United Kingdom, New Zealand / 2018. / 99’ / Documentary

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Produced by: Peter Jackson, Clare Olssen 

Production company: House Production Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London WingNut Films

Academy Award-winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) presents the Great War as you have never seen it. Using state of the art technology to restore original archival footage which is more than 100-years old, Jackson brings to life the people who can best tell this story: the men who were there. Driven by a personal interest in the First World War, Jackson set out to bring to life the day-to-day experience of its soldiers. After months immersed in the BBC and Imperial War Museums’ archives, narratives and strategies on how to tell this story began to emerge for Jackson. Using the voices of the men involved, the film explores the reality of war on the front line; their attitudes to the conflict; how they ate; slept and formed friendships, as well what their lives were like away from the trenches during their periods of downtime. 

Jackson and his team have used cutting edge techniques to make the images of a hundred years ago appear as if they were shot yesterday. The transformation from black and white footage to colourised footage can be seen throughout the film revealing never before seen details. Reaching into the mists of time, Jackson aims to give these men voices, investigate the hopes and fears of the veterans, the humility and humanity that represented a generation changed forever by a global 

 

Peter Jackson

His most highly acclaimed cinematic achievement is considered to be his screen adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The project kicked off in 1999, with Jackson not only directing the films but co-writing and producing with long-time collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Among their many honors, The Lord of the Rings blockbusters earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations, winning 17 Oscars, including Best Picture for the final film.

In 2010, Jackson plunged back into Middle-earth directing, co-writing and producing The Hobbit Trilogy of films, based upon the enduringly popular masterpiece novel of the same name, also penned by J.R.R. Tolkien. Each film earned around a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, and the trilogy also gathered a total of seven Academy Award nominations.

Between trilogies, Jackson fulfilled a childhood dream, helming the 2005 remake of  King Kong. The film picked up three Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award. Switching gears, he then directed The Lovely Bones, an adaptation of Alice Sebold’s acclaimed best-selling book, released wide in 2010. 

In addition, Jackson produced, along with Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, the 2011 feature  The Adventures of Tintin, which was also directed by Spielberg. Jackson also produced the science fiction thriller District 9, as well as producing the 2012 documentary West of Memphis, together with Damien Echols, one of the teenagers falsely accused of the murder featured in the film.

Jackson’s passion for filmmaking started early in life. His first feature film, Bad Taste was made during the weekends with friends, taking nearly four years to be completed. Meet the Feebles followed, starting a long-time collaboration with physical effects guru Richard Taylor.

Heavenly Creatures, featuring a young Kate Winslet, launched Jackson onto the worldwide stage. For this film, Jackson and lifetime partner Fran Walsh received their first Academy Award nomination for screenwriting. Michael J Fox starred in Jackson’s next feature, the ghost comedy The Frighteners, which was executive produced by Robert Zemeckis.

In 2010 Jackson received a knighthood for his services to film.

*Serbian premiere