"They Shall Not Grow Old"

[madNbad]

Peter Jacksons' documentary about British soldiers in WWI is a great movie wrapped in technological wonder. Working with a hundred hours of footage from the Imperial War Museum, much of it copies of copies of copies, Jacksons' team was able to extract clarity and detail not seen since the day the film was exposed. The director has a half hour follow up of how the movie was made and the challenges they encountered. It's an unblinking, unglamorized view of the Great War told by survivors of the conflict.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

You post is very timely as I just got back a few minutes ago from seeing it here in Portland. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The half hour follow up really added to the experience of seeing the film. I was very impressed and so was my 20 something daughter. In her words, and I totally agree with her, everyone should be required to see this movie.

 

[Godfrey]

I'm awaiting this movie's arrival at the local theater. Hopefully soon!

G

 

[Vince Lupo]

I'm awaiting this movie's arrival at the local theater. Hopefully soon!

G

The only other time it's playing in US theaters is December 27th. Enter your zip code into the search engine and see if it's going to be at a theater near you: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/they-shall-not-grow-old

I saw it last night in 3D and it was spectacular. I'm seeing it again on the 27th.

BTW Godfrey it's playing in Milpitas and San Jose, if either one are close to you.

 

[Sega]

I will have to look this up, keep meaning to go back to the London Museum as well as last time was around 2011/2012 with part of it shut for exhibition work.

 

[leica M2 fan]

This movie is playing in our city right now and we hope to see it next week.

 

[Papercut]

One of my fellow historians (he works on modern Europe) just stopped by my office to rave about it too: "Cannot recommend it highly enough! Simply incredible!"

Guess I'll buy tickets for the 27th. 🙂

 

[Brian Atherton]

A stunning film and an impressive technical achievement.

It has a release in cinemas here in the UK, and was shown in its entirety on the BBC a few weeks ago.

Very moving. The transition from scratchy black and white to high definition colour is remarkable. In almost an instant the figures come ‘back to life’ as ‘real’ as the film miraculously changes from silent monochrome footage to colour with sound (Peter Jackson used lip readers to recreate the dialogue), as though a hundred years of film history had been suddenly telescoped into a single moment.

Definitely a ‘must see’.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

I just bought tickets. Wish it weren’t 100 miles away over icy mountain roads, but that’s just how it is here. Now I have to convince the family.

 

[Bille]

All I have seen is the trailer but the colors look unnatural to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrabKK9Bhds

 

[Vince Lupo]

All I have seen is the trailer but the colors look unnatural to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrabKK9Bhds

I saw the movie last night in 3D, and the colours really bring this 100 year-old footage to life. Peter Jackson explained the painstaking research they conducted to get the colours as 'true' as possible, right down to uniform button colours. I'm sure we've all seen 'colorized' movies before, but this is leaps and bounds beyond anything that's been done in the past (of course not that it's going to in any way compare to footage shot on colour film, but I personally didn't mind it).

Really, when you consider what this footage was when he started the project (scratched, under and overexposed, grainy, misshapen film sprockets, different frame rates, and being 100 years old), what he and his team have done is remarkable. If you have a chance to see it in the theater, it's well worth it.

 

[madNbad]

Thanks, Vince. The attention to details brings vibrancy to the film. Peter Jackson traveled to various battlefield sites and took thousands of photos of just the vegetation to get the background colors as correct as possible. He brought in forensic lip readers to translate what was being said and then found someone who was local to that particular unit to voice them for the film.

 

[Papercut]

Tickets for the 27th purchased. Looking forward to it.

 

[bhop73]

It's only playing one more day, which is a weekday when I have to work... same as the other day (yesterday). Total B.S.

 

[Sega]

I will have to look this up, keep meaning to go back to the London Museum as well as last time was around 2011/2012 with part of it shut for exhibition work.

Update, I did a stupid, I'd recorded it on my TiVo box.

I just ran a check on the iPlayer site to see if I could help those who wish to see it but they have pulled it:bang:

 

[Papercut]

My wife and I saw They Shall Not Grow Old this afternoon. As a historian that works on modern warfare, I had no criticisms and thought Jackson pulled this project off with authenticity and integrity to the material, to the history, and to the men. It didn't try to be a "history" of the war, but only a way to understand the experience of the infantry men. Masterful. Fabulous. I sure hope that this gets wider distribution and audience someday, somehow.

 

[ChipMcD]

I enjoyed this in the theater. It will soon be available for purchase on iTunes. The painstaking care in making this showed through.