The Second World War in Colour (1999): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1999, The Second World War in Colour is a documentary and war & politics series.

What it’s about. The Second World War In Colour [1999] is a three-part documentary which reveals hours of previously unseen colour film of World War II. As almost all newsreel film was shot in black and white, this DVD offers a completely new portrait of the war. Dramatic colour footage from as early as 1933 shows home movies of Adolf Hitler and his cohorts, the devastation wrought by the Blitzkrieg, life on the home front, D-Day and the Allied invasion of France, British bombers defying German fighters, the horror of the Holocaust that troops met as they entered Germany, and the jubilation of the final Allied victory. With John Thaw's narration intercut with spoken accounts from the letters and diaries of those who fought, those who survived, and those the war claimed as victims, this documentary is an extraordinary remembrance of a monumental time in world history.

Who’s in it. The Second World War in Colour stars John Thaw as Himself - Narrator.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, The Second World War in Colour has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Second World War in Colour page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Second World War in Colour tend to enjoy Cosmos, Planet Earth, Planet Earth II and Vikings.