1914-1918, le sport à l'épreuve du feu

During the First World War, a few miles from the front, soldiers played football, ran races, or boxed. For most of them, this was their first encounter with organized sport. It helped them to forget the horrors and death, and gave them fresh hope. Surprisingly, the Great War played a key role in the history of sport. Soldiers from rural populations all now practiced sport – an activity until then reserved for the elite. For four years, sport represented a welcome respite from the killing fields. Built on archive footage – much of it previously unseen – this film reveals one of the most unexpected legacies of the First World War. (ZED)