New film using hand colourised photography of WW1

[IgorStrav]

http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/peter-jackson-world-war-one-film-ww1-1202670953/

Interesting interview here with film-maker Peter Jackson (he of The Hobbit fame) speaking about the new film, using historical footage of WW1, digitally enhanced and hand coloured.

What a very worthwhile project.  It will appear at the London Film Festival, be broadcast on the BBC and a copy provided for every secondary school in the country.

Only a very little shown of the hand colourisation here, but given the way that black and white images are 'brought to life' (often by our very talented Photo Board Rootschatters), I think this film will be absolutely astonishing.

[carom]

Just updating this. It will be released on October16th in cinemas, with copies going to UK schools. I've also read that it will be shown on BBC at a later date. From the short trailer I've seen it looks beautifully done.

[Billyblue]

In a promo last night, they said that he (Jackson) got lip-readers to work out what the soldiers etc were saying, so they could dub in sound!
Colouring shown last night looked really great, too!
What a great project.

Dawn M

[Ruskie]

I can't wait to see this.

[Andy_T]

When I was a child I loved to hear both my granddads talk about their WW1 experiences. If they both came to my parents house at the same time we would soon be up to our ears in muck & bullets.
Peter Jackson's film was televised recently and I was not disappointed.

I did not realize any of the colorization was done by hand.
The restored film was complimented by interviews given by WW1 servicemen's interviews played over the film.
Much of this commentary was also used in a BBC 1964 WW1 TV documentary series that commemorated when it 50 years after 1914 the start of WW1.
100's of hours of interviews were recorded and only a percentage were used.

In 2014 the BBC broadcast a shorter 2 part documentary "I WAS THERE" showing some of the same servicemen recalling their stories. This time the restored black and white film showed some of the same people recounting their WW1 experiences as they were in 1964. and many were in their 70's and 80's then.

It was only a few years ago the last British serviceman to serve in WW1 passed away. Now there are not so many survivors of WW2 so it's important to record their stories for future generations as well.

Andy_T

     
 

[Maiden Stone]

The restored film was complimented by interviews given by WW1 servicemen's interviews played over the film.
Much of this commentary was also used in a BBC 1964 WW1 TV documentary series that commemorated when it 50 years after 1914 the start of WW1.
100's of hours of interviews were recorded and only a percentage were used.

In 2014 the BBC broadcast a shorter 2 part documentary "I WAS THERE" showing some of the same servicemen recalling their stories. This time the restored black and white film showed some of the same people recounting their WW1 experiences as they were in 1964. and many were in their 70's and 80's then.

Interviews broadcast on Radio 4 during the past 4 years may have been from the same collection. Those I heard were broadcast in 15 minute compilations, introduced by Dan Snow, I think.

[Andy_T]

In reply to Maiden Stone:

Unfortunately I missed the Radio 4 broadcasts you mention.
The 1964 TV series was 26-part BBC documentary  “The Great War”.

This series and the 2014, 2 part series I mentioned were available to watch on YouTube the last time I checked.

Andy_T