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ScreenVue is the result of a joint venture and partnership between Christian Video Licensing International (CVLI) and Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) and Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC).

ScreenVue first launched in 2003 as a service of CVLI. The CVLI Church Video License provides legal coverage for churches and for other ministry organizations to show DVDs, Blu-rays, movie downloads and streams of motion pictures. Each organization needs to be specifically covered. Coverage includes playing just a few seconds of a movie all the way up to showing the full-length feature.

Each *Total Producer Church Video License* and *Standard CVLI Video License* (or any *Church Video Licence* globally) comes with free ScreenVue Vault access.

The ScreenVue Vault offers 11,000+ Scene Ideas and Downloads from a variety of movies and resources. 

ScreenVue saves you hours of time finding that perfect movie illustration for next Sunday’s sermon, child or youth service, or video announcement! 

All Scene Ideas (using your own copy or rental; via Blu-ray, DVD, streaming or download) include a scene summary, themes and time cues. 

With Scene *Downloads, simply preview, download and use instantly. 

(*ScreenVue does not sell or rent entire digital copies of movies to download. To purchase or rent entire movies, please access services like Amazon, Google or Vudu).

About Us


### CCLI

Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) was established in 1988 to provide churches with simple, affordable solutions to complex copyright issues. CCLI helps churches maintain their integrity while giving them the freedom to worship expressively and spontaneously.

Churches often face copyright infringement issues in two areas: 1) copying music without permission, and 2) showing movies without authorization.

For copying music to assist with congregational singing, the Church Copyright License provides blanket coverage for 300,000+ songs and 4,500+ publishers and song owners. Currently, global churches are using 600,000+ CCLI licenses.

---

### CVLI

From a unique partnership between Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) and Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC), Christian Video Licensing International (CVLI) and the Church Video License was formed in 2001.

The Church Video License provides churches with legal coverage to show all, or any portion of, thousands of movie titles from a number of movie producers, including all the major studios. Currently, the titles from almost 3,000 producers are represented by the Church Video License, including the titles that contain all the Scene Ideas and Scene Downloads that are part of the ScreenVue Vault.

---

### MPLC

Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) was founded in 1986 by former MGM executives and an MPAA attorney. Their goal was to develop a process to help the public leverage the work of the creative community without infringing on copyright.

With decades of experience, MPLC has become the world leader in licensing movies, TV programs, and other content for public performances. Through its Umbrella License® MPLC provides a comprehensive copyright compliance solution that is simple and affordable.

MPLC works closely with a variety of institutions, associations, and antipiracy groups to educate the public about copyright and promote the intellectual property rights of the creative community.

Today, MPLC licenses over 500,000 locations worldwide, including, but not limited to, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and government entities.


Partners

## Privacy is Important to ScreenVue.

We’re committed to using the data that you share with us to provide the best possible service and experience. This Privacy Policy explains when and why we collect personal data, how we use it, and how we keep it secure.

When you provide us with personal data or use our websites, you agree to be bound by this policy which we may update from time to time.

### Our Privacy Principles


- We will only collect personal data that is relevant to the services we provide, handle it securely and retain it only as long as necessary.
-  We will always ask you for your communication preferences and make it simple to change them.
-  We will not sell or give your information to a third-party organization other than our trusted service providers who provide certain secure business functions on our behalf
-  Our websites and online services only use temporary ‘session’ cookies to enhance your online experience. We do not use cookies to collect personally identifying information.

The information below provides more detail about how we use your data.

- Who We Are
- The Information We Collect
- How and Why We Use Personal Data
- How We Protect Your Personal Data
- Your Personal Data and Service Providers
- Your Personal Data and Marketing
- How We Use Cookies
- Google Analytics
- Comment Policy
- Update and Access Your Data: Your Rights and Control
- 

---


## Who We Are

ScreenVue is an international organization headquartered in the United States, with offices around the world. As such, many of our systems and online services are employed globally.

We are strongly committed to maintaining the privacy of your personal information and the security of our computer systems and online services.

Concerning the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, ScreenVue makes every effort to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, including the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the all other local privacy regulations.

---

## The Information We Collect

When you purchase licenses or services from ScreenVue, we will require only the personal information that is necessary for the administration of your account with us.

As a general rule, we do not collect personally-identifying information about you when you visit our websites or online services and we will retain only the information you choose to share with us.

When you sign up for CVLI/ScreenVue’s licenses or services, you may provide some or all of the following:

- Your title, name, email, postal address, and telephone numbers. 
- Usernames and passwords that you have chosen to log in to secure ScreenVue services.

When you use our websites and online services we collect:

- Information about the licenses and subscriptions that you purchase from us including your method of payment.
- Information about the pages visited, and links clicked, including the date and time.
- The internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site.
- Information about the devices you have used, including mobile device identifiers, operating system, IP address and type of browser.

Our websites contain links to other websites. When you leave a ScreenVue website by linking to any of these sites, you are subject to the privacy policy of those sites.

When you interact with us through email, social media, surveys or promotions, we may collect:

- Personal data that you freely provide about yourself that is relevant to the nature of the interaction, such as your name, username and email address. 
- Details of the emails you open, and links clicked.
- Your comments in forums and feedback from surveys.

If you identify yourself by sending an e-mail containing personal information requesting that we mail information to you, we will use this information solely for responding to such requests and for our records. We may forward your e-mail to other ScreenVue employees who are better able to serve you.

### Data obtained from other sources
We may obtain personal data from other legitimate sources, including trusted third-party providers, and use this data to:

Verify and correct the information we hold.

- Send information about license renewal and account management.
- Send marketing communications by post or email.
- Initiate or deliver targeted content via online advertising and social media.


---


## How And Why We Use Personal Data

ScreenVue will only collect and retain data that is required to administer your account or improve your experience; and we will provide you with information that we believe is important, in your interest to know, or that you have permitted us to send.

We use your data in the following ways:

To make our services available to you

- Ensuring that the administration of your account is simple and secure. 
- Enabling us to provide the services you require and to process orders and refunds efficiently.
- Enabling us to provide support and respond to inquiries quickly and accurately.
- Where ScreenVue acts as an agent for other rightsholder organizations and you hold one of their licenses, we may be required to share your data with them.

To improve the way we operate and communicate

- The data we hold about you enables us to improve our internal systems and our range of services.
- By monitoring the use of our services, we can detect and prevent misuse and fraud and ensure that they can be accessed safely and securely.
- We use web technologies such as cookies to improve the way our websites and online services work. Some cookies are necessary and, if disabled, will limit functionality and affect your user experience.
- We use tools like Google Analytics to help us understand our users’ experience (e.g., how much time they spend on web pages, which links they choose, what they do and don’t like, etc.).
- User feedback helps us build and maintain our services, determine technical design specifications and monitor system performance.

To ensure our communications are relevant and valuable

- Interactions and browsing behavior help us understand you better and determine what is of most and least interest, meaning we can personalize our services, marketing communications, and promotions and measure their effectiveness.
- We’re committed to respecting your marketing preferences and making it easy to change them.

### Consequences of Not Providing Your Data
You are not obligated to provide your personal information to ScreenVue, LLC. However, ScreenVue is unable to issue and administer copyright licenses, services and agreements without it.

---

## How We Protect Your Personal Data
ScreenVue takes the protection of your data very seriously.

- We use firewalls and data encryption to protect data that is stored electronically, and we take appropriate measures to ensure that our buildings and any files we store physically are secure.
- Whenever we collect or disclose personal data, we employ physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to ensure its safety. Consequently, we may ask you for proof of identity before we can disclose personal information to you.
- We encrypt all data that is transferred electronically using the industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
- When your data is transferred, stored or processed in a different country, we employ appropriate measures to ensure that your data remains secure.

We cannot guarantee the security of any email provider or online service which is not managed by us, and which you use to transfer data to us.

---

## Your Personal Data and Service Providers
ScreenVue works with reputable service providers who may process your data to perform business functions on our behalf. These include Google Analytics, MailChimp/Mandrill, SurveyGizmo and others.

All such service providers are contractually required to keep your data safe, use it only for the purposes agreed, and delete it when it is no longer required. They have agreed not share it, nor use it for their marketing purposes.

We will never give, sell or share your personal data with any third-party for any purpose other than that referred to above.

---

## Your Personal Data and Marketing
ScreenVue would like to share potentially valuable or interesting information with you and, from time to time, ask for your feedback via online surveys.

- When you provide us with your personal data, either by phone, email or a physical or online form, we will always provide a clear and simple way to confirm your communication preferences.
- We will never assume your consent to receive email marketing. We will only send you marketing emails where you have opted-in to receive them.
- We may give you the opportunity to opt-in to receive different marketing emails based on your interests. An opportunity to unsubscribe from any list will be clearly provided at the bottom of each email.
- We may mail information to you that we believe will be of legitimate interest.
- We will make it simple for you to change your communications preferences, which you can do at any time online, over the phone or by writing to us.

---

## How We Use Cookies
A ‘cookie’ is a file placed on your personal computer’s hard drive by a website.

ScreenVue employs cookies to optimize its service to customers. We do not use cookies to collect personally identifying information from users, nor to track user activities beyond our websites. ScreenVue does not maintain copies of cookies on our websites after you leave them.

Cookies store and exchange small pieces of temporary data between a website and a user’s computer which enable a “session” or “dialogue” between the two machines. With the session established, ScreenVue can tailor its responses (i.e., provide you with the information you want) and help you traverse our web pages efficiently and effectively.  A session is broken when you exit your browser.

ScreenVue uses “session cookies” — (i.e., temporarily stored cookies in your computer’s memory). Session cookies are normally deleted from a user’s computer when the user logs off the computer, or the user exits the browser.

For security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, our websites also employ systems to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the law.

---

## Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a web analytics service that uses cookies stored on your computer to collect and report website usage data.  We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our websites and to identify where we can improve our content and services.  Google collects the IP address you use when you visit the site but does not collect any other personal information about you.  We do not combine the information that Google collects with any other personally identifiable information.

[Learn more about how your data is collected by Google](https://policies.google.com/privacy "Learn more about how your data is collected by Google")

[Prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics](https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout "Prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics")

---

## Comment Policy
Comments on articles, blogs and videos can be helpful to other viewers, provided that a spirit of helpfulness is the intent of the person doing the commenting.

We review all comments on ScreenVue’s websites. We reserve the right to edit/delete spam comments, duplicate comments, unsupported accusations, vulgar comments, vile comments, personal attacks of any kind, terms offensive to groups when used in a derogatory manner, and any other comment deemed inappropriate at our discretion.

We reserve the right to ban offenders who post comments under another person’s name, submit an egregious comment or repeatedly submit comments that do not meet our standards.

---

## Update and Access Your Data: Your Rights and Control
As a benefit of using ScreenVue’s services, we provide you with a way to update your information.  These features allow you to quickly update your personal information at any time, including your name, email address, and profile image.

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and can only do so if you use ScreenVue Profile features as intended.  Some or all aspects of this Privacy Policy may not apply to individuals who share a login (email and password) with other members of an organization account.

If you believe the information that ScreenVue holds about you is incorrect and you are unable to correct it through our ScreenVue Profile service, please contact us, and we will update our records as soon as possible.

You have the right to see the personal data that we hold about you. However, how we deal with such requests, and whether we charge a fair administration fee may differ depending on the law in the country of your residence.

In all cases, if you would like a copy of the personal data we hold about you, please contact us using our [GDPR / Data Privacy contact form](mailto:support@screenvue.com "GDPR / Data Privacy contact form").

ScreenVue is committed to protecting your personal data and using it only in a manner that is appropriate, fair and transparent. If, however, you have a concern about our use of your data or wish to make a complaint,please contact us using our GDPR / Data Privacy contact form. We will take all reasonable steps to resolve your query or complaint and to do so promptly.



Privacy Policy

The ScreenVue, LLC web site shall be defined herein to include all screenvue.com and all other web pages operated by ScreenVue.

ScreenVue makes available information, materials, and products on this Web site subject to the following terms and conditions. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms and conditions as outlined in this legal notice. ScreenVue reserves the right to change these terms and conditions from time to time at its sole discretion.

__Copyright © 2019 by ScreenVue, LLC. All rights reserved. CVLI® and Screenvue® are trademarks. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.__

---

## Use of Software
Any use of software and accompanying documentation from this Web site is subject to the terms of a software license agreement between you and ScreenVue. You must read the license agreement and indicate your agreement to its terms prior to installing or using the software. All rights, title, and interest not expressly granted are reserved.

---

## Use of Web Site Information
Except as otherwise indicated elsewhere on this site, you may view, copy, print, and distribute documents available on this Web site subject to the following conditions:

- The document may be used solely for personal, informational, non-commercial purposes.
- The document may not be modified or altered in any way.
- The following copyright notice and permission notice must appear in each document: “Copyright © 2019 ScreenVue, LLC. All rights reserved.”
- ScreenVue reserves the right to revoke such authorization at any time, and any such use shall be discontinued immediately upon written notice from ScreenVue.
- Documents specified above do not include the design or layout of this Web site. Elements of this Web site are protected by trade dress and other laws and may not be copied or imitated in whole or in part.

---

## Warranties and Disclaimers
Except as expressly provided otherwise in an agreement between you and ScreenVue, all information and software on this Web site are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

ScreenVue assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the information or software or other documents which are referenced by or linked to this Web site. References to corporations and their services and products are provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. In no event shall ScreenVue be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages of any kind, or any damages whatsoever, including, without limitation, those resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, and on any theory of liability, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this information.

This Web site could include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of this Web site. ScreenVue may make improvements and/or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this Web site at any time.

This Web site can be accessed from other countries around the world and may contain references to ScreenVue products, services, and programs that have not been announced in your country. These references do not imply that ScreenVue intends to announce such products, services, or programs in your country.

---

## Feedback
Except where expressly provided otherwise by ScreenVue, all comments, feedback, information, or materials submitted to ScreenVue through or in association with this Web site shall be considered non-confidential and ScreenVue’s property. By submitting such comments, feedback, information, or materials to ScreenVue, you agree to a no-charge assignment to ScreenVue of all worldwide rights, title, and interest in copyrights and other intellectual property rights to the comments, feedback, information, or materials. ScreenVue shall be free to use such comments, feedback, information, or materials on an unrestricted basis.

---

## Links To Third-Party Web Sites
This Web site contains links to third-party Web sites. The linked sites are not under the control of ScreenVue, and ScreenVue is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. ScreenVue is providing these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement of the linked site by ScreenVue.

---

## Governing Law And Jurisdiction
ScreenVue controls this Web site from its offices in Vancouver, Washington, USA. All matters relating to this Web site shall be governed by U.S. federal law or the laws of the State of Washington. You agree that any legal action or proceeding related to this Web site must be instituted in, and jurisdiction and venue are proper in, a state or federal court in Clark County, Washington. Your use of this Web site and its information must comply with all applicable local laws or regulations, and with U.S. export laws and regulations.

Terms

__FREE with a Church Video License,*__ the ScreenVue Vault offers 11,000+ Scene Ideas, Views, and Downloads from a variety of movies and resources. 

__ScreenVue saves you hours of time__ finding that perfect movie illustration for next Sunday’s sermon, child or youth service, or video announcement! 

__[Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)](https://www.screenvue.com/faqs "FAQ's")__
![ImageSpaceLG](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/4xvfeylbjqZEW7OapGd8H5/3a1eee9a2b5df7a2282086b9f0656f4c/ImageSpaceLG.png)
__WHAT RESOURCES ARE OFFERED BY THE SCREENVUE VAULT?__

The ScreenVue Vault offers THREE different types of SCENES:
![ImageSpaceSM](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/2MPfeE8Nyrtovp52LyLJXG/d240766f24d2e2163fcfa9d7f50eb3f5/ImageSpaceSM.png)
![clip-idea-icon](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/6AhofNH591NHsVrQKd2DXH/466532d661e3732758370bdcf0ef6473/clip-idea-icon.png)
__SCENE IDEAS:__ Use your own movie with our cues and details

To use a SCENE IDEA

- Sign-In.
- Select a Scene (by selecting a MOVIE, a THEME, or by using SEARCH). 
- Utilize the displayed Start/End Times, synopsis, and suggested themes.
- Have the specific movie cued to the appropriate Start Time (using the Digital, Stream, Blu-ray, or DVD you already own, rented or borrowed).
- You're now ready to show the Scene at just the right time in your message!

![SVViewIcon2](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/3YgYqNCCO4KFGqrFIjT1ra/ef2ecf0139ccb9c4a7c54bb8a3f34b2a/SVViewIcon.png)
__SCENE VIEWS:__ Preview and stream for use

To use a SCENE VIEW

- Sign-In.
- Select a Scene (by selecting a MOVIE, a THEME, or by using SEARCH). 
- If desired, have the Scene cued to a specific start time.
- You're now ready to show the Scene at just the right time in your message!

![clip-download-icon](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/610dtwW1MFbAh8RuFlLX7R/964977cd3211364b3a53b350995b6c73/clip-download-icon.png)

__SCENE DOWNLOADS:__ Preview, download and use instantly

To use a SCENE DOWNLOAD

- Sign-In.
- Select a Scene (by selecting a MOVIE, a THEME, or by using SEARCH).
- Click the PREVIEW button to preview the Scene first, if desired.
- Click the DOWNLOAD button.
- Click SAVE, and specify where you want the file saved to.
- Implement the file into your chosen presentation software.
- You're now ready to show the Scene at just the right time in your message!
![ImageSpaceSM](//images.ctfassets.net/micoswd5fgp1/2MPfeE8Nyrtovp52LyLJXG/d240766f24d2e2163fcfa9d7f50eb3f5/ImageSpaceSM.png)

__Filtering Scenes__
At the top navigation of any page, there are links to see: "All Scene Ideas," or "All Scene Views," or "All Scene Downloads."

When you click on a Theme and see the results, there is a "Filter Scenes" option to show: All Scenes, Scene Views Only, Scene Downloads Only, or both Scene Views and Downloads Only.

__Please Note__

*ScreenVue Vault content can only legally be used in tandem with a [Church Video License](https://store.ccli.com/).

*Before using ScreenVue content, please check your country’s Authorised Producers List to confirm the content is covered (all ScreenVue content is covered in the USA).

*ScreenVue Vault access is free with a Total Producer Package or Standard CVLI Video License in the USA or with any Church Video Licence globally.

*CVLI & ScreenVue do not necessarily endorse the entire content of any movie listed. Before showing any movie, in whole or in part, please preview and determine if the footage is appropriate for your intended audience.

*ScreenVue does not sell or rent entire digital copies of movies to download. To purchase or rent entire movies, please access services like Amazon, Google or Vudu.

__Email for ScreenVue support__
[support@screenvue.com ](mailto:support@screenvue.com "support@screenvue.com")

__[Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)](https://www.screenvue.com/faqs "FAQ's")__


Support

__Frequently Asked Questions...__

__"I'M NEW - how does the ScreenVue Vault work?"__
- To get a full explanation of how the ScreenVue Vault works, please visit our support page: https://www.screenvue.com/support

__"Where can I find my Access Key to sign-in with?"__
- Every Church Video Licence globally and every *Total Producer Church Video License* (or *Standard CVLI Video License*) in the USA comes with FREE access to the ScreenVue Vault, which is unlocked with your Access Key. Your Access Key will be included in the monthly CVL update emails you receive. If you can't find your Key, please email us at: [support@screenvue.com ](mailto:support@screenvue.com "support@screenvue.com")

__"Why won't my Access Key work?"__
- The usual reason for the Access Key not to work (and a footer error message to appear) is that something is missing from the sign-in protocol.
- Enter the *Email address* associated with your Church Video License (or CCLI account).
- Enter the *Access Key* found in your last CVL update email (exactly, with no spaces).
- Select the *Terms of Use* and a *Keeping in Touch* option.
- You should be in! If you have done all this and still have a problem, please let us know and we'll dig further.

__"In the USA, why don't I have access as a CVL Family Values Package member?"__
- The *CVL Family Values Package* offers only 65+ studios and producers, and does not include any major/minor Hollywood studios - and does not come with ScreenVue Vault access. 
- The *CVL Total Producer Package* offers 4,000+ studios and producers, including every major Hollywood studio and most of the major/minors, and comes with complimentary access to the new ScreenVue Vault: unlocked with a provided Access Key. 
- In the USA, to gain access to the new ScreenVue Vault, please upgrade to a *Total Producer package* by calling: __1-888-771-2854__.

__"What is the difference between Scene Ideas, Scene Views, and Scene Downloads?"__
- The ScreenVue Vault offers THREE different types of Scenes: 
- *Scene Ideas*: Has the "light-bulb icon," where you would use your own movie (Digital, Stream, Blu-ray, or DVD you already have access to) with our cues and details; as this scene is not available as a View or Download. 
- *Scene Views*: Has the "TV icon," where you can preview and stream for use.
- *Scene Downloads*: Has the "download icon," which you can preview, download and use instantly.
- Please visit our Support page for more details: https://www.screenvue.com/support.

__"Why can't I download a Scene Idea or Scene View?"__
- We do not have permission from the studio owners to offer downloads for most Scenes. Instead, use the cues listed in the upper, right hand corner of a Scene Idea in tandem with your own copy or rental, or preview and use a Scene View. The ScreenVue Vault offers THREE different types of Scenes: 
- *Scene Ideas*: Has the "light-bulb icon," where you would use your own movie (Digital, Stream, Blu-ray, or DVD you already have access to) with our cues and details; as this scene is not available as a download. 
- *Scene Views*: Has the "TV icon," where you can preview and stream for use.
- *Scene Downloads*: Has the "download icon," which you can preview, download and use instantly.
- Here is a link to all the movies which have Scene Downloads: https://www.screenvue.com/scene-downloads
- Here is a link to all the movies which have Scene Views: https://www.screenvue.com/scene-views
- When you click on a *Theme* and see the results, there is a "Filter Scenes" option to show: All Scenes, Scene Views Only, Scene Downloads Only, or both Scene Views and Downloads Only.
- Please visit our Support page for more details: https://www.screenvue.com/support.

__"What are the restrictions for streaming our service and including a movie scene? "__
- For churches that stream their services and want to include any part of a movie (the entire film or just a scene), the Church Video License terms do not cover streaming a movie scene - even if used in a sermon - over the internet to the general public.
- However, it is permissible to live stream a movie scene inside the facility as long as it is a closed-stream (not accessed publicly). 
- In light of COVID-19, the Church Video License has made temporary modifications to the license: For churches that stream their services and want to include any part of a movie, they can use a platform that is gated or private (password protected entry to only members and guests and not open to the general public), such as Zoom (requiring a password to join).

__"Can content in the ScreenVue Vault be used with a Church Video Licence anywhere in the world?"__
- Before using ScreenVue content, please check your country’s Authorised Producers List to confirm the content is covered (all ScreenVue content is covered in the USA).

FAQs

Header

Themes

All Scene Ideas

All Scene Views

All Scene Downloads

Mobile

GrowOld

In the hours before a planned attack, the soldiers wait tensely in the trenches, knowing this could be their last day on Earth.  Their faces are sober as they sit and watch.  "Everybody was anxious to go, but we waited and waited."  In preparation for the dangerous assault, the men had been advised to write wills and hand over personal belongings to their officers.  Everyone knew this was a mission they might not come back from.  "I heard soft voices talking to one another quietly, and I wondered, how many are going to live to see the sun rise?"  "An hour to go, and they were the longest and the shortest hours in life."  "We had unlimited time for thinking, and I know I found myself thinking much more deeply than I had ever thought before."  "We realized that, sooner or later, we were going to get the chop.  You were either going to be killed or wounded."


Once a German soldier was captured, it wasn't unusual for him to become an accepted member of the soldiering community.  Footage shows German and English soldiers talking, sitting, resting, and helping one another.  In living life together, they often found that they had more in common than they would have imagined.  One British soldier remembers camping out next to a German soldier who spoke English because he had been a waiter at the London Savoy.  Soldier: "I don't think the average British soldier ever had any deep feelings regarding revenge against the German.  He admired and respected him."  And that soldier wasn't alone.  Several others give testimonies regarding the comradeship of the Germans, sympathizing with them as fellow men trapped in war.  One soldier tries to explain how this could be possible with an enemy that had once tried to kill you: "You see, the German had been an unknown horde with their coal-scuttle helmets.  And then we met them."  Footage shows a young German soldier in a "coal-scuttle" helmet, smiling cheekily for the camera.  Other soldiers chime in, knowing that the average soldier was just like them - - a shopkeeper, or a farmer who was "stuck in uniform."  More footage shows British and German soldiers laughing and talking together.  And soldier after soldier testifies to the unity that sprung up unexpectedly among them.  "We got on very well together, actually.  And they used to mix in with us."  "They didn't seem to bear any malice against us."  "They had to do what they were told, like us."  "The general agreement when we were talking to Germans was how useless war was and why did it have to happen?"


Footage shows teenage boys and young men smiling for the camera, their faces still full of the hope of youth.  The boys wear soldiers' uniforms and are about to head off to war.  Some faces have the look of adulthood, but many bear the features of a boy, rather than those of a man.  Narrating the footage are the soldiers who signed up to fight as teenage boys... at seventeen, sixteen, and even fifteen years old.  The effect is sobering, and calls to mind the terrible tragedy of young lives cut short.  "Many of us had given our wrong ages to join the Army."  "Everybody else was joining up, so I called into the recruitment office, and he said to me, 'How old are you?'  I said, 'Seventeen, sir.'  'Well,' he said, 'go outside and come back and say you're eighteen.'"  "He asked me how old I was, and I said I was sixteen in March.  'Oh,' he said, 'you're too young.  You'd better go outside and have a birthday.'"  "I was fifteen and I thought I'd have a better chance than when I were fourteen, so I walked into the barracks and just said, 'I'm eighteen,' and that was it."  "My parents wrote to the commanding officer and asked for me, as I was underage, to be released.  And he said, 'Your parents want you back.  Do you want to go?'  And I said no."  "The chaplain asked me my age, and I said I was sixteen.  He said, 'Much too young.  Would you like me to pray for you?'"


Peter Jackson

When the soldiers came home after the war ended, they found themselves in a world that had moved on without them.  Jobs were scarce and some employers refused even to hire servicemen.  The men left a world where they had a purpose and entered one where they had no place.  Footage shows a city square, filled with unemployed men in suits.  Adjusting to their new lives was hard.  "The first night I came home, I got into my old bed, the first bed I'd laid in since I joined the Army.  When Mother brought my cup of tea up in the morning, she found me fast asleep on the floor."  And, often, the families they returned home to couldn't begin to understand what they had been through.  Some didn't even try.  Footage shows people at parties, in gardens, enjoying life.  No one wanted to remember the past four years of fighting.  "People never talked about the war.  It was a thing that had no conversational value at all.  Most people were absolutely disinterested."  "When I had got home, my father and my mother didn't seem the least interested in what had happened.  They hadn't any conception of what it was like."  "Every soldier I've spoken to experienced the same thing.  We were a race apart from the civilians, and you could speak to your comrades and they understood, but the civilians, it was just a waste of time."  "However nice and sympathetic they were, attempts of nice and well-meaning people to sympathize reflected the fact that they didn't really understand at all."


Much of life on the battlefield was spent in the trenches.  Miles of zig-zagged trenches were dug in the dirt, creating sheltered pathways a man-and-a-half high.  The soldiers ate, slept, shaved, worked, and died in these narrow, muddy ditches.  Footage shows life in the trenches while soldiers narrate what that life was like.  Long periods of "normalcy" were interspersed with moments of heart-stopping danger.  "You had to be extremely careful because a bullet could go through one layer of sandbags quite easily."  "I was talking to a bloke one day and, plop, his head was bashed in like an egg."  A photo shows a dead soldier, sitting cross-legged in the trench, his rifle sitting on his lap.  Generally, a soldier served four days on the front lines at a time.  During those days, he spent several hours on duty, and several off, but all of the time was in the trench.  "Your day would start before dawn, when NCOs would go 'round this 100 yards and make sure everybody was alive."  Soldiers would alternate sentry duty with digging and strengthening trenches and sleeping.  With no official sleeping area, the soldiers would lie down where they were.  Footage shows soldiers stepping over the sleeping forms of their comrades.  "The trench was very wet and, wherever possibly, we would try to get above the water."  Footage shows soldiers who, having dug holes in the mud walls, crawled inside and went to sleep.  Some went to sleep standing up.  Water was drunk from used gas cans or siphoned from machine guns or dipped out of muddy holes in the ground, where bodies often lay nearby.  "That's how I got my dose of dysentery."  (Caution: photos of dead soldiers)


One man remembers the constant fear of danger in the trenches: "At any given moment, we could expect to be shelled.  We had very little protection against that."  Footage shows several soldiers leading a couple of horses across the "No Man's Land" between the British and German fronts.  A shell strikes the ground very near the horses.  The explosion sends up a cloud of dirt and debris, but, after a moment, both horses and men continue on their way as if nothing had happened.  Danger was just a fact of life to them.  More footage shows men gathered in the trenches.  The far-away sound of a shell being fired is heard.  For several moments, the sound comes closer and closer, but the men can do nothing but wait for it to hit.  Soldier, remembering: "In the five or six seconds it took them (the shells) to come, you can pass through quite a number of psychological changes."  The footage shows the shells striking the ground around the soldiers.  Another soldier: "I can't remember anything more nerve-wracking than the continuous shelling, without stop, day and night."  Soldier #2:  "You could literally feel your heart pounding against the ground.  The emotional strain was absolutely terrific."  Footage shows a mine exploding, sending earth up and out in an enormous explosive balloon.  (Caution: several photos shown of dead soldiers)


Footage shows soldiers engaged in drill practice, moving their bodies and weapons in synchronized step at an officer's command.  Soldiers, narrating, describe what it was like to prepare for war.  The first soldier remembers being rather excited at first.  But, the excitement quickly wore off as he realized the level of discipline that would be required of him.  "We weren't out dancing, or anything like that.  We were getting ready for a war."  The men were taught strict obedience to their officers.  "You had to do as you were told.  You had one master, or dozens..."  Footage shows the men practicing various skills needed for war.  They climb through barbed wire, practice gas mask drills, and march, endlessly.  One man shares that he later saw the value of  the discipline: "I liked to be told what I had to do because there was a reason for doing it.  Later on, I realized that was the best training you could have."  These marches prepared the men for the trials they would later have to face.  "The first week, our route march would be ten miles.  The second week, it would be twelve, and so on, and so on.  It intensified, because it's of the utmost importance that the infantry soldier could march with a full kit.  What you had to carry was 109 pounds."  Another man remembers the physical pain of those marches quite clearly: "Oh, those Army boots.  I could have cried."


The screen is black, and nothing is heard but the sound of machine gun fire and men shouting.  The intense battle has begun.  Earlier footage now shows soldiers, before the terrible battle, smiling.  The camera focuses in on one man.  He looks happy, carefree even.  Instantly, the footage cuts to the battlefield, where a soldier, very like the one we just saw, lies dead.  And so, the footage alternates between living men, before they entered the carnage, and the dead, who so recently were young and very much alive.  Soldiers who lived through the brutal fighting narrate, telling what they felt as the bullets were flying.  Some experienced a feeling of unreality, as if the war couldn't possibly be happening to them.  Some were terrified.  Many were wounded.  "I looked round, and people were dropping all around you.  I mean, they just faded away on either side of you."  "And I thought, what are they shooting at me for?"  "If you didn't get hit, you just carried on."  "I just didn't think that this German machine gunner would trouble to fire at me, but the next thing I felt a shock of quite a number of bullets hitting the right side of my body."  "A hare crossed my path, with eyes bulging in fear, but I felt that it couldn't have been half as frightened as I was."  "You could see your mates going down right and left, and you were faced with the stark realization that this was the end of it."  "They say your past comes up when you think you're going to die, but I hadn't got very much past at 19.  And, when I saw these bullets coming along, all I thought was, 'Am I gonna live?'"  (Caution: graphic photos of death)


They Shall Not Grow Old

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They Shall Not Grow Old

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