Shooting The War With A Camera..."Five Came Back"

Five Came Back (2017)

Not Rated

Starring William Wyler, George Stevens, John Huston, John Ford, Frank Capra

Based on the book by Mark Harris

The Story:

In World War II, 5 acclaimed Hollywood directors willingly gave up their careers and joined the military. Their job was to document and present what they saw and what was happening at the time. In harms way, and with no guarantee that they would even survive their experiences, these directors answered the call of their country.

Presented by 5 acclaimed directors of today, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Greengrass, Guillermo Del Toro, and Laurence Kasdan and narrated by Meryl Streep, this documentary chronicles briefly their successful careers pre-WWII and everything they were tasked to do for the allied war efforts during the war.

It's a 3 hour documentary split into 3 hour-long episodes that works as a chronological effort of before the war/early war, the main war effort, and the conclusion of the war and life afterwards.

What they saw, what they shot forever changed each of them.

Upon their return from service, they went back to Hollywood and all turned in what is arguably the best work of their career, though in the case of Capra, his work was not appreciated until generations later when It's A Wonderful Life became a staple on television during the holidays.

Highly recommended, especially if you're a film or history lover, and if you're both, this is right up your alley.

It's a Netflix Original series and one you shouldn't miss.

Final Grade: A