The German troops are entering the Meuse. The alert has been given. The French soldier calmly awaits the shock. All the villages have been evacuated; wives have been torn apart from their husbands, who stay to defend the land the old farmer won't abandon. The German offensive takes place on February 21st, 1916. Following intense bombing from 7:15 am to 5 pm, flocks of German soldiers dash through the bois des Caures. In order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the end of World War I, Léon Poirier recreated the battle of Verdun and inscribed in history the lives of symbolic characters from both sides of the front. Verdun, looking at history was edited in three distinct parts and is an epic film of great emotional strength dedicated to all the martyrs of the ugliest human passion that is war.

Originally produced as a motion picture in 1927. Supplements include: Restoring Verdun (13 min.), from la Cinémathèque de Toulouse and La Cinteteca di Bologna, never before seen interviews look into the research and restoration process of Léon Poirier's film; Visions of Verdun (18 min.), analyzing Verdun, looking at history, several specialists share their personal take on Léon Poirier's work: historical, technical, musicological or anecdotal; The French take their revenge in Verdun (29 min.), an account of the French counter-offensive in the spring of 1916 through archive footage edited by the French Section cinématographique de l'armée, now archived at the ECPAD.