Our World War

physichull

physichull

physichull

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Anyone catch this on the BBC?

I only spied it last night on iPlayer so gave it a punt and it was brilliant! Series following soldiers during WW1 from the beginning of the fighting in Mons and onwards to trench warfare. It was really well done and not the usual docu-drama standard of most. The combat scenes were done very well and were obviously quite high budget (for the first episode, at least).

Watch it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p022wq5k/our-world-war-1-the-first-day
 
I enjoyed it but wasn't fond of the non period music they played during the sections where it showed the map and the advancing german army.
 
Just finished watching it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the head cam a bit off putting at first but soon got used to it and thought it helped convey how tired that poor runner must have been.

I probably wouldn't have noticed the show if i hadn't read this thread earlier.
 
I have to be honest, I had low expectations. However, credit where its due, it was excellent and far exceeded my expectations. The only let down was for me, the head cam, personally, I felt it was not necessary and implemented only to appeal to the target audience (the same for the music) being BBC Three. Nevertheless, looking forward to the next installments.
 
Thought it was excellent - surprised me. The headcam and some of the music as above didn't feel right to me though.
 
Thought this was very good, see what you mean about the use of modern music, was quite surprised to hear "The Prodigy - Invaders must die" at the start of the program!

Loved the maps and stats and the end sequence showing what happened to them. Factual but super entertaining at the same time.

Top marks BBC...
 
Caught this quite by accident when flicking through iplayer the other day.
Really liked it. Echo the comments about the head cam and the modern music but soon "got" it.
A very, very good effort by the BBC and will certainly watch the other episodes.
Oh, and very much the British version of Band Of Brothers, esp with the end bits telling us about the real events told in the show.
 
MookJong said:
Thought this was very good, see what you mean about the use of modern music, was quite surprised to hear "The Prodigy - Invaders must die" at the start of the program!

Loved the maps and stats and the end sequence showing what happened to them. Factual but super entertaining at the same time.

Top marks BBC...
Click to expand...

Yeah, though a lot of that stuff is toned down a bit in the second episode, which, by the way, was just as good, if not better than the first. Though the reviewer for the Telegraph clearly didn't "get it":

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...ld-War-BBC-Three-review-a-whiff-of-spoof.html

Pretty disappointing review and I think it is also a little bit unfair, especially given his last line of:

"Having said all this, if you put the anachronisms to one side, the first episode was both entertaining and gripping. But in this year of solemn remembrance, that’s not quite the point, is it?"

I don't think I quite understand the last sentiment, especially given all the war films that have been released since, forever! Its not like it glamourises war in any way.

I really have been impressed with this tv show to date and the BBC have done a cracking job with it, especially given that the last episode was an "interactive" episode, read more here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...-explores-future-of-digital-storytelling.html

Pretty novel, if you ask me.
 
Fluke? said:
Really liked it. Echo the comments about the head cam and the modern music but soon "got" it.
Click to expand...

I think that's hitting the nail on the head, the music and the rifle cameras, the digital "mapping" with the "thermals", its not wrong, its just completely different to anything we've seen before and I don't think for one moment that it detracted from the atmosphere or the drama.
 
The headcam, etc. stuff just felt odd and didn't really add to it imo - not saying it was wrong but I don't think it quite achieved what they were going for and without managing that they'd have been better just keeping it conventional.

The music was another matter in some cases it just lacked "dignity" in the context for want of a better way to put it, personally it didn't work at all for me.

Didn't mind the computer visuals, the thermal maps, etc. made it easier to get a feel for the bigger picture.

There was a few poignant moments and I didn't think it glorified war at all other than incidentally due to the odd choice of music in some situations and in some ways made me feel more in touch with what happened in those early days of the war than anything I've ever seen before.
 
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Saw the final one of these last night, easily up to the fantastic standards of the first two episodes. In particular the scenes with the young German soldier trying to surrender and the final scene
when the soldier delivers the letter to the widowed wife
were extremely powerful and moving. Well done BBC!
 
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