Product Description

While nations battled with bombs and guns, their leaders dueled with subtler weapons—charm, flattery, and deception. The outcome reshaped the world.

This critically acclaimed four-part documentary examines the 20th century’s bloodiest conflict from a completely unique perspective: the mind games played by its principals. Taking you inside the heads of historical figures, Warlords analyzes four psychological duels—Hitler v. Stalin, Churchill v. Roosevelt, Churchill v. Stalin, and Roosevelt v. Stalin—each marked by mutual suspicion, false promises, and hidden agendas.

What delusions drove Stalin to sign a pact with Hitler, his ideological enemy? How did Roosevelt boost Churchill’s resolve early in the war, without committing U.S. troops? Why did Churchill argue so vehemently for a southern invasion of Europe, and why did his two allies refuse? And why did Roosevelt trust Stalin more than he did Churchill? Using the leaders’ own words—as well as the personal recollections and private diaries of their most intimate advisors—Warlords provides surprising answers to these provocative questions. The four warlords emerge as fascinating, flawed, and fully human.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40081 in DVD
• Brand: Acorn
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 214 minutes

San Francisco Chronicle
This is a good documentary with some interesting ideas and insights.

DVD Talk
Highly Recommended - One of the most fascinating documentaries I've ever seen on WWII.

Quick Stop Entertainment
It's a wonderful examination of the decision-makers and what each was hoping to achieve for their own countries.

Customer Reviews

Eye opening!
We know the generalities of WWII, but this set of DVDs shows the subtle power play between the warlords that we didn't know. We find out through diary entries of aides, cabinet members, and principals just what thoughts were behind the actions taken. Personalities played an important role in trust and alliances and those alliances were constantly shifting and being tested. There are many pivotal points on which the outcome of the war and the divisions of Eastern Europe might have been very different had different tacks been taken.

Warlords
Warlords is verry informative. Hitler and Stalin I knew about, I was surprised about FDR and Churchill. I highly recommend it to all my friends.

WARLORDS
As a lifelong student of the Second World War, as well as the son and nephew of men who fought under one of the "Warlords" (FDR), I am amazed at the skuldugery that exisisted between them. FDR was married to the American people-they were his power base,-and had provided him the almost Imperial power of three terms in office-as well as his wartime fourth. It was FDR's destiny to never betray the American people-even at the expense of lying to his wonderful friend Winston Churchill. Churchill on the other hand may have had an American mother, but his soul belonged to the British Empire-Churchill was prepared to prostitute himself to FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt),-or court the beast Stalin,-if it would lead to the destruction of Hitler. Stalin pretty much had figured out Churchill and Roosevelt accurately-their only interest in dealing with Stalin, was to defeat Hitler,and deny Russia supreamacy in post-WWII Europe. Stalin best summed things up when he asked the following question about the Catholic Pope: "How many divisions does the Pope have?" As for Hitler, thanks to Hitler's declaration of war on both the Americans and Russians in 1941-Hitler assured his destruction and that of his Italian and Japanese partners. Warlords reveals the suspicious and self-seeking aims of even such divine personalities as Roosevelt and Churchill. Once again proving the addage that:"politics does indeed make strange bedfellows!"