The Necessary War

Feb 25, 2014

1h 0m

★ 0.0

Overview

In a single documentary to mark the 100-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, Sir Max Hastings presents the argument that although it was a great tragedy, far from being futile, the First World War was completely unavoidable.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Blakeway Productions

The Necessary War Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self - Presenter

Max Hastings

Neil Oliver describes the worst ever railway accident in the UK, which happened a hundred years ago on 22 May 1915, in which three trains collided at Quintinshill near Gretna Green. One of the trains was a troop train taking soldiers to fight in World War I at the Battle of Gallipoli: many of the dead were in this train which caught fire due to escaped gas from the archaic gas lighting in the carriages. The cause of the crash was attributed to a catastrophic signalman's error, but Neil examines whether there were other contributory factors and whether there was a cover-up to prevent investigation of them, making convenient scapegoats of the signalmen.

5.9

Beyond Zero: 1914-1918

Nov 27, 2014

A response in music and film to the conflict that launched a century of war, and a celebration of the power of art to keep us sane and offer us comfort. Beyond Zero: 1914-1918 brings together three of the world's most pioneering artists: the Kronos Quartet, known for decades for their trailblazing performances and collaborations; acclaimed Serbian composer Aleksandra Vrebalov; and filmmaker Bill Morrison, respected for his work with rare and even partially destroyed archive images.

10.0

1917, The Train from Hell

Nov 8, 2019

1917, The Train from Hell is an historical documentary about a train accident during WW1.

6.2

Benito Mussolini: Anatomy of a Dictator

Jan 20, 1962

No overview available.

0.0

Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime

Oct 1, 2018

Combining footage unseen since WWI with original scores from the era, this film tells the story of Noble Sissle's incredible journey that spans "The Harlem Hellfighters" of World War I, Broadway Theatre, the Civil Rights movement, and decades of Black cultural development.

8.0

De Gaulle, le commencement

Jan 15, 2025

No overview available.

0.0

Coal

Mar 6, 2025

CHARBON depicts how Europe was built on fossil fuels over the past 100 years. And how it was torn apart by wars that were the result of these same fossil fuels. During 3 trips to Ukraine, Italy and Iraq, filmmaker Manu Riche explains how he and his French-German family are inseparably connected to the fate of the Iraqi filmmaker and refugee Hayder Helo.

7.9

Charcot: Secret Poles

Oct 1, 2016

The adventures and exploits of Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867-1936), an intrepid scientist and explorer who laid the foundations of modern oceanography.

No Image Available

0.0

La reéducation professionnelle des mutilées de la guerre en France

Sep 9, 1917

French soldiers injured in WWI are re-educated to learn new trades.

No Image Available

0.0

Belgian Campaigns in Africa

Sep 9, 1918

Report retracing the military campaigns of the Belgian colonial troops in Africa through geographical maps, title cards, and documentary footage.

6.5

The Battle of the Somme

Aug 21, 1916

A documentary and propaganda film which shows the British Army's preparations for, and the early stages of, the battle of the Somme.

0.0

Asunder

Jul 10, 2016

Esther Johnson’s film uses local archive footage to convey the story of Sunderland's involvement in the First World War, from the men who fought in the fields to those who stayed behind to work in the region’s shipyards and munitions factories.

6.7

Battle of Jutland: The Navy's Bloodiest Day

May 29, 2016

Documentary about the Battle of Jutland, a naval battle during World War I between the British and German fleets, which took place on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea, off the west coast of Denmark. It re-creates the events of the battle and examines why the number of British warships that sank was so much higher than the number of German ships that were lost. Shown to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the battle.

7.7

Breakpoint: A Counter History of Progress

Jul 14, 2019

An account of the last two centuries of the Anthropocene, the Age of Man. How human beings have progressed so much in such a short time through war and the selfish interests of a few, belligerent politicians and captains of industry, damaging the welfare of the majority of mankind, impoverishing the weakest, greedily devouring the limited resources of the Earth.

8.2

Aurora's Sunrise

Apr 21, 2023

The story of how Aurora Mardiganian (1901-94), a survivor of the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire (1915-17), became a Hollywood silent film star.

0.0

The Road to War (The End of an Empire)

Jan 1, 2014

"The Road to War" uses elaborate and fascinating computer-generated recreations and archives never seen before to examine how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 was used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire to start a war against Serbia. The film investigates how this regional conflict involving the Central Powers and the Triple Entente escalated to become "World War I", a war with more than 17 million dead and More than 20 million injured.

0.0

Osteuropa zwischen Hitler und Stalin - Das große Sterben

Jun 10, 2025

Between 1930 and 1945, Eastern Europe experienced mass violence on an unprecedented scale. Hitler and Stalin exploited the vast region for their respective expansionist plans. It is estimated that around 14 million civilians were murdered—primarily Jews, Poles, Balts, Belarusians, and Ukrainians.

8.0

Gallipoli from Above

Apr 25, 2012

Gallipoli from Above: The Untold Story is the true story of how a team of Australian officers used aerial intelligence, emerging technology and innovative tactics to plan the landing at Anzac Cove. It is now nearly 100 years since the landing and hundreds of books, movies and documentaries have failed to grasp the significance of the ANZAC achievement. Instead, the mythology has clouded the real story of how these two influential Australian officers took control of the landing using every innovation they could muster to safely land their men on Z beach.

The Necessary War

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

The Necessary War Trailers