Ken Burns Series The War Begins

The long awaited television series, "The War" by noted documentary film maker Ken Burns premiered this past Sunday Sept. 23rd. The story of the second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns,America's involvement as well as other nations, this series has been anticipated by followers of world history and is an invaluable tool to enlighten the youth of today often times not even able to recount basic American history.

In true Ken Burns fashion the first installment, entitled "The Necessary War" got off to a slow start. Focusing on the effect of pre-war activities in rural American towns like Mobile,Alabama, it set up the eventual 'narrators' of this episode, your average small town American Joe, who figured heavily in the thick of this world tragedy. Many of these young lads joined the service not because of patriotism, nor because of who the U.S. was fighting. It was because, according to one,"they wanted to be something more than the kids they were." The personal accounts of the war are meant to tell the stories of the soldiers who fought it. The American towns chosen for the series, Mobile,Alabama;Sacramento,California;Waterbury,Connecticut, and Luverne, Minnesota.

The episode picked up it's pace as it began to focus on America's entry into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941. It chronicled well known events like 'the Bataan death march', the exodus of Gen. MacArthur and his family from the Philippines, and the atrocities committed by the Nazis in Poland where over 6 million Jews were killed in one of the worst instances of human massacre ever recorded. The series will also refer to the plight of African-American and Japanese-American citizens who appear to have suffered the worse of American bigotry at this time. As mentioned earlier in the show, the line between good and evil was often blurred by the horrific events of the time.

So was there anything new brought to light in this first installment? War historians might not find the program informative, other than the mention of how much in terms of money and human sacrifice the war cost, as well as other statistics. Those numbers are hard to estimate, and seems to get higher as the years past. If anything the series would serve high school students well, as the simplified study of war strategies is laid out complete with maps and stock footage of actual battles. This however is no Department Of Defense 'Why We Fight' film. It depicts American victories as well as Axis victories. The most compelling segment of this episode was the Guadalcanal campaign. The fierce battle for what was considered a very strategic piece of land was a preview of what was to come, for the war and for this series. Burns' "Civil War' series unfolded in a similar fashion which is why it was so popular. For many who have already seen many documentaries on WW2, myself included, this formula of Ken Burns film making is very much welcome. Especially to those who never tire of these documentaries.

The series launch inspired me to do some additional research on the war. As a result Ifound out more 'facts' about the war that I hadn't known before. The depth of Russian collaboration and ultimate betrayal by the Nazis. The true role of the U.S in the toppling of the Nazi regime.The idea that Hitler didn't want to bomb New York because he didn't think it was 'worth it'. Many of these facts hopefully will be explored in the series, and I look forward to seeing them and the many other possibilities a series like this should explore.

With so many tragic tales and stock footage of human carnage at it's disposal, the Ken Burns series, "The War" will be an informative but disgusting reminder of a time in world history that many would rather forget.. And while exploring the war through the recollections of actual soldiers who fought it is not a new concept in documentary film making, hopefully Ken Burns' style of storytelling will aid teachers and inspire students to learn more about this event, a time in history we as human beings should never forget.