Discover
The World at War (1973–74) is a 26-episode British television documentary series chronicling the events of the Second World War. It was at the time of its completion in 1973, at a cost of £900,000, the most expensive factual series ever made. It was produced by Jeremy Isaacs, narrated by Laurence Olivier and included music composed by Carl Davis. The book, The World at War, published the same year, was written by Mark Arnold-Forster to accompany the TV series.
Original Release
09/14/1973
US Release
09/14/1973
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Laurence Olivier | Self - Narrator / Narrator / Himself - Narrator (voice) |
| Averell Harriman | Self - Roosevelt's Roving Ambassador / Self - Roosevelt's Special Representative in Britain / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Moscow 1945 / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Russia 1943-46 / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Russia 1945 |
| Anthony Eden | Self - War Minister 1940 / Foreign Secretary 1940 / Himself - War Cabinet 1940-45 (as Lord Avon) / Self - British Foreign Secretary / Self - Foreign Affairs 1945 / Self - Foreign Secretary |
| Albert Speer | Self / Self - Hitler's Armaments Minister / Self - Minister of Armaments / War Production |
| Siegfried Westphal | Self - Afika Korps - Rommel's Chief of Staff / Self - Chief of Staff, German Armies in the West / Self - Kesselring's Chief of Staff / Self - Staff Officer Western Front |
| Lawrence Durrell | Self - British Foreign Service / Self - British Press Officer - Cairo / Self |
| Wynford Vaughan-Thomas | Self - War Correspondent |
| Louis Mountbatten | Self - Supreme Allied Commander S.E.A.C. / Self - Supreme Commander, S.E.Asia / Self |
| J. Lawton Collins | Self - Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division at Guadalcanal / Self - U.S. VII Corps Commander / Self |
| Toshikazu Kase | Self - Cabinet Secretariat / Self - Foreign Ministry 1945 / Self - Matsuoka's Private Secretary |
Directors
David Elstein, Hugh Raggett, John Pett, Ted Childs, Martin Smith, Michael Darlow
Writers
Peter Batty, Neal Ascherson, Laurence Thompson, Charles Bloomberg, Jerome Kuehl, David Wheeler, John Williams, Courtney Browne, Stuart Hood, J.P.W. Mallalieu, Angus Calder, Charles Douglas-Home, Jeremy Isaacs, David Elstein, Anne Frank
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Laurence Olivier | Self - Narrator / Narrator / Himself - Narrator (voice) |
| Averell Harriman | Self - Roosevelt's Roving Ambassador / Self - Roosevelt's Special Representative in Britain / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Moscow 1945 / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Russia 1943-46 / Self - U.S. Ambassador to Russia 1945 |
| Anthony Eden | Self - War Minister 1940 / Foreign Secretary 1940 / Himself - War Cabinet 1940-45 (as Lord Avon) / Self - British Foreign Secretary / Self - Foreign Affairs 1945 / Self - Foreign Secretary |
| Albert Speer | Self / Self - Hitler's Armaments Minister / Self - Minister of Armaments / War Production |
| Siegfried Westphal | Self - Afika Korps - Rommel's Chief of Staff / Self - Chief of Staff, German Armies in the West / Self - Kesselring's Chief of Staff / Self - Staff Officer Western Front |
| Lawrence Durrell | Self - British Foreign Service / Self - British Press Officer - Cairo / Self |
| Wynford Vaughan-Thomas | Self - War Correspondent |
| Louis Mountbatten | Self - Supreme Allied Commander S.E.A.C. / Self - Supreme Commander, S.E.Asia / Self |
| J. Lawton Collins | Self - Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division at Guadalcanal / Self - U.S. VII Corps Commander / Self |
| Toshikazu Kase | Self - Cabinet Secretariat / Self - Foreign Ministry 1945 / Self - Matsuoka's Private Secretary |
| Hans Kehrl | Self - Ministry of Economics 1938-43 / Ministry of Armaments 1943-45 / Self - Nazi Businessman |
| Kenneth Strong | Self - Eisenhower's Intelligence Chief |
| Kay Summersby | Self - Eisenhower's Driver / Self - U.S. Army, 1945 |
| Walter Warlimont | Self - German High Command |
| Francis de Guingand | Self - Montgomery's Chief of Staff / Self - Military Intelligence - Cairo / Montgomery's Chief of Staff |
| Christabel Bielenberg | Self - Married to German / Self - Wife of German |
| J.R. Colville | Self - Chamberlain's Private Secretary / Self - Churchill's Private Secretary |
| Ursula Gray | Self - Dresden Civilian / Self - German Refugee, 1945 |
| John J. McCloy | Self - Assistant Secretary of War 1945 / Self - Roosevelt's Assistant Secretary of War |
| R.A. Butler | Himself - Minister of Education (as Lord Butler) / Self - Foreign Affairs |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Jeremy Isaacs | Producer |
| Peter Batty | Producer |
| David Elstein | Producer |
| Michael Darlow | Producer |
| Jerome Kuehl | Producer |
| Ted Childs | Producer |
| John Pett | Producer |
| Martin Smith | Producer |
| Phillip Whitehead | Producer |
| Clive Hedges | Producer |
| Hugh Raggett | Producer |
| Tony Message | Producer |
| David Marsh | Producer |
| Antonio Marques | Producer |
| Joanna Lack | Producer |
| Jenny Holt | Producer |
| Andrew Hassam | Producer |
| Rene Go | Producer |
| Roger Chinery | Producer |
| Nigel Bell | Producer |
| David Spence | Producer |
| Toke Steensen | Producer |
| Liz Sutherland | Producer |
| Sean Fullerton | Producer |
| John Pett | Producer |
| Ben Shepard | Producer |
| Bob Harvey | Producer |
| Pip Martin | Producer |
Editors
Peter Lee-Thompson, Jeff Harvey, Alan Afriat, David Taylor, Martin Smith
