater distribution. Fascinating to watch - some of the music/notes/lyrics juxtapositions with footage is very clever. The film has value - it mixes the music of those who gained the benefits of WW2 wit the events that set the stage for them. A History nut will enjoy it just for its look back value. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The brainchild of executive producer Russ Regan, who claims to have dreamt this insane idea up, a freeform documentary that juxtaposes covers of Beatles songs with old film footage of World War 2. It was originally to have been directed by Tony Palmer (200 Motels (1971), but Regan sacked him, and Palmer was replaced by his research assistant Susan Winslow. It has to be seen to be believed. Combining war newsreel footage and war films produced by 20th Century Fox, this follows the timeline of the war from it's beginnings in 1939, with everyone going off to war with Ambrosia singing Magical Mystery Tour, Neville Chamberlain's Peace in Our Time speech overlaid with Peter Gabriel singing Strawberry Fields Forever. As war progresses, we see Hitler alone in his mountain retreat to Helen Reddy's cover of The Fool on the Hill, the Japanese joining the war done to Tina Turner belting out Come Together, and Mussolini in Italy done to Nowhere Man by Jeff Lynne. Then the war comes to crashing climax with troops retreating to Rod Stewart singing Get Back. The list is endless, it proves once and for all that most film producers were on drugs at the time, as no-one in their right mind would come up with something like this. The soundtrack is good though, and that's it's one big saving grace, but the idea as a whole fails to grab your attention. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent soundtrack Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best war documentaries of our time, its time, or anyone else's time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member A weird idea-Beatles songs to WWII footage,but hey! it works! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a cinema verite piece made out of stock footage with a fantastic soundtrack. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
All This and World War II

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Peter Gabriel is among the stars performing music of Lennon and McCartney against a montage of World War II film clips.
Director
Susan Winslow
Producer
Sanford Lieberson, Martin J. Machat
Rating
PG
Genre
Documentary, History, Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 28m