The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins total
Photos
- Narrator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Lord Lytton)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as General Chaing Kai-Shek)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Darré)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Dietrich)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Frank)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Doctor Goebbels)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Goring)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Hess)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Hitler)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Kurusu)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Ley)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Yosuke Matsuoka)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Reinhardt)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Doctor Alfred Rosenberg)
- Directors
- Frank Capra(uncredited)
- Anatole Litvak(uncredited)
- Writers
- Julius J. Epstein(uncredited)
- Philip G. Epstein(uncredited)
- Robert Heller(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film is in the public domain. As a work by Federal Government employees on behalf of the Federal Government, the film is by law ineligible for copyright protection and was released into the public domain at its creation.
- GoofsDuring the (silent) footage of Ethiopians shouting, the angry voices are actually shouting in Kiswahili: "Kwenda!" ("go:), etc. The principal language of Ethiopia is Amharic. Kiswahili (commonly known as "Swahili") is the main language of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- Quotes
Narrator: [Last line] For this is what we are fighting: Freedom's oldest enemy, the passion of the few to rule the many. This isn't just a war. This is the common man's life and death struggle against those who would put him back into slavery. We lose it, and we lose everything. Our homes; the jobs we want to go back to; the books we read; the very food we eat. The hopes we have for our kids; the kids themselves. They won't be ours anymore. That's what's at stake. It's us or them! The chips are down. Two worlds stand against each other. One must die, one must live. One hundred seventy years of freedom decrees our answer.
[Legend - not spoken]
Narrator: "... victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan." G.C. Marshall, Chief of Staff
- ConnectionsEdited into The Road to War: Japan (1989)
- SoundtracksThe Star Spangled Banner
(1814) (uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith (1777)
Played often in the score
In the two decades following World War I and the failure of the League of Nations, a spirit of isolationism became prevalent throughout the United States that persisted up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government needed to combat this feeling, and thus the birth of the modern American propaganda film.
The film examines the differences between the U.S. and the fascist states of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Yamamoto, portraying the latter countries working together as gangsters to conquer the world. In order to do this, Capra made use of footage from "Triumph of the Will", but with different narration designed to support the Allied cause.
Although the goal was to get Americans unified for the war effort, it actually does this in a very welcoming way. Early on we see an appeal to people of different faiths -- including Muslims and Confucians -- that would seem very out of place today (2016). So, although this was a pro-war film, it was also very much a pro-melting pot film in its own way.
- gavin6942
- May 18, 2016
- How long is Why We Fight?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1