Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
About Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
The third film in Frank Capra's Why We Fight series covers the German conquest of Western Europe in 1940: the attacks through the Low Countries and France, and the fall of France. It is an orientation film for American soldiers, built from newsreel and captured footage with a narration that ties those campaigns to the case for the war.
Cast & crew
More about Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer
Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak, and Lewis Seiler directed. Julius J. Epstein wrote. Released in 1943. Running time 57 minutes. It is number three in the seven-film Why We Fight series Capra supervised for the U.S. Army.
Themes
Background
Shown to American servicemen in 1943, it argues from the 1940 collapse of France and the countries around it.
Making
Capra's unit assembled the film from existing footage and maps rather than from staged battles.
Preservation
The film survives as part of the Why We Fight series.
Notes
- The subject is 1940, not Pearl Harbor. The series had already covered the lead-up to war.
- Litvak and Seiler share the direction with Capra.
- Epstein, later a Hollywood screenwriter of note, is the credited writer.
- The picture was made to be shown to troops.
Also available
- Internet Archive (DivideAndConquer)
