They Shall Not Grow Old
Pioneering documentary by Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings) made on the occasion of the centennial commemoration of the end of the First World War.
Everyone knows the First World War of grainy archival images and blurred images. Moreover, these images of ruined villages, muddy trenches, exploding grenades and dead soldiers are always in shades of gray. This is now a thing of the past.
When Peter Jackson was asked by the Imperial War Museum to compile a documentary based on their enormous archive, he took the bait. His approach was revolutionary: with the help of a large team and the latest digital techniques, film images of the First World War were restored and provided with color and sound.
The result is not only visually impressive, but also a touching tribute to the naïve, sweet and often exceptionally young British boys who took part in the war. Thanks to this exceptional documentary, they will never grow old. (wg)
The screening of Sunday May 19th at 12:00hrs can be combined with the Sunday's Film Breakfast.
What made Peter Jackson participate in this project? First, of course, the technological challenge. A large part of Jackson's oeuvre (take the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is based on a revolutionary use of digital film techniques. Moreover, the best man owns a special effects company in New Zealand. Much of this knowledge came in handy in the startling process of making this documentary.
Yet, this is also a highly personal project for Jackson, as also his own grandfather fought in the First World War. William Jackson joined the British army in 1910 – a time of peace – with the main aim of seeming more of the world. Not much later all hell broke loose. Miraculously, William survived the war, although he did not get rid of it unscathed: he died at the age of fifty, broken by all his physical and mental war injuries. Another forgotten hero of the "war to end war", in short, were it not for the fact that his grandson put a stop to this. (wg)
Curious about the technical story behind this work?