Part VII of the "Why We Fight" series of wartime documentaries. This entry attempts to describe the factors leading up to America's entry into the Second World War.Part VII of the "Why We Fight" series of wartime documentaries. This entry attempts to describe the factors leading up to America's entry into the Second World War.Part VII of the "Why We Fight" series of wartime documentaries. This entry attempts to describe the factors leading up to America's entry into the Second World War.
- Awards
- 1 win
Photos
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Self
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- Self
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- (as A.A. Berle)
- Self
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- Self
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- Self
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- Self
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- (as Galleazzo Ciano)
- Self
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- Self
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- Self
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- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Josef Goebbels)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Self
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- Self
- (archive footage)
- Self
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- Self
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- Self
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the year 2000, the United States Library of Congress mandated that this film (and the other six documentaries in the 'Why We Fight' series)were "culturally significant" and selected them for preservation in the National Film Registry.
- GoofsTwice there appears an animated clip showing about a dozen fully-equipped US troops in gray silhouette marching briskly left to right over a background graphic; however, a close look shows the "soldiers" actually wearing narrow-brimmed office-worker-style civilian hats rather than army helmets.
- Quotes
[the film explains the dire consequences for the United States of an Axis victory in Eurasia]
Narrator: German conquest of Europe and Africa would bring all their raw materials, plus their entire industrial development, under one control. Of the two billion people in the world, the Nazis would rule roughly one quarter, the 500 million people of Europe and Africa, forced into slavery to labor for Germany. German conquest of Russia would add the vast raw materials and the production facilities of another of the world's industrial areas, and of the world's people, another 200 million would be added to the Nazi labor pile. Japanese conquest of the Orient would pour into their factory the almost unlimited resources of that area, and of the peoples of the earth, a thousand million would come under their rule, slaves for their industrial machine. We in North and South America would be left with the raw materials of three-tenths of the earth's surface, against the Axis with the resources of seven-tenths. We would have one industrial region against their three industrial regions. We would have one-eighth of the world's population against their seven-eighths. If we, together with the other nations of North and South America, could mobilize 30 million fully equipped men, the Axis could mobilize 200 million. Thus, an Axis victory in Europe and Asia would leave us alone and virtually surrounded, facing enemies ten times stronger than ourselves.
- ConnectionsEdited from The Negro Soldier (1944)
The film begins with a brief history of the United States. Then, what follows is a long litany of reasons the US is the bestest place to live on the planet. While much of this is true, it's message goes on way too long and is like a long and boring civics lesson. Even back in 1945, I am pretty sure a lot of folks in the audience felt similarly. Then, tons of documentary footage follows about the war and our reasons for becoming involved in it.
The film probably did a lot to help the war effort but, frankly, there are much better documentaries about the same subjects. The film lacks subtlety and comes across like a pep rally as opposed to a documentary. This one just hasn't held up very well.
- planktonrules
- Dec 31, 2013
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Why We Fight, 7
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1