War Documentary Films

Our War is a 3 part British series that covers the 10 years Britain have been engaged in Afghanistan. Much of the footage is captured on Point of View helmet cameras worn by the troops. The beauty of this is that you get a soldiers-eye view without the influence of the media, resulting in a natural and truly candid experience. There is a freshness to this style of documentary film making and I would not be surprised if we see more films made this way. It makes me wonder how much footage has been withheld by the military and how much of it may be made available in the future. We now have 1080 HD helmet cameras so the quality is only going to get better. Many of the action scenes from ‘Armadillo’ was made using them surprisingly. I never would have guessed.

The opening part of the series tells the story of a close-knit group of friends from 3 Platoon, 1st Battalion Royal Anglian regiment, who were sent to Helmand province in 2007. The whole tour was filmed by the platoon’s sergeant, who captured the moment when one of his men, 19-year-old Private Chris Gray, was killed in a Taliban ambush. The second follows 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards, and captures events surrounding the loss of Private Jamie Janes, who stood on a landmine during a patrol. During this time the Taliban shifted their tactics relying more on the use of IED’s making them a more deadly and elusive foe. In the final episode, Private Mike McCabe films intense Taliban attacks on 2nd Battalion, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in 2009 as the platoon comes to terms with new rules of fighting intended to protect civilians labelled ‘courageous restraint.’ By 2010, the Scots Guards are fighting a battle for hearts and minds, and the cameras capture their struggle to curb the Afghan National Police’s reckless behaviour.

Our War is at times quite raw and emotional, many people who watch it come away with a greater respect for those involved and a deeper understanding of the sacrifices they have made. In classically British style Our War manages to put forth quite a balanced point of view. It doesn’t intend to push an agenda one way or another instead it informs and immerses. This is one of my favourite documentary series which achieves that delicate balance between raw emotion, exhilarating action and informative documentation. A brilliant series that is essential viewing.

Thanks to Ryan AKA ‘aeRoDy1′ for telling me about this brilliant documentary series. Good job!

Blitz street was created to mark the 70th anniversary of the blitz during WWII. It attempts to bring the Blitz to life by building a specially constructed street of real terraced houses and subjecting them to a range of large scale explosives that match the power of the bombs dropped on Britain by the Luftwaffe. It uses personal testimony, archive and experts to explore the profound psychological phenomenon that was the ‘Blitz Spirit’ seen during the second World War.

Blitz street is one of those documentaries that gets you just that little bit closer to understanding what it was like beyond the removed, grainy black and white footage we are used to. You really begin to understand the horror and immense power of bombs.

Blitz street is like a combination of Mythbusters and Battlefield Detectives. There’s enough personal accounts and historical content to inform you then there is plenty of scientific content aswell for all the science fans. The visual spectacle of buildings being blown up is enough in itself to hold your attention. Well worth checking out!

Buy Blitz Street – CLICK HERE