Prelude to War (1942)

Original title

Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Directed by

Anatole Litvak, Frank Capra

Genre

documentary film, war film, propaganda film

Country

United States

Runtime

52 min

Rated

9

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 73 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film explains why the United States entered World War II. It uses footage and narration to show the threat posed by the Axis powers and to rally support for the war effort.

patrioticeducationalmotivationalurgentinformativerousingsoberinginspirational

What happens

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. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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