Frank Capra was one of America's most famous and well-liked directors, and for good reason. He won a number of awards for his amazing movies produced in the 1930s, such as "It Happened One Night" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town". Early in the 40s, when it looked increasingly more likely that America was going to involve itself in yet another European war, Capra was given a special assignment by the US government he now served. His task was to make a number of films that would eventually be seen by american servicemen, telling them why the war was being fought and what their jobs were supposed to entail. While basically the definition of propaganda, Capra insists it wasn't because he didn't want to be accused of using the same tactics the nazis did. The series itself consists of 7 films, of which I have seen all (except one centered on asia): Prelude to War, The Nazis Strike, Divide and Conquer, The Battle of Britain, The Battle of Russia, The Battle of China, and War Comes to America. Although not really considered part of Why We Fight, Capra also was responsible for making films that told GI's about their opponents they would meet on the battlefield. He made one entitled Know Your Enemy: Japan that tells about why the japanese were fighting the US and how America's oil embargo on the country may have contributed to their attack at Pearl Harbor. Capra also planned to make a Know Your Enemy film on the germans, but it took a very long time to make and was eventually released after the war with a different title (Here Is Germany). Capra wasn't a person to shy away from more sensitive issues in the US Armed Forces at the time either. He made a film depicting the troubles and hardships faced by african servicemen in the united states and how the french built a monument dedicated to their courage in world war 1 (which was later blown up by the germans). Even watching these things from a modern perspective makes you realize how turbulent the world was back when history like this was being committed. I think the most important part of all is how most of these films (except the germany one) were made during the war, so it gave american troops real insight as to why they were in europe or the pacific. Many high ranking officers in the army also thought Capra's work was amazing, and there is even a photograph of General Marshall (one of very few men to hold a 5 star rank) awarding Capra with a distinguished service medal. It should come as no surprise that an excellent director like Capra was also capable of producing something that the US military thought was useful, and is still seen as important 80 years later.
Review of Why We Fight
