THE GREAT WAR 2 : For Such a Stupid Reason Too (Queen Mary) [Main Title]

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  • Title: THE GREAT WAR 2 : For Such a Stupid Reason Too (Queen Mary) [Main Title]
  • Film Number: IWM 1065-2
  • Other titles: FOR SUCH A STUPID REASON TOO (Queen Mary) [Alternative Title]
  • Summary: Events between the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the entry of Great Britain into the First World War, July-August 1914.
  • Description: As Franz Ferdinand's funeral took place most of Europe was on holiday. Long-established alliances and plans worked un-noticed to produce crisis and war. Since 1882 Germany and Austria-Hungary had been allied with Italy. Russia, the focus of Slav idealism, was allied with France. The Central Powers had 'understandings' with Turkey, and France a similar 'understanding' with Great Britain, influenced by the growth of the German Imperial Navy. In July 1914 President Poincaré of France was in Russia to strengthen their alliance. The Russian Army was massive but corrupt, inefficient and poorly equipped. The Czarina led a pro-German faction at court. As Poincaré left Russia, the Austro-Hungarians delivered an ultimatum to Serbia, which they held responsible for the assassination. Serbia appealed to Russia; Austria-Hungary appealed for German support. On 28th July Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, a day later Russia mobilised against Austria-Hungary, and Germany against Russia. But German mobilisation was based on the Schlieffen Plan for a two-front war against France and Russia. On mobilisation the bulk of the German Army would outflank the French through neutral Belgium, defeat France within forty days, then turn to face the slower-moving Russian forces. Britain was bound by treaty to uphold Belgian neutrality, and the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, was unable to get from Germany a guarantee of that neutrality. The British Grand Fleet, assembled for the Spithead Review, moved to Scapa Flow. On 29th July France started partial mobilisation with Plan 17, which called for massed attacks across the Franco-German frontier into Alsace-Lorraine. Meanwhile, in Paris socialist unrest produced fear of revolution; in Germany there was a major financial crisis; in London financiers threatened a crash if there was war. On 1st August Germany declared war on Russia and invaded Belgium, giving Grey his justification for war. On 3rd August Germany declared war on France. At midnight on 4th August the British ultimatum to Germany to retire from Belgium expired, and Britain declared war on Germany.
  • Alternative Title: FOR SUCH A STUPID REASON TOO (Queen Mary) [Alternative Title]
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised: No
  • Object_Number: IWM 1065-2
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: NON-IWM: PROJECTION PRINT ONLY - NOT FOR PRODUCTION USE
  • Featured Period: 1914-1918
  • Production Date: 1964
  • Production Country: GB
  • Production Details: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Production sponsor) Imperial War Museum (Production sponsor) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Production sponsor) BBC (Production company) Essex, Tony (Production individual) Watkins, Gordon (Production individual) Terraine, John Alfred1921-01-152003-12-27 (Production individual) Rollins, Ed (Production individual) Manefield, Tom (Production individual) Terraine, John Alfred1921-01-152003-12-27 (Production individual) Jarvis, Anne (Production individual) Hipple, Rex (Production individual) Kay Film Laboratories (Production individual) Bigman, Richard (Production individual) Caravel Films (Production individual) McWatt, John (Production individual) Garland, Nicholas1935 (Production individual) Saunders, Robert (Production individual) Read, Bill (Production individual) Keene, Brian (Production individual) Callaway, Ian (Production individual) Bosworth, Pam (Production individual) Carr, Norman (Production individual) Heelas, Peter (Production individual) Toovey, Barry (Production individual) Cave, Julia (Production individual) Broadway, Anne (Production individual) Bryen, Doris (Production individual) Kersey, Jill (Production individual) Davidson, Eric (Production individual) Vigne, Jean (Production individual) Mendelsohn, Robyn (Production individual) Maloney, William (Production individual) Macloughlin, Marya (Production individual) Maros, Basil (Production individual) Virgo, Myrtle (Production individual) Descendre, Anne (Production individual) Edwards, Jeffrey (Production individual) Parry, Audrey (Production individual) Shukman, Harold (Production individual) Kuehl, Jerome (Production individual) Barrie, Alexander (Production individual) Hastings, Max Hugh Macdonald1945-12-28Researcher, BBC TV Great War series, 1963–64; Reporter, Evening Standard, 1965–67; Fellow, US World Press Inst., 1967–68; Roving Correspondent, Evening Standard, 1968–70; Reporter, BBC TV Current Affairs, 1970–73; Editor, Evening Standard Londoner’s Diary, 1976–77; Columnist, Daily Express, 1981–83; contributor, Sunday Times, 1985–86; Editor, The Daily Telegraph, 1986–95; Dir, 1989–95, Editor-in-Chief, 1990–95, The Daily Telegraph plc; Editor, The Evening Standard, 1996–2002; contributor, Daily Mail, 2002–; Contrib. Ed., Financial Times, 2009–13. As War Correspondent, covered Middle East, Indochina, Angola, India-Pakistan, Cyprus, Rhodesia and S Atlantic. Mem., Press Complaints Commn, 1991–92. Churchill Fellow, Westminster Coll., Fulton, Mo, 2011. TV documentaries: Ping-Pong in Peking, 1971; The War about Peace, 1983; Alarums and Exercursions, 1984; Cold Comfort Farm, 1985; The War in Korea (series), 1988; We Are All Green Now, 1990; Spies, in series Cold War, CNN, 1998; Hitler’s Germany, 2000; The Falklands: reluctant heroes, 2002; Winston’s War, 2003; The Falklands Legacy, 2012; The Necessary War, 2014. A Vice Pres., Game Conservancy, 1992–; President: CPRE, 2002–07; Sir Walter Scott Soc. of Edinburgh, 2012–13. Trustee: Nat. Portrait Gall., 1995–2004; Game Conservancy, 2014–. Liddell-Hart Lecture, KCL, 1994; Mountbatten Lecture, Edinburgh Univ., 2004; Leonard Stein Lectures, Oxford Univ., 2009. FRHistS 1988; FRSL 1996. Hon FKC, 2004. Hon. DLitt: Leicester, 1992; Nottingham, 2005. Journalist of the Year, British Press Awards, 1982 (cited 1973 and 1980); What The Papers Say, Granada TV: Reporter of the Year, 1982; Editor of the Year, 1988; Duke of Westminster Medal for military literature, RUSI, 2008; Literary Award for Lifetime Achievement, Chicago Pritzker Library, 2012; Friuladria Prize, Gorizia Internat. Hist. Fest., 2014 (Production individual) Liddell Hart, Basil Henry1895-10-311970-01-29 (Production individual) Terraine, John Alfred1921-01-152003-12-27 (Production individual) Barnett, Correlli Douglas (Production individual) Pitt, Barrie (Production individual) Horne, Alistair1925Trustee of the Imperial War Museum (Production individual) Bonham-Carter, Victor (Production individual) Williams, John (Production individual) Josephs, Wilfred (Production individual) BBC Northern Orchestra (Production individual) Hurst, George (Production individual) Redgrave, Michael (Sir) (Production cast) Richardson, Ralph (Sir) (Production cast) Williams, Emlyn (Production cast) Goring, Marius (Production cast) Luckman, Cyril (Production cast) Shaw, Sebastian (Production cast)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations:Franz Ferdinand (Archduke) (person)
  • Keywords: 31/3(41) (event)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English Title language: English Subtitle language: None
  • Technical Details: Format: 16mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 1504 ft; Running time: 45 mins
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