Miniseries · France 2
Apocalypse: The Second World War
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Mathieu Kassovitz
Self - Narrator (voice)
6 eps
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Adolf Hitler
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Charles de Gaulle
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Heinrich Himmler
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Erwin Rommel
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Joseph Stalin
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Hermann Göring
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Winston Churchill
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Benito Mussolini
Self (archive footage)
6 eps
Władysław Sikorski
Self (archive footage)
1 eps
James Doolittle
Self (archive footage)
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Apocalypse: The Second World War actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Apocalypse: The Second World War reads strongest on Bingeability, Character Depth and Emotional Weight.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The story
What it's about
A six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.
The run
Seasons
1 season · 6 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Miniseries
20096 episodes
7.6IMDbA six-part French documentary about the Second World War composed exclusively of actual footage of the war as filmed by war correspondents, soldiers, resistance fighters and private citizens. The series is shown in color, with the black and white footage being fully colorized, save for some original color footage. The only exception to the treatment are most Holocaust scenes, which are presented in the original black and white.
Best episode · S01E04 World Ablaze (1941-1942)
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E04
World Ablaze (1941-1942)
America joins the war as the conflict rages in South-East Asia, North Africa and Russia. The Allied forces are unable to slow the furious progress of the Japanese army through South-East Asia. Even India and Australia are at risk. The Nazis instigate The Final Solution.
S01E05
The Noose (1942-1943)
The turning of the war against Germany, with Allied victory at El Alamein and Russian triumph at Stalingrad. In the North Atlantic, the Allies make progress in reducing the threat from German U-boats. Inside Hitler's Germany the SS gain more power, and in southern Europe the Allies fight their way though Italy.
S01E03
Shock (1940–1941)
Polish prisoners and Jews are forced into slave labour to complete Nazi building projects. The Italian army is in disarray so Hitler dispatches one of his best generals to Libya. The Afrika Korps fry eggs on the surfaces of their tanks amidst the blistering desert sands of North Africa. Shock includes vivid colourised footage of the battle for the Soviet Union as the Germans struggle toward Moscow in the brutal Russian winter.
S01E06
Inferno (1944-1945)
Witness the D-Day landings and the liberation of Paris. In the east the Soviets liberate Auschwitz and fight their way to the heart of Berlin. Germany finally surrenders and Japan fights on until the 2 atom bombs are dropped.
S01E02
Crushing Defeat (1939–1940)
The British troops hastily evacuate from the beaches at Dunkirk, France, but are forced to abandon kilometres of precious military vehicles and equipment. Heart-rending footage captures the plight of thousands of French civilians as they flee from the Nazis, as well as home movies taken by Londoners as they dig out from daily bombings.
S01E01
Aggression (1933–1939)
Colourised footage of Hitler as he visits the Austrian village where he grew up, see the heart-felt good-byes as French soldiers leave loved ones at Gare de l’Est train station in Paris and civilians. Hitler continues his conquest of Europe by invading Holland and Belgium.
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E05
The Noose (1942-1943)
S01E06
Inferno (1944-1945)
S01E03
Shock (1940–1941)
S01E04
World Ablaze (1941-1942)
S01E01
Aggression (1933–1939)
S01E02
Crushing Defeat (1939–1940)
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Louis VaudevilleProducer
Writing
- Henri de TurenneWriter
- Daniel CostelleWriter
- Isabelle ClarkeWriter
- Jean-Louis GuillaudWriter
Direction
- Daniel CostelleDirector
- Isabelle ClarkeDirector
Recognition
Awards
1 win
Q6359634
1 win
- WinnerQ6359634
Apocalypse: The Second World War · Apocalypse: The Second World War
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
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