Any recommendations for films or tv series covering the lead up to WWII?

[MassaAttack]

Yes I know I'm posting in Secondary Ed

Ds (Y9) has to do 'revision' as homework over the next few weeks - I have to sign off a couple of hours of this a week.

I love The World at War, but guessing it's a little aged these days. I can also think of plenty of books, but getting him to read is a bloody nightmare so I'm taking the path of least resistance. Please don't flame me for this - he's doing quite well in history, in comparison to most other subjects, and I'm more interested in provoking debate and sparking interest than forcing him to do something he loathes.

He'll do BBC Bitesize too.

Any ideas much appreciated :)

I remember a fantastic series from many, many years ago, called 'Haulocaust' - don't know how you'd get hold of it nowadays though, I'm guessing it's over 30 yrs old.

That's exactly the kind of thing I'm thinking of, Back. I wonder if I can find it on YouTube?

The World at War is the best series on WW2 as far as I'm concerned.
Pathe have also posted all their news reels online for free access.

World at War is fab and remarkably un-dated (but then, I am nearly 50 so perhaps not very up to date myself).

You can get the whole lot (used) from Amazon for £25.

I don't know if this would work, but how about watching Cabaret, then reading Goodbye to Berlin (or collection The Berlin Stories) by Christopher Issherwood.

I love The World at War :)

One of my favourite films ever is Land and Freedom, but I don't think they're covering the Spanish Civil War. I might make him watch it anyway..

Something similar based in 30s Germany would be perfect I think.

Auntie Goodbye to Berlin would be ideal, but the bugger just Will Not Read. It drives me bonkers - he's missing out on so much pleasure by his book aversion.

I do fancy Cabaret though - my singing along would only enhance the experience

And would Hemingway and Gellhorn, followed by For Whom The Bells Tolls, be a way of highlighting the Spanish Civil War?

If he'll read murder mysteries, The More Deceived by David Roberts is set around Guernica (that whole series of murder mysteries is set in the run up to WW2, and you can absorb a lot of the events and mood without really realising as you read the whodunnit).

Sorry, x-ed with your last.

How we used to live?
Glorious 39?

No worries, Auntie. They're excellent ideas - maybe I could read them and rave about them or something

I've not heard of Glorious 39. Shall Google...

How about these archived news film clips from 1938?

med that is ace, thank you

Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain - covers the whole period studied in GCSE History.
Also, persist in watching the World at War, it really is the best. I sold it to my DS by demonstrating that it includes first hand testimony from ALL sides of the conflict.

Andrew Marr - yes of course Northern, thank you :)

And yy agree about World at War.

Will he watch subtitled stuff? Heimat is fantastic but very long and also last year there was a 3 part German drasma series on the war shown on BBC.

Thank you reup - definitely something to look into (for me if not ds).

Short but may be useful

That is awesome Hocus, thank you :)