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Why We Fight: The Battle of China (1944)
Why We Fight: The Battle of China (1944) poster

Why We Fight: The Battle of China (1944)

War, Documentary • 1h 5m

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

Cast: Anthony Veiller, Walter Huston

Best English-friendly & video release

Updated 1 year ago


About the film

The sixth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series illustrates Japan's occupation of China, including Madame Chiang Kai-Shek's stirring address before congress, the rape of Nanking, the great 2,000 mile migration, and Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers.

Alternative Titles
The Battle of China, The Battle of China: Assault on the Great Wall

More from Frank Capra

See more →

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset Blu-ray

Director: Frank Capra

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1995 Columbia LaserDisc

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray

Director: Frank Capra

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1986 Columbia VHS

Director: Frank Capra

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 Republic Pictures LaserDisc

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray

More from Periscope

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Director: William Wyler

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Periscope Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Also available in Kino Lorber The Cold Blue Blu-ray as HD extras, or available on streaming

Directors: Barney Elliott & Harbine Monroe

Video format: SD Streaming

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

Director: Frank Capra

Video format: SD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Periscope youtube

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Director: Frank Capra

Directors: Frank Capra & Hugh Stewart & John Huston & John Boulting & Roy Boulting

Director: Frank Capra

Director: Frank Capra

Directors: Frank Capra & Anthony Veiller & Anatole Litvak

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

More War on Blu-ray

Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored

Best Audio:

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)/1999 WB R1 DVD
5.1 remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray 

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Sony release without the filtering; Comparison between Sony and Criterion.

Best Audio:

Mono: 1994 LaserDisc (marginally, unfiltered) or Criterion 4K Blu-ray (filtered)
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Liliana Cavani

4K · Solid

Director: David Lean

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Dec 1st

Director: John Milius

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Shout! Factory or Germany/UK Capelight 4K Blu-ray?

Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements

Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ

Director: Anthony Mann

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Olive Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Barebones Olive BD of a Paramount HD master. Visually it's solid overall with some moments of great clarity, primarily in the big outdoor and aviation sequences. Otherwise it shows its age. 

Director: John Frankenheimer

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1994 MGM LaserDisc

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vanshady

· last reviewed 1 year ago

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