We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

About the production

The documentary was produced as part of PBS's American Experience series. Director Lisa Laden spent several years researching the 1918 pandemic, working with historians, scientists, and descendants of pandemic survivors. The production team utilized extensive archival footage, photographs, and personal letters from the period, alongside contemporary interviews with leading epidemiologists including Dr. Anthony Fauci. The film features rare footage from the 1951 Alaska expedition led by Dr. Johan Hultin, who successfully recovered tissue samples from 1918 flu victims buried in permafrost.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Made in 2010, We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 belongs to the mid-century and carries the visual and narrative habits of its time.

Why this film matters

For collectors of early and classic cinema, We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 illustrates the range of subjects and styles that reached theaters in 2010.

Making of

Director Lisa Laden conceived the project after discovering her own grandfather's diary describing his experience during the 1918 pandemic. The production team spent over two years researching archives across the country, uncovering personal letters, photographs, and previously unseen film footage from the period. The documentary's most challenging segment involved recreating the 1951 Alaska expedition, which required extensive research and cooperation with Dr. Johan Hultin, who was in his 80s during filming. The team worked closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure scientific accuracy while making complex virology concepts accessible to general audiences. The film's emotional core comes from interviews with descendants of pandemic survivors, many of whom shared family stories that had never been publicly told before.

What critics said

Critics writing near 2010 focused on how We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 compared with rival titles in the same season.

Did you know?

• The title 'We Heard the Bells' refers to the church bells that tolled constantly during the 1918 pandemic, announcing deaths in communities across America
• Dr. Anthony Fauci's appearance in the film predates his international fame during the COVID-19 pandemic by a decade
• The 1951 Alaska expedition featured in the film was led by Dr. Johan Hultin, who made a second successful trip in 1997 at age 72
• The 1918 flu virus was so virulent that some people died within hours of showing first symptoms
• The documentary reveals that many Native American and Alaska Native communities had mortality rates exceeding 80% during the pandemic
• S. Epatha Merkerson, known for her role on Law & Order, served as the film's narrator, bringing her distinctive voice to the historical accounts
• The film includes previously unpublished photographs from the pandemic, sourced from family archives and historical societies
• Scientists featured in the documentary were able to reconstruct the 1918 virus from genetic samples, making it the first influenza virus to be completely sequenced
• The pandemic killed more people in 25 weeks than AIDS has killed in 25 years
• Many of the personal stories in the film come from oral histories collected by the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s

Awards & recognition

• CINE Golden Eagle Award (2011)
• International Health & Medical Media Award (2011)
• Silver Telly Award for Documentary (2011)

Visual style

The documentary employs a sophisticated visual style that seamlessly blends archival materials with contemporary footage. Cinematographer Buddy Squires utilized high-definition cameras to create a visual continuity between historical and modern sequences. The film features carefully colorized versions of black and white photographs from the period, bringing the historical images to life while maintaining their authentic feel. The visual storytelling is enhanced by aerial photography of pandemic sites and microscopic imagery of the reconstructed 1918 virus, creating a visual narrative that spans from the macro to the molecular level.

Innovations

The documentary achieved several technical milestones in historical documentary filmmaking. The production team pioneered new techniques for restoring and enhancing archival film footage from the 1918 period, using digital restoration tools that were cutting-edge for 2010. The film featured some of the first animated visualizations of influenza virus behavior created specifically for a general audience, making complex virology concepts accessible without oversimplification. The documentary also utilized advanced audio restoration techniques to clean up historical recordings, making century-old audio clear enough for broadcast television.

Music

The documentary's score was composed by Peter Kater, who created an evocative soundtrack that blends period-appropriate musical elements with contemporary orchestral arrangements. The music incorporates subtle references to American folk music from the 1910s, including modified versions of popular songs from the era. The sound design is particularly notable for its use of archival audio recordings, including rare newsreel footage and radio broadcasts from the period. The soundtrack received a nomination for Best Music Documentary Score from the International Documentary Association.

Famous quotes

We heard the bells all day long, tolling for the dead. It was a sound that never stopped.

Survivor account narrated by S. Epatha Merkerson

The 1918 virus teaches us that nature is the ultimate bioterrorist.

Dr. Anthony Fauci

When you reconstruct a virus that killed 50 million people, you have to ask yourself: why are we doing this? The answer is: so it never happens again.

Virologist featured in the film

History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. What we learned from 1918 is the blueprint for what we face today.

Epidemiologist in the documentary

Memorable scenes

• The dramatic recreation of Dr. Johan Hultin's 1951 expedition to Alaska, showing the delicate process of excavating frozen remains from the permafrost
• The animated sequence showing how the 1918 virus attacked the immune system, particularly explaining why it was so deadly to young adults with strong immune systems
• The emotional montage of family photographs and personal letters from pandemic victims, accompanied by S. Epatha Merkerson's narration
• The scene where modern scientists successfully reconstruct the 1918 virus in a high-security laboratory, highlighting the ethical implications of such research

What audiences thought

The documentary garnered strong viewership when it aired on PBS, becoming among the leading-watched American Experience episodes of 2010. Viewers particularly responded to the personal stories from descendants of pandemic survivors, with many sharing their own family histories on social media and PBS discussion forums. The film sparked renewed interest in genealogy and family history, with many viewers inspired to research how the 1918 pandemic affected their own families. Educational institutions widely adopted the documentary for history and public health courses, and it continues to be used in university curricula today.

Film connections

Influenced by

• The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
• PBS American Experience series
• Ken Burns' documentary style
• Medical history documentaries of the 2000s

This film influenced

• COVID-19 documentaries that followed similar structures
• Subsequent PBS documentaries on public health topics
• Educational films about pandemic preparedness

Film restoration

The documentary has been digitally preserved by PBS and is maintained in their permanent archive. High-quality digital masters are stored at the Library of Congress as part of their American television and radio collection. The film is regularly re-broadcast by PBS and is available through their streaming platforms, ensuring its continued accessibility.

Where to watch

• PBS Passport streaming service
• Amazon Prime Video
• iTunes/Apple TV
• Google Play
• YouTube Movies
• PBS DVD collection
• Many public library streaming services
• Kanopy (through participating universities)