‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ trailer: World War I footage is brought to life in 3D colour

A trailer has been released for new First World War documentary They Shall Not Grow Old.

The film features never-before-seen archive footage from the vaults of the Imperial War Museum and the BBC, selected by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

Next month marks a hundred years since the end of World War I and They Shall Not Grow Old will be screened in select cinemas across the UK on Tuesday 16th October.

Using the latest modern restoration techniques, Jackson’s team have hand-colourised the exclusive original black and white footage and digitised it in 3D.

Watch the trailer:

They Shall Not Grow Old will air on UK television at 9.30pm on Sunday 11th November on BBC Two.

The official synopsis reads: “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.

“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 war.”

Peter Jackson previously commented: “I wanted to reach through the fog of time and pull these men into the modern world, so they can regain their humanity once more … we can see and hear the Great War as they experienced it.”