BBC
to show landmark 1960s history series, The Great War
The BBC is to repeat the historic documentary series, The Great
War, in its entirety, accompanied by a specially made introductory
programme, That Was the Great War That Was, exploring the
enduring power of this television masterpiece.
For the first time since 1974 the entire series of The Great War
is to be shown, airing on BBC TWO and BBC FOUR next year, with two
episodes on the Somme airing on BBC FOUR in November this year to
mark Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
First
broadcast on the BBC in 1964, The Great War was to be the definitive
film account of the world-shattering events of 1914-1918 - a landmark
history series widely regarded as a documentary masterpiece.
Laurence
Rees, the BBC's Creative Director, History, comments: "The
Great War was a landmark in television history in the 1960s, offering
the post-war generation a new way of experiencing the turning points
in history.
"I hope viewers coming to it afresh will find it an equally
rewarding and valuable experience."
The Great War was the first endeavour to describe history on television
through the highest standards of scripting, archive and the memories
of survivors.
The
series draws on over one million feet of original film, hundreds
of exclusive veteran interviews and contemporary diaries, letters
and reports from the war.
It
is narrated by Sir Michael Redgrave and features the voices of many
other leading actors of the day including Sir Ralph Richardson and
Marius Goring.
The
series in its entirety runs to 26 forty-minute episodes, and detailed
work has been underway for some time bring the programmes technically
up to date for transmission on digital and analogue channels.
To
accompany the replaying of the series, an introductory documentary
- That Was The Great War That Was - includes interviews with members
of the original production team - led by Tonight current affairs
producers and editors, the cream of BBC talent in the 1960s.
Discussing
their role in the making of television history are, amongst others,
Max Hastings and John Terraine.
BBC
FOUR's Storyville strand marks Remembrance Sunday with the showing
of a seventy minute film assembled from the two episodes from The
Great War dedicated to the battle of the Somme.
Nick
Fraser, Editor of Storyville, says: "Although the series will
be coming back in its entirety, special prominence is to be given
now to the account of The Somme, which is the heart of the series
and an unforgettable account of combat. The
Somme has become for British people a symbol of the incomprehensible
atrocity of WWI.
"The series was an astounding achievement on many counts. Most
remarkable is the cosmopolitan perspective. German
and French survivors were interviewed as well as British veterans.
"The
film manages to explain why the carnage happened - without ever
seeming to condone it or accept it as normal. It's as fresh as the
day it was made.
"The
surprise and fear of the veteran is evident as they appear to talk
about their horrors for the first time. If I had to make a list
of the greatest achievements of the BBC, and British television
itself, this would be very close to the top."
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