''The Cold Blue'' is a 2018 documentary composed from 90 hours of "lost" footage director

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...

used for his 1944 documentary '' The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress''. The ''Memphis Belle'' documentary was very highly regarded. Unfortunately all existing prints were faded and scratched. In 2016 documentary film-maker Erik Nelson learned the original raw footage from which the film had been cut had been safely deposited in the US National Archives. The original prints were also scratched, faded, and dusty, but had enough information so that new artificial intelligence techniques, frame by frame restoration, and color grading "beautifully restored he footageto breathtaking immediacy". When the restoration of the ''Memphis Belle'' documentary was finished Nelson used the footage to cut a brand new documentary—''The Cold Blue''. The film is 72 minutes long, and premiered at the 2018

AFI Docs The AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs) documentary film festival was an American international film festival. Created by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, it was held annually in Silver Spring, Maryland and Washington, D.C., fro ...

. It was then broadcast by

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

. ''

The National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich Lo ...

'' asserted the film showed viewers a "level of everyday heroism on offer

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

almost surpasses our capacity to absorb it." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the efforts Nelson made for the soundtrack for the film. The original film was, of course, without sound. So Nelson tracked down the handful of

B-17 bombers The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

that remain in flying condition, and used modern sound equipment to capture their exact sound. The film's narration is taken from interviews with the few surviving veterans of the

8th Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

References

External links

*
''The Cold Blue''
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cold Blue 2018 documentary films 2018 films American documentary films 2010s American films