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FIRST LOOK

First Photos from Peter Weir's New WWII Film 'The Way Back'

by Alex Billington
December 22, 2009
Source: Quiet Earth

Its been almost seven years since Peter Weir last directed anything. I don't know where he's been all this time, but I'm glad he's back. Quiet Earth found the first six photos from Weir's new WWII film The Way Back. The drama follows a group of soldiers and prisoners who escape from a Siberian labor camp in 1940 during WWII. "Seven courageous multi-national prisoners discover the true meaning of friendship as their epic journey takes them across thousands of miles of hostile terrain en-route to India and their freedom." Starring in this film is Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, and Jim Sturgess. Read on!

Peter Weir's The Way Back

To be honest, this is the first time I've even heard about this movie. I didn't even know Weir was directing anything. I'm getting kind of a There Will Be Blood meets Defiance meets Seven Years in Tibet vibe from these photos, which is a good thing (since I liked all of those movies). As far as I can tell, this doesn't have a distributor yet and seems to be funded entirely by Peter Weir's friends as well as producer Scott Rudin. No word on when we can expect this in theaters, but it'll probably show at a festival like Cannes before making its debut here in the US. Stay tuned for more updates on The Way Back as they arrive. Look good so far?

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Related categories: First Look, Indies, Photos

Pete

Visually interesting, and the story sounds like it has potential.
bltzie

Great cast. Harris, Farrell! and I love Saoirse.
greg

very intriguing concept, Peter Weir's film is always an event for me. Ed Harris, the man.
beavis

beautiful enviroments; great cast; great story.........count me in for this one!
M

I've heard about this movie from they were casting. The story sounds interesting and I am exited to here more about it.
Brandon

Peter Weir is one of my favorite directors. I'll definitely watch this. I hope he does another M&C.
xerxex

I like it. Great cast, Harris, Farrell, Strong, Ronan, and Sturgess.
dom

Anything with Ed Harris and I'm there!
gplongwood

It's based on the incredible book "The Long Walk". It's a true story and a real page turner. I came across this book by accident at the bookstore and read the cover and never put it down. I hope it's accurate to the book, what a great story. Everyone should read it.
http://markstrongonline.com weetiger3

Fantastic cast, great director...can't wait!
harm

That top pic with Harris and Farrel has me hooked. They look haunted. Looks terrific.
Corran Horn

Excellent! It looks like Weir has made another great film. I believe, though, that the photo with Harris and Farrell appeared a few months ago on Colin Farrell's fansite. I'm surprised that you forgot this, Alex. Didn't you report on this film's casting way back at the beginning of the year, or was that someone else?
Film Fan

Peter Weir is one of film's greatest directors so sign me up!
http://www.bestromancemovies.com Eliza

I love Peter Weir! Just finished watching The Last Wave again. I am really looking forward to this movie! Hope that it is as good as the photos look.
http://www.bestromancemovies.com/ Eliza

I love Peter Weir! Just finished watching the Last Wave again. I can't wait to see how this movie turns out. Hope it is as good as these photos look! So excited!
Trevor

Certainly based on the book "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. As a previous comment said, it is a great page turner and an inspirational story. The problem is, the book is a fabrication. Rawicz was a fraud and used the stories of others as his own. Despicable. He also claimed in the book to have seen two Yeti during the walk.
Fenix

The Long Walk was debunked, it was a fake story. There was however a man named Clemens Forell, a German soldier in the Wehrmacht who was captured by the Soviets at the end of the war and forced to work in the Gulags. He escapes the Gulag and walks all the way to Iraq with the hopes of getting home to Germany. http://www.amazon.com/Far-Feet-Will-Carry-Extraordinary/dp/0786712074 They also made a movie in 2001, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277327/ And a TV show in 1959 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052509/ Unlike Mr. Rawicz's story which is obviously an inspiration for this movie, Forell's book is indeed true and based on his experiences. Clemens Forell isn't his real name though, I seem to have forgotten what it was, he lived and published his work under an alias for fear that the KGB wouldn't find him, he died in the 80s.
Victor

Mr. Rawicz's story is true; he only falsely claimed to have done all that himself. He wrote it based on the story of another Pole who managed to escape one of Russia's concentration camps - Witold Glinski. After WWII he apparently gained access to Glinski's report in the Polish embassy, read it and then took it from there Anyway, the story is amazing and I hope the film lives up to it
An Irishman in Boston

I read Rawitcz's book for the first time in 2008 and it left me with a bag full of mixed feelings.Wether rawitcz's account is true or not (Clemens Forell's name leaves a lot of questions unanswered) it still held me enthralled.I just hope Peter Weir does this epic justice as Im sure he will.
eber hart

Love Weir's best work ---BUT am frankly baffled and disappointed that he, like the rest of Red China suck-up Hollywood, TOTALLY SNUBBED the 60th Anniversary of the ominously relevant, indeed, STILL unfolding KOREAN WAR -even on its, once again, 'mysteriously overlooked' 60th Anniversary --and even as people continue to suffer and die by---the---million... -WWII has been done-to-death!