Long Shadow - 2014 - 7/10

By and large, I dislike documentaries led by a presenter.
For this, I make a wee exception. For one thing, this three part documentary on the legacy of the Great War, or World War I, is hosted by the original author of the incisive book, Cambridge professor, David Reynolds.
And unlike other presenters, he appears sparingly, and does not force his face into the frame 95% of the time.
This is not a doc of the war, the battles, the participants.
This is the aftermath, and later consequences, that resulted in the rise of Fascism, Communism, Nazism.
Or, equally significant, the limitations and outcomes of unbridled capitalism.
Also the perils of nation building, redrawing boundary lines, or simply the best intentions gone awry.
Reynolds makes the point of how nationalism leads into an “us vs them” mentality, though he wisely refrains from drawing parallels with current proliferation of global strong men.
One suspects he hopes, rightly or wrongly, modern citizens are intelligent enough to avoid past mistakes.