Prelude to War

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Prelude to War

Released May 13, 1942

53m

Documentary

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2 Reviews

55%

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50+ Ratings

The first of a seven-part propaganda series commissioned by the U.S. government explains to soldiers the necessity of fighting in World War II. Narrated by John Huston, the first part combines stock footage (including Leni Riefenstahl's work) and animation by Disney Studios to provide a basic introduction to the rise of fascism in Europe and Japan and its threat to democracy. Rife with stereotypical images of the period, the series remains a powerful record of an era.

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Stirring even to a knee-jerk pacifist like me.

Rated: B

Aug 30, 2022

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Pablo Villaça

Cinema em Cena

Ainda que contenha uma (mnima) parcela de auto-crtica, o filme revela a natureza de seus produtores (o Exrcito norte-americano) atravs de hiprboles de propaganda.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 13, 2009

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Audience Member

Propaganda, yes. But at least they didn't tell any outright lies. Explains why the Japanese Bombed Pearl Harbor... the same reason Britain, the US, and Saddam Hussein have gone to war since: OIL!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

A nicely developed piece of wartime propaganda. The historian side of me finds the points mentioned fascinating, giving a better perception of contemporary perspectives - notable that in this first installment, concentration camps are mentioned only once, and that a brief mention.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

America... fuck yeah!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Capra's war propaganda is skilled and often rather rousing and powerful filmmaking. It's also rather sensationalistic and even racist by today's standards, but it's an undeniable milestone of documentary film, and still in many ways an effective and engaging war documentary with some amazing montage.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

A very strong start to the series, with all the flag waving self-adoration you would expect from a Capra production. Naturally, everything is laid out with simplicity and bias, but it manages to be entertaining as well, thanks in no small part to the contribution of Walter Huston as narrator.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

the "prologue" of the 2005 version of Why We Fight... the students were surprised that their country actually needed to be fueled for war in the 1940s...

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Frank Capra

Director

Walter Huston

Narrator

Julius J. Epstein

Screenwriter

Philip G. Epstein

Screenwriter

Frank Capra

Producer

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Synopsis

The first of a seven-part propaganda series commissioned by the U.S. government explains to soldiers the necessity of fighting in World War II. Narrated by John Huston, the first part combines stock footage (including Leni Riefenstahl's work) and animation by Disney Studios to provide a basic introduction to the rise of fascism in Europe and Japan and its threat to democracy. Rife with stereotypical images of the period, the series remains a powerful record of an era.

Director: Frank Capra
Producer: Frank Capra
Screenwriter: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: U.S. War Department
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 1942, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 7, 2015
Runtime: 53m

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