"They didn't care about us… they were there to sink the ships." Abramorama has released an official trailer for a restored WWII footage documentary titled Apocalypse '45, the latest film directed by acclaimed doc filmmaker Erik Nelson (Dinotasia, A Gray State, The Cold Blue). Nelson found in archives and restored in 4K tons of old footage and news reels from World War II. Apocalypse '45 uses the pristine raw, color film footage to tell a chilling narrative of the last months of the War in the Pacific. It documents events from the flag raising at Iwo Jima to the harrowing kamikaze attacks and vicious ground combat at Okinawa in April to the first test of the atomic bomb in the remote deserts of New Mexico in July. In addition, we witness the air war over Japan the summer of '45, and perhaps most astonishingly, the still burning ruins of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when a U.S. Army medical camera crew was sent to photograph the devastation to both the city and its inhabitants. A new entry in the subgenre of old footage restored to give us a new look at the past.
Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Erik Nelson's documentary Apocalypse '45, direct from YouTube:
After the success of Erik Nelson's previous archival feature The Cold Blue the National Archives opened their vaults and allowed access they had previously denied to over 700 reels of this footage, covering the harrowing expanse of the final months of the War in the Pacific. Very little of this material has ever been screened, and none of it has ever been digitally restored, frame by frame, to 4K. In addition, another treasure was uncovered and restored -- astonishing new footage captured by legendary director John Ford. In essence, a "lost film" by Ford, it depicts the ruins of the Pacific Fleet, and the terrible aftermath of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Also driving the narrative of Apocalypse '45 are recently completed interviews with two dozen men who lived through these nightmarish events. All of these men were in their mid to late 90’s, with the oldest, B-29 pilot Thomas Vaucher, 101 years old at the time of his February 2020 interview. Their illuminating and occasionally anguished, cautionary voices provide the film’s only narration, a true "last call" for the last of the Greatest Generation. Apocalypse 45 is directed by award-winning doc producer / filmmaker Erik Nelson, director of the films Dreams with Sharp Teeth, Dinotasia, A Gray State, and The Cold Blue previously, as well as tons of other doc credits. Abramorama will release Apocalypse '45 in "virtual cinemas" starting on August 14th; they will also air the film on the Discovery Channel on Labor Day Weekend in September. For updates, visit the film's official website. Want to watch?
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