Sci-Fi The Great Martian War 1913-1917 (History Channel)

[screenersam]

Title: The Great Martian War 1913–1917

Genre: Drama, War, History, Science Fiction, Documentary

Director: Mike Slee

Cast: Mark Strong, Joan Gregson, Briony Glassco, Jock McLeod, Ian Downie, Thomas Gough, Hazel Douglas, Ashley Bomberry, Daniel Matmor, Walter Stegmayer, Howard Jerome, Ross Walton, Gyuri Sarossy

Release: 2013-12-08

Runtime: 90

Plot: Documentary-drama recounting the Martian War of 1913–1917. Europe was on tenterhooks in the 2nd decade of the 20th century, everyone was expecting a Great War between the major European powers. But then, in 1913, something crashed into the forests of SW Germany. Troops were sent to investigate but were wiped out. Martian fighting machines began making their way across Western Europe and the countries of Europe combined forces to resist them. With aspects taken from ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H.G. Wells and from WWI itself, this dramatisation presents a documentary style look at events as they unfolded and the effect they had of our world today. Lots of references to real events including the mass attacks and defeats as men were thrown against machines on the Western front, the Christmas truce and the Angel of Mons, America's isolationism and late entry into the conflict, the worldwide Spanish flu epidemic that killed more people than the war, and many other things.

 

[screenersam]

wow. looks pretty impressive. History channel Dec 8, I believe

 

[Kevin]

How the heck did I miss this one?!

Combining period archive with state-of-the-art special effects and featuring moving interviews with aging veterans, the show takes in the entire sweep of the conflict: from the devastation of Western Europe where a rag-tag alliance digs in against monstrous Alien war-machines unaware that deep flaws exist in their Generals’ central strategy, to the political battle for the Whitehouse where President Wilson struggles to maintain US Neutrality; from the skies of central London where allied bi-planes do spectacular battle with a towering Alien Tripod, to the War’s catastrophic final act in which the Allies, standing on the brink of total defeat, must decide if launching an untested and potentially devastating secret weapon is worth risking the lives of millions of men in the field and a global pandemic…

Unpacking and exploring these events are two Historians with opposing views about the conflict's many controversies, in particular an incendiary new discovery centred around the notorious ‘Martian Code’ - Uncrackable for a century, the vast cache of Alien war documents seized after the war have finally been deciphered, and appear to contain the direst of warnings that the war is far from over.

wow. looks pretty impressive. History channel Dec 8, I believe

Looks like we missed it, the premiere date was Dec 8 2013 in the UK and 2014 for the US. There is/was even a game for it (Amazon) at Great Martian War.

If I remember, I'll try search this weekend to see if it's available for streaming anywhere.

 

[screenersam]

oy, I didn't see the date.
hope they re-run soon. or maybe the grilla, bandwidth permitting