Apocalypse: World War I

Colorized historical footage in ascending order of World War 1. Not only the relatively known Flanders and France battles, but also the generally unknown Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman Empire- Allied and African German Colonies, and other unknown or forgotten fronts and battles.

Apocalypse: World War I (2014) is a French national-television war documentary miniseries created by Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle for France 2. Across five 52-minute episodes it assembles historical archive footage, colorized for modern viewers, into a chronological account of the First World War. Narration by Mathieu Kassovitz guides the viewer through the familiar Flanders and France battles and then widens the map to Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman and African colonial fronts. Archival appearances by figures such as Winston Churchill, Woodrow Wilson, Franz Ferdinand and Czar Nicholas II anchor the political story, while trench, artillery and home front images give the grim scale of the conflict a physical presence. The tone is sober, solemn and immersive, with an emphasis on human cost rather than heroics. Fans of The World at War, Apocalypse: The Second World War and They Shall Not Grow Old will find resonance in its restored footage and patient historical sweep. Each episode moves forward in time, so the series works as a single arc that reveals how the conflict spread across continents.

Acclaimed by audiences for its colorized archival footage and its sweeping, lesser-known coverage of the First World War's many fronts.

• The World at Warcolorized archival footage, war documentary, narrated chronological history
• Apocalypse: The Second World Wardocumentary war history built from archive footage, large-scale historical scope
• They Shall Not Grow Oldarchival footage restored and colorized, first-person perspective of soldiers, WWI history

Created by

Isabelle Clarke, Daniel Costelle

Release Date

2014-03-18

Episode runtime

52 min

Rating

8.8 / 10 (291)

What is Apocalypse: World War I about?

A five-part documentary that restores century-old WWI footage in color and traces the war chronologically across its lesser-known fronts.

What is Apocalypse: World War I like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Apocalypse: World War I as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Apocalypse: World War I violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Apocalypse: World War I as moderate.

What did critics think of Apocalypse: World War I?

Acclaimed by audiences for its colorized archival footage and its sweeping, lesser-known coverage of the First World War's many fronts.

Which shows are like Apocalypse: World War I?

Shows with a similar feel include The World at War, Apocalypse: The Second World War, and They Shall Not Grow Old.

How long is Apocalypse: World War I?

Apocalypse: World War I: 1 season, 5 episodes.

Is Apocalypse: World War I still running?

No, Apocalypse: World War I has ended.