Sir Peter Jackson Curates Film Season at RAF Museum Featuring Unscreened First World War Short Film

PRESS RELEASE-Sir Peter Jackson, the Oscar ™ winning director, responsible for Hollywood Blockbusters ‘King Kong’, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ has curated a First World War film season of films for the Royal Air Force Museum London. This season will run from 10^th to 13^th of July with the Museum showing a classic First World War film each evening.Each film will be screened against the backdrop of the museum’s Historic Hangars, with members of the public able to explore the venue before each screening.Museum doors open at 6:30 pm which each film starting at either 7:30pm or 8:00pm.

 ‘Crossing the Line’

Before each main feature, the Museum will be screening a new short film by Sir Peter Jackson ‘Crossing the Line’, which has never been screened in the United Kingdom. A short film with no dialogue written and directed by Sir Peter Jackson. The story centres, a young infantryman and a pilot about to go into battle. Both have comforting reminders of home. As the battle unfolds, the story follows their fate and that of their personal mementoes.

 10^th July – ‘Beneath Hill 60’: The extraordinary true story of Oliver Woodward. It’s 1916 and Woodward must tear himself from his new young love to go to the mud and carnage of the Western Front. Deep beneath the German lines. Woodward and his secret platoon of Australian tunnellers fight to defend a leaking, labyrinthine tunnel system packed with enough high explosives to change the course of the War.

 11^th July – ‘Lawrence of Arabia’: Sir David Lean’s emotive epic.The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in Dorset at the age of 46, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I.

 12^th July – ‘Paths of Glory’: Stanley Kubrick in top form. The futility and irony of the war in the trenches in the First World War is shown as a unit commander in the French army must deal with the mutiny of his men and a glory-seeking general after part of his force falls back under fire in an impossible attack.

 13^th July – ‘The Blue Max’: Starring George Peppard and Ursula Andress. The tactics of a German fighter pilot offend his aristocratic comrades but win him his country’s most honoured medal, the Blue Max. The General finds him useful as a hero even though his wife also finds him useful as a love object. In the end the General arranges for him to test-fly an untried fighter.

 For each film he has also written a short critique, explaining how each film has influenced his own love of film-making and epic storytelling. Tickets for each film retail at £15.00 each, plus 50p booking fee, and are strictly limited to 149 people per show. They may be purchased now through the museum’s website, www.rafmuseum.org. Like all best cinematic experiences a selection of alcoholic beverages and snacks will also be able to be purchased on each night from the museum’s Wessex Café.

Lucy Woodbridge, RAF Museum Events Manager:
“The museum’s film screenings are a unique experience for any film lover – can you ever say that you’d sat underneath a WW2 bomber and watched your favourite film? This experience will be even more special thanks to Sir Peter Jackson’s contributions – I am confident that all participants will enjoy their evening and don’t forget all the profits from each evening go to the upkeep of our world beating aircraft collection.”

So if you love film and would like to enjoy one of your favourites in a unique venue why not spend an evening sipping a Spitfire Beer or cold drink whilst watching one of the Greats play out on a silver screen surrounded by historic aircraft. We’ll even throw in the car-parking for free.