Why We Fight: Prelude to War
About Why We Fight: Prelude to War
Walter Huston narrates the first Why We Fight film. Newsreel and staged shots set Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Hirohito against the Allies and treat the Axis as partners in conquest. The film dates the war from Japan's move into Manchuria on 18 September 1931, shows Mussolini's war in Ethiopia, and cuts Nazi footage of banned parties, unions, and churches, including a broken stained-glass window that reveals a 'Heil Hitler!' poster. American voices argue for staying out. An added passage quotes Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson on why the series was made.
Cast & crew
More about Why We Fight: Prelude to War
Frank Capra directed, with Anatole Litvak also credited. The Office of War Information and General George C. Marshall commissioned it for soldiers. Anthony Veiller and Eric Knight wrote the narration. Troops saw it from 30 October 1942. The public release was 27 May 1943.
Themes
Background
The War Department wanted enlisted men told why they were in the war. The film treats isolationist talk after 1918 as the obstacle.
In film history
It was the first of the Why We Fight series and the first documentary feature to take the Academy Award in that category.
Making
Most of the picture is assembled from newsreel and enemy footage rather than new staged scenes. The Stimson passage was cut in before the civilian release.
Audiences
Soldiers saw it from 30 October 1942. The theatrical release followed on 27 May 1943.
Music
The score is uncredited work by Hugo Friedhofer, Leigh Harline, Arthur Lange, Cyril J. Mockridge, Alfred Newman, and David Raksin, under Walter Huston's narration.
Preservation
The 52-minute War Department cut survives.
Notes
- Walter Huston is the narrator.
- The public version carries Henry L. Stimson's statement that the films were to give facts on the causes of the war.
- Uncredited music is by Hugo Friedhofer, Leigh Harline, Arthur Lange, Cyril J. Mockridge, Alfred Newman, and David Raksin.
- OWI director Elmer Davis and President Franklin D. Roosevelt both signed off on the cut.
- Frank Capra received the Academy Award for Best Documentary for 1942 on 4 March 1943.
Awards
- Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (1942), presented to Frank Capra on March 4, 1943
Scenes
- A shattered church window gives way to a 'Heil Hitler!' poster.
- A civilian says, 'I think we should stay out of it entirely.'
Also available
- Internet Archive (PreludeToWar)
