A documentary of the Great War, exploring how soldiers accepted their conditions in the trenches when no clear reason had been given for the fight (French language commentary).
Directed by Jean-François Delassus, 2008.
A superb visual assembly of: original black and white silent footage; a significant amount original, contemporary footage colourised and dubbed with modern soundtrack; photographs; and modern cinematic film depictions of the Great War. Sometimes it is difficult to see where one stops and the other starts.
This film includes unique, original footage of the kind we rarely see in English language Great War documentaries. It covers all aspects of the war, including the home fronts and the conflict in theatres other than the Western Front.
I cannot speak of the commentary as my French does not match the need, but it is not necessary to understand the commentary to appreciate the film.
Visually, one of the very best single-episode documentaries depicting the Great War.
Highly recommended.
NB there are 3m:40s of advertisements at the beginning. The video is worth the wait.
