'The War'

The remarkable American film-maker Ken Burns has turned his attention to what he happily calls 'The War', meaning the catastrophe that began in September 1939 and ended in August 1945. (Told 'from an American perspective', it will no doubt pass quickly over The War's first two years.) That Burns has a wonderful ear is demonstrated in his title: for anyone who remembers those years, all of human history is divided into three segments: Before the War, The War, and After the War. I do this, even though I was seven when The War began, so that Before the War doesn't have a whole lot of reality for me.

Burns's take on The War will air in seven one-hour telecasts in September. There's a teaser at the Public Broadcasting System website.