World War I vividly brought to life in first trailer for Peter Jackson's 'They Shall Not Grow Old'
2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. Now Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is bringing the 100-year-old conflict back to life with a stunning new documentary They Shall Not Grow Old.
Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, and Imperial War Museums, They Shall Not Grow Old has been created exclusively with original footage from Imperial War Museums’ film archive and audio from BBC archives.
Using the voices of veterans, combined with original archival footage, Peter Jackson’s film brings to life the reality of war on the front line for a whole new generation. Footage has been colourised, converted to 3D, and transformed with modern production techniques to present never before seen detail.
Modern audiences used to seeing the horrors of WW1 through grainy, black and white clips, invariably playing at the wrong speed, will now see the real faces of the conflict, making the whole thing infinitely more relatable.
The film’s title comes from the Laurence Binyon poem For The Fallen, first published in 1914.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
The world premiere of the film takes place at the BFI London Film Festival on Tuesday, 16 October. Trafalgar Releasing will also be simultaneously screening the film in 2D and 3D to cinemas and special venues across the UK, followed by a special post screening Q&A with Jackson, hosted by film critic Mark Kermode.
Peter Jackson said: “I’ve always been fascinated by the First World War due to my own family history and the Centenary felt like a unique opportunity to make a personal contribution to the commemoration. I wanted to find a way to bring new life to the stories of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.”
The film will be later broadcast on BBC One around Armistice Day. The BBC will accompany the film with a ‘making-of’ documentary with behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with Peter Jackson and an in-depth look at the creative and technical process behind the work.
For more information and tickets, visit https://theyshallnotgrowold.film/.
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