This Oscar winner for Best Documentary was the official World War II Government film statement identifying the various enemies of the Allies. Prelude to War was the first film in Frank Capra's seven-film Why We Fight film series and is preserved at the National Film Registry as mandated by the United States Library of Congress. Featuring narration by Walter Huston, plus archival footage of Adolph Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and many other key figures of the time, Prelude to War is highlighted by uncredited cinematography by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty.
