Described by Steven Spielberg as “one of the greatest things I have ever seen,” The Cold Blue is a two-hour documentary that revitalizes William Wyler’s stunning footage of Germany’s war-ridden skies in 1943. Wyler, one of Hollywood’s most renowned and versatile directors, went to Europe to document the Air War in progress. Incredibly, all of the raw color footage Wyler shot for the “Memphis Belle” was recently discovered deep in the vaults of the National Archives, and a new film has been constructed out of the material. The Cold Blue is a meditation on youth, war and trauma, and stands as a tribute to one of the world’s great filmmakers, and the men of the 8th Air Force who flew mission after suicidal mission in the Second World War. Nine of the very few surviving veterans were interviewed in the summer of 2017, and their voices take us through the harrowing world that Wyler and his cameramen captured in the summer of 1943. The film was directed by Erik Nelson and Digital Circus provided Executive Producer services.

HBO, June 2019