Download behind the scenes features, previews, and more. THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history - a worldwide catastrophe that touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America - and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives. Throughout the series, the indelible experience of combat is brought vividly to life as veterans describe what it was like to fight and kill and see men die at places like Monte Cassino and Anzio and Omaha Beach; the Hürtgen Forest and the Vosges Mountains and the Ardennes; and on the other side of the world at Guadalcanal and Tarawa and Saipan; Peleliu and the Philippine Sea and Okinawa. In all of the battle scenes, dramatic historical footage and photographs are combined with extraordinarily realistic sound effects to give the film a terrifying, visceral immediacy. THE WAR will air over two weeks, beginning Sunday, September 23, 2007 (four nights the first week and three nights the second week) from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on three nights).
THE WAR | "Lapse into bad language" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Sidney Phillips worries that his colorful wartime vocabulary might follow him home to Mobile, AL, in this clip from part five.
• 57 seconds
THE WAR | Echoes of War | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick reflect on the meaning of WWII, and why, even after more than six decades, it continues to fascinate America.
• 2 minutes, 44 seconds
THE WAR | "Starting this project was intimidating" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick describe the challenges they faced in assembling thousands of hours of film footage into the finished series
• 2 minutes, 34 seconds
THE WAR | Sid Joins Up | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
In this excerpt from episode one, Sidney Phillips of Mobile, AL describes how he set out to enlist in the Navy... but ended up in the Marines.
• 1 minute, 29 seconds
PBS PREVIEWS: THE WAR | Extended Sneak Preview | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
This exclusive, revelatory "first look" at THE WAR and its creation provides excerpts from the series, insights from the on-screen participants, of creating this series at this time.
During the preview, you'll see some of the work that went into making the seven-part documentary about World War II. Excerpts are introduced by interview footage of the filmmakers or participants in the film.
• 27 minutes
THE WAR | Near Execution | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Glenn Frazier talks about near-execution
After surviving the "Bataan Death March," Mobile's Glenn Frazier recounts a near-death experience from a Japanese prison camp. From part one.
• 2 minutes, 45 seconds
THE WAR | "Reluctant to get into this subject" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explain how they and their team selected WWII as the subject of their latest film. This is followed by a short clip from part one.
• 1 minute, 23 seconds
THE WAR | "We live in a digital world now" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Director Ken Burns describes the process of collecting the thousands of images and film sequences from hundreds of archives around the world... plus a few personal archives.
• 2 minutes, 49 seconds
THE WAR | "Change your underwear" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Mobile GI Dwain Luce talks about luck and finds a rare bit of humor in the trenches, in this clip from part five.
• 1 minute, 28 seconds
THE WAR | "Killed Men" | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
From episode four - Quentin Aanenson, a fighter pilot from Luverne, MN, explains what it was like to find the enemy in his gun sights - and pulling the trigger for the first time.
• 1 minute, 48 seconds
THE WAR | Sound Design | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Almost all of the thousands of hours of film collected for THE WAR arrived with no sound. Directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explain the journey from silence to surround sound.
• 2 minutes, 3 seconds
THE WAR | Willie Rushton Gets a Haircut | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
In part five, Mobile's Willie Rushton survives being wounded in combat, but discovers that his battle is far from over.
• 1 minute, 30 seconds
THE WAR | Maurice Bell Watches Tarawa | PBS
THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns.
Mobile's Maurice Bell recounts the landing at Tarawa, a tiny Pacific island, as he observed it from the deck of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Clip from part three.
