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War of the century is a detailed four part account of the brutal war fought between Hitler’s Germany and Soviet Russia. The devastating Second World War conflict which was instigated by Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union left over 30 million dead, 15 million of which were civilians. Combining archival footage and first hand accounts, this engrossing documentary traces Germany’s initial victorious invasion and their ultimate defeat at Stalingrad. Although the soldier’s of the Soviet army had a life expectancy of 24 hours, the most devastating consequences of the war were exacted upon the Soviet citizens. Not only did they have to deal with the brutality of Hitler, who ordered the burning of countless villages across Russia, but their own tyrannical leader Stalin, who bore down swift retribution on anyone that defied him or the state. Meanwhile, other regions and their people felt the brunt of the war from all sides - one such region was the Ukraine. The Ukrainian’s who had been fighting for independence from the Soviet Union, ultimately found themselves at the mercy of the Germans (who they initially hoped would become their liberators), the partisans (who saw them as collaborator’s), and the Russian State (who branded them traitors). Aside from the rare archival colour footage, it’s the many moving testimonials from Russian and German survivors that bring home the horror of this war and make “War of the century” such compelling viewing. The parts of the series are: High hopes; Spiral of terror; Learning to win; Vengeance.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
314104
Language
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Television programs - Great Britain
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Genocide
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Soviet Union
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → Nazis
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → Stalingrad, Battle of, Volgograd, Russia, 1942-1943
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Germany
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Soviet Union
Documentary → Documentary films - Great Britain
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Communist party purges
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Genocide
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Nazis
History → Communist party purges
History → Germany - History - 1933-1945
History → Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945
History → Soviet Union - History - German occupation, 1941-1944
History → Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953
People → Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945
People → Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953
Television → Television programs → Television programs - Great Britain
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)