Why We Fight: Prelude to War(Movie, 1942)

Rating: 3.3/5 (with 25 votes)

Prelude to War is the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight film series commissioned by the Office of War Information (OWI) and George C. Marshall. It was made to educate American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis powers during World War II based on the idea that those in the service would fight more willingly and ably if they knew the background and the reason for their participation in the war. The film was later released to the general American public as a rallying cry for support of the war. ()

Part of the Why We Fight Collection

Movie poster of Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Where to watch Why We Fight: Prelude to War (cinema/streaming/download)?

"Why We Fight: Prelude to War" is currently available on 2 providers. Why We Fight: Prelude to War can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix as part of a subscription.

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Amazon Prime Video

Available languages: English
Available subtitles: English
Duration: 51min

Netflix

Available languages: English (Original)
Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Chinese (Mandarin) (Simplified Chinese), Chinese (Mandarin) (Traditional Chinese)
Duration: 52min
Genres: Classic Movies / Classic War Movies / Documentaries / Five Came Back / Historical Documentaries / Military Documentaries / Political Documentaries
Keywords: best documentary oscar winners / directed by frank capra / world war ii / 1940s / heartfelt / auteur cinema / the military / historical docs / politics / award winners / history / critically acclaimed / classics / documentaries
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Awards & Nominations for Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film nominated for: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film

About Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II. This film examines the differences between democratic and fascist states.

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Additional Information

Official websites:

www.archive.org

Production country: United States of America (USA)

Made by: War activities committee of the motion pictures industry, U.S. War Department

Original language: English (EN)

Spoken languages: English (EN)

Translated into 11 languages: German (DE), Greek (EL), English (EN), Spanish (ES), French (FR), Hungarian (HU), Italian (IT), Dutch (NL), Portuguese (PT), Russian (RU), Swedish (SV)

Status: Released

Release date US: 05/27/1942

Cast: Walter Huston, Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, Chiang Kai-shek, Richard Walther Darré, Otto Dietrich, Hans Frank, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Göring, Rudolf Heß, Adolf Hitler, Saburō Kurusu, Robert Ley, Yōsuke Matsuoka, Benito Mussolini, Puyi, Fritz Reinhardt, Alfred Rosenberg, Haile Selassie I, Henry L. Stimson, Julius Streicher, Fritz Todt, Isoroku Yamamoto, Pietro Badoglio, Aristide Briand, Galeazzo Ciano, Heinrich Himmler, Hirohito, Herbert Hoover, Frank B. Kellogg, Pierre Laval, Erich Ludendorff, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Max Schmeling, Mamoru Shigemitsu, Paul von Hindenburg, August von Mackensen, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wendell Willkie

Director: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak

Producer: Frank Capra

Screenwriter: Anthony Veiller, Albert Maltz

Film Editor: William Hornbeck

Director of Photography: Robert J. Flaherty

Composer: David Raksin, Hugo Friedhofer, Leigh Harline, Alfred Newman, Cyril J. Mockridge, Arthur Lange

Alternative titles in other countries (from previews, ads etc.):

"Prelude to War"

Keywords: world war ii