An American documentary; A film about five successful Hollywood film directors who were attached to the American military during the Second World War to make propaganda films and film reports about conflicts in the theatre of war. While tailor-made for film enthusiasts, it is a fascinating and engrossing three part series with commentary by leading film directors of today who contribute useful insight and knowledge about their lives. The importance of film units are highlighted to show their undeniable critical importance to the nation's appreciation of what is happening thousands of miles from home. "Five Came Back" is also a celebration of the talents and dignity of the likes of Capra, Stevens, Huston, Ford and Whiler.
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shakercoola10 February 2019
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cobraecosse20 November 2018Just finished watching"Five came back", a truly remarkable mini series about five of the top Hollywood directors who put their careers on hold, and quite possibly ending them to join the military and record World War Two as it happened. Cannot recommend this enough and really is a must see. The stories are riveting, the footage they filmed is amazing, captured on the front line or while flying combat missions in bombers deep into Germany. These film makers have made some of my all time favourite movies, from Frank Capra's It's a wonderful life, John Ford's the Searchers, William Wylers Ben Hur, John Hustons The man who would be King, George Stevens Gunga Din and Shane. All fantastic films but they don't compare to the footage they filmed during their service in WW2. "Five came back" is a breathtaking piece of film making showing the deep and lasting impact the war had on these film makers and also on those they filmed.
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zhaolong-soul6 April 2017I have never seen any film made by those five directors, and right now I really want to dive into their films especially the ones made after the war.
The documentary shocked me with the cruelty of war and the terrible aftermath and moved me with the engagement of the directors. -
jamison06014 April 2017I am an AVID WW2 history buff. I've watched countless documentaries on the subject over the years, but this one is truly breathtaking. Told from such a different perspective than I've ever seen before. What starts out at first glance as a film about filmmaking, it becomes SO much more. Delving into how the war had deep and profound effects on the 5 directors. Absolutely riveting, heartfelt, heart-wrenching and utterly breathtaking. Loved it.
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grantss9 April 2018During World War 2 several movie directors joined the US armed forces, making documentary films of the war. These included five of the greatest directors, not just of that era, but of all time: Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and George Stevens. They had a great impact on the war, and the war had an impact on them, not only during the conflict but in their subsequent cinematic careers.
Superb documentary series. The five directors covered in the series are legends of cinema. By the ends of their careers they would, between them, win 14 Oscars and be nominated 50 times (Capra 2 wins, 6 nominations, Ford 4/6, Huston 2/15, Wyler 3/14, Stevens 3/9). Between then they would ultimately direct six Best Picture Oscar winners (It Happened One Night, You Can't Take It With You, How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Ben Hur).
However, from 1942 to 1945 most of their time was spent helping the war effort, directing some brilliant, relevant and inspiring documentaries. These were not shot from behind a desk but out in the thick of it - Ford was wounded at the Battle of Midway, a cameraman of Wyler's was killed in aerial combat while filming The Memphis Belle and Wyler himself lost his hearing while filming the film Thunderbolt.
This documentary series shows well how the five of them contributed, often having to fight and manipulate their own War Department to have their films released, or, at least, not tampered with. The personal sacrifices, mentioned previously are also well documented.
Most emotionally, the effects of the war on the five of them are examined. They all came back changed men, including in their movie-making styles and careers.
The interviews with five present-day directors - Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Paul Greengrass, Guillermo Del Toro and Laurence Kasdan - help frame the contributions of the five and translate their work for us to understand.
Good narration by Meryl Streep, adding the right amount of gravitas to proceedings.
Great documentary on five extraordinary film-makers. Makes for emotional watching for any lover of the silver screen. -
tom-783-2595462 April 2017Today I binged watched this magnificent documentary, after becoming intrigued with interviews of the writer, Mark Harris, and one of the narrators, Steven Spielberg (who's production company - Amblin TV) also produced it, on NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross and David Bianculli.
The five directors chronicled, Frank Capra, George Stevens, John Ford, John Huston, and William Wyler, all of which have been among the most highly regarded and influential directors, in this lifelong student of films, memory.
Talk about the greatest generation, I can not recall being so moved by their stories of their participation in WWII, since the last time I watched one of their fine films. I have so much more appreciation of those films, knowing now what I have learned from this series!
Thank you Mr. Spielberg, for bringing this to the world, in your ongoing efforts to tell the story of how this war has changed the course of human history. My hope is that this documentary, now available on Netflix, will be viewed by millions, and help to remind us, and inform others, of what America was once all about. I really think that this important and Oscar-worthy series, should be required viewing in our educational institutions. -
What I loved most is that this is the story of what men went through to capture moments of art, whether in the moment or staged (or, in a way, both at times), and the personal and professional tolls this took. My one small piece of trepidation going in to was that it could've been dry or that the talking heads - all major artists in Spielberg, del-Toro, Greengrass, Kasdan and Coppola - would make things sound more important than they were (the director usually does the bonus documentaries, usually not too bad, on DVD's). But this really emphasized the artistic trajectories and struggles and, in the third part, what happened when the war ended and how the men somehow got back on their feet to continue making their art (and 1946 was quite a year - LET THERE BE LIGHT, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE), though never forgetting what had transpired, on the contrary it changed them in such a way that it made them even *more* empathetic and compassionate.
Through the use of the interviews with these filmmakers, each sort of given their own director to talk about - there's some minor overlap here and there, but I think it's by design to keep each director set for their own guy, i.e. Coppola to Huston or Del Toro to Capra, for a purpose as, whether the director thought these guys were a match or each respective filmmaker had a passion for the one they discussed, it works as a framing device and to keep the stories and information moving forward (Spielberg on Wyler especially engrossed me and had the most personal details I thought), and through massive archival footage from these war movies as well as interviews with the old-time directors, we get a full sense of the journeys taken and the growth and tragedies witnessed. Lastly, their own backgrounds inform how they made their way through the wars, and what conflicts those posted. Astonishgly involving.
It's more like a movie than just a regular series or even a Ken Burns thing; if you like seeing documentaries that are about the process of cinema, about storytelling, about how storytellers transform themselves and the world around them (whether it's D-Day or a ship like the Memphis Belle, or, unfortunately for Wyler and Stevens, the holocaust), it's one of those must-sees of the year. And now, as a movie buff, want to see ALL of the movies I haven't seen talked about here, particularly Mrs. Miniver, They Were Expendable, and The Battle of San Pietro. -
joker-410 June 2019War, what is it good for, the song asks. Absolutely nothing? Perhaps. But back in the 1940s, it was a nearly essential response to depose an abomination and dismantle his fear machine. American forces quickly learned that other than boots on the ground and bombs in the air, one of the best ways to win was with words. And pictures. Moving pictures at that.
With more than half of all adult Americans going to the cinema at least once a week (they aren't call the good old days for nothing!) America fought back with movies. Perhaps the official term was propaganda. Regardless. Movies!
The Netflix mini-series Five Came Back details these movies through the eyes, works, and efforts of five of the top filmmakers of their generation by actually documenting the war from the front line. The five? Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, William Wyler and George Stevens. Men at the top of their game who risked their lives - both professionally and, well, physically (they went to war) - because they believed in service of something greater. The Axis had to be stopped and this was the best way they knew how.
Five Came Back shows their pictures intercut with archival interviews. Their tales are raw, heroic, and beautiful.
To bring a modern day viewpoint into this incredible story, director Laurent Bouzereau interviews five present-day directors - Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Greengrass, Guillermo Del Toro, Laurence Kasdan, and oh yeah, Steven Spielberg. Each bring context and understanding to the others' achievements, both in Hollywood and on the front line. The impact each of the five had on the war. The ultimate impact the war had on each of them.
Three episodes. A beginning-middle-end of not only the primarily-European campaign, but also of the Five's cinematic life. Episode three wraps cleaner and perhaps more positively than it ought to have. All Five struggled after the war. There were more tales to be told. But isn't that the baseline craft of propaganda? -
Marwan-Bob10 May 2019One of The Best War/Cinema Docu-Series Ever Made, Absolutely uplifting, Heart-wrenching and utterly Breathtaking. i'll recommend it to all.
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CinemaClown5 June 2020Exploring the life-altering experiences of five prominent Hollywood filmmakers who chose to enlist & serve in the Second World War, Five Came Back profiles the war-time contributions of these luminaries and analyses how they were transformed by the horrors they witnessed while filming propaganda material for American military or collecting irrefutable evidence of war crimes, and how the hundreds of hours of footages they shot played an essential role in their approach to storytelling in their post-war lives.
The documentary series chronicles the journey of Frank Capra, William Wyler, John Huston, George Stevens & John Ford behind enemy lines, and is aided by valuable commentaries from modern filmmakers who expertly break down their lives, careers & distinct cinematic voice in order to provide necessary insights into their respective films before, during & after the war. Downright engrossing & powerfully gripping, this 3-part series is a testament to the ability of cinema to stimulate all kinds of emotions and how it can be used or abused for good or evil.
Though their experience in the war may seem simpler when compared to the actual sacrifices that were made on the front lines, Five Came Back shows how even they couldn't escape the trauma brought upon by the overwhelming destruction & brutal, unfathomable savagery captured by their cameras. There are raw footages & there are re-enactments but the essence & human cost of warfare is well-preserved even in the latter case. While it doesn't shy away from highlighting their human flaws, the series is mostly a celebration of their legacies and the groundbreaking classics they crafted after returning to Hollywood. An absolute must for film enthusiasts. -
tomntempe12 May 2020Watched this over a couple days. The first part of the first episode set my teeth on edge. The production is done by biggies in Hollywood and focuses on people who were or would be biggies in Hollywood back in WW2 and after. As such there was an undertone of "aren't we special". At times almost like they thought what these movie folks were doing for the war effort was one of the most important things being done to win the war. As a long time reader of WW2 history I found it quite irritating. Some of the "stars" of this production were given unearned commissions at pretty high levels, given staff and to a large degree got away with stuff that would have put a regular GI in the stockade, like just driving off for days at a time cuz the mood struck them. That's not to say the're contributions were not worthwhile but they were not hero's even though they try to present them as such.
Because of that I rated it a 6 overall. Part 2 wasn't as bad but in part 3 the "we're so special" came back in force. Considering it for it's documentary quality it's good but no better than most ww2 documentaries and not as good as some on youtube. -
Whether your passion is "the movies," history, or the human quest for meaning, Five Came Back will leave you breathless.
To understand more about how war in general and WWII in particular, relish Five Came Back.
To appreciate fully the beauty of film art and science, feast on Five Came Back.
To heal that large hole in your heart about what it means to be human, and inhumane, cherish Five Came Back.
The work of Wyler, Huston, Stevens, Capra and Ford now has a whole new window, clearer and broader, thanks to Five Came Back.
As a professional photographer, I am humbled. Oh, to have another 10 years to build upon what I've been challenged by Five Came Back.
As Spielberg vowed regarding The Best Years of Our Lives, viewing Five Came Back will now become a yearly ritual celebrating art, history and humanity. Thank you Laurent Bouzereau. -
tomsview26 July 2020This is a brilliant series based on a brilliant book. In fact it resets the bar for documentaries about cinema, and should endure as an important historical document.
Mark Harris' book about the role of Hollywood in WW2 focuses on five film directors who went out to document the conflict: John Huston, William Wyler, George Stevens, Frank Capra and John Ford.
They were the powerhouse directors of their time. Each of them has at least one cinematic masterpiece to his name, some more than one. They were different to the documentary cameraman and the service cameraman in as much as they were first and foremost storytellers. Their brilliance is evident in what they recorded; Ford at Midway, Wyler in missions over Germany, even Huston's recreation of the "Battle of San Pietro". The way they recorded the conflict and often challenged bureaucracy shaped the way home audiences and even the military viewed the war.
This series attaches a modern day director to each of their forebears as a guide to the man's efforts in the war and the impact it had on their work when they came back.
Guillermo del Toro for Capra, Steven Spielberg for Wyler, Francis Ford Coppola for Huston, Paul Greengrass for Ford and Lawrence Kasdan for Stevens. Although their comments about their respective predecessor are framed from Mark Harris' work (he also wrote the script), there is great insight in what they say. One can also sense their respect for those men whose films helped inspire them to become filmmakers.
All five of those WW2 directors removed themselves from their comfort zones, but the three directors that most impressed me, and this also came through in the book, were William Wyler, George Stevens and Frank Capra. Where Ford and Huston, two of the greatest filmmakers of all time, were larger-than-life characters who couldn't help drawing attention to themselves, Wyler, Stevens and Capra got the job done with far less self-promotion.
The series gives us another level of appreciation for the films they made after the war: Wyler's "The Best Years of our Lives", Capra's "It's a wonderful life" and Ford's "They Were Expendable" among others.
Obviously great efforts were made with this documentary series to restore the historic film and obtain the best quality clips of the Hollywood movies; it looks immaculate. -
Wonderfully portrayed and narrated so that you really feel the journey the directors went on as well as some breathtaking footage of various parts and locations of the war. A must watch for anybody interest in history particularly World War Two
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The motion picture industry hasn't forgot the hugeness of WW II as recent films like Dunkirk and Darkest Hour reinforce. But, the story of these elite Hollywood directors in service in the war is little known. It deserves this sweeping multi-part documentary as both homage and education. The free air we breathe today is in large part due to the great sacrifices men and women made during these truly dark days. The five directors profiled here were enlisted into service to create films to rally and document the war effort often at great danger. This film puts their wartime life and work under a microscope. I must say I find great respect for the whole lot. The jobs they were tasked with was often extremely difficult as they were often at odds with a vagueness of what to do and not do. The fact they succeeded as well as they did is a testament to sheer determination. It changed them all and it's both amazing and uplifting that each did career pinnacle works after coming home from such a savage experience. This is a film that ultimately celebrates the nobleness of the American soldier and just what impact these icons of Hollywood can achieve. I found it fascinating and uplifting, well worth recommending to all.
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dfloro30 July 2023Those of us who have studied film academically know that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels both appreciated movies and also understood their great persuasive power as propaganda. This 2017 made-for-Netflix docuseries, narrated by the incomparable Meryl Streep, is about how five cinematic masters of the WWII era (Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens and William Wyler) enrolled in the U. S. Armed Services in order to help us win the "propaganda war" against, among others, fantastic German films such as "Triumph of the Will" by the great Leni Riefenstahl. (Frank Capra famously said after seeing "Trumph of the Will": Oh boy, that's it! We're going to lose this damned war!
To help tell this compelling true story of great patriotism and personal sacrifice, five masters of contemporary film (Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Greengrass, Lawrence Kasdan, Steven Spielberg and Guillermo Del Toro) speak extensively about what had needed to be done back in the 1940s and why those first five Oscar-winning directors were without hesitation or equivocation the five men to do it. Just fascinating! I give this 3-part revealing docuseries a rare (for me) 9/10 stars. -
Analog_Devotee7 August 2021If you are a film buff and also a WWII history geek, you truly owe it to yourself to watch this short documentary series about five filmmakers who went in to document the war. I have no idea how I've lived this long without seeing this or even hearing about it. Absolutely amazing story with a great documentary structure, splicing interviews with five of today's biggest filmmakers, war footage, making-of footage, and bits of old interviews of the filmmakers at hand.
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latinfineart2 March 2022This is as stunning a masterpiece as the great directors that it portrays, and the incredible work that they accomplished in their careers. It pays great tribute to the men and women who fought in WWII, and made the sacrifices that defined their lives.
This is a tremendous achievement, very moving, very powerful, and very, very well produced and directed. Everybody needs to see this series, especially the younger ones who have no experience of war, and may not have studied the history of the great wars. This series needs to be seen. What an achievement.
Kudos to the entire crew. Makes one very thankful for the bravery, honor and sacrifices of the greatest generation. -
EirinngoBrach15 October 2021Netflix description of this documentary reads, 'Twelve WW2 propaganda films that are both graphic and offensive.' I'm just surprised that Netflix carries the series at all.
It's a fantastic documentary that follows film makers and what they and others had to endure-to get these films made-As well as showing the heroics our brave soldiers, sailers and marines performed under the harshest of circumstances.
Great documentary for the younger generations that are not familiar with the war. -
Watching this documentary can be called Mind Blowing. Sure, some people had some beliefs and wanted them shared with the rest of the world. Their work lead to millions of dead. Than millions working to feed and reconstruct Europe so their leaders would get statues and buildings named after them. Okay. Religion kills. Nothing new. But to see the current day people talking excited about this monstrosity with excitement, to see a world renown director for his work on the Holocaust get excited like the old Nazi talking about the War, that is surreal.