They Shall Not Grow Old (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'They Shall Not Grow Old' is a groundbreaking, astonishing documentary by Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings series) that takes over 100 yr. old footage of WWI and gives it an incredible restoration - replete with stunning colorization, corrected frame rates, & given accurate sound effects, spoken voices & narration from real survivors. Peter Jackson whittled down 600 hours of historical footage & interviews to recount what it was like to fight for the British Infantry against the Germans from 1914-18. Passion & patriotism drives these men, as they enlist in droves from ages 14-35; young teens lied about their ages to join-up. The men get in shape during basic training. But the actual war is a whole other nightmare: a distressing, sub-human existence spent floundering in muddy, disease-ridden trenches, starving, & dealing with everything from rats to lice to excrement to open wounds to die-at-any-moment worries.
Jackson - whose family members served in WWI - provides a short introduction explaining how the project came about, followed by the actual 100 min. documentary, and then he gives us a 25 min. look at HOW he & his esteemed filmmakers were able to create the visual & aural masterwork that they did. At the start, the doc seems ordinary, but around the 20 min. mark -- boom -- we see the war time images transform from grainy black-&-white into vibrant color; something similar to when Dorothy arrived in Oz}. Suddenly, like traveling in a time capsule, the young men in their uniforms feel like real people, not just shadows. And it's amazing to see every shade of blade of grass, and every colored stitch of clothing in what it actually was.
There are no "characters" to follow from scene to scene & no subplots, so to speak. This doc is just one, big, immersive look into a very articular, specific experience ... the trenches of the Western Front. If I have one 'complaint' of this movie, it would be that - after combing through 600 hrs. of film, Jackson chose not to highlight women on the home front {working in factories} or people of color in the main 'narrative' of the doc. That said, he DOES include them a bit in the post-doc explanation of how he achieved the restoration, and why he chose not to include them so as to provide a more streamlined tale of the men in the trenches and not a sprawling, all-encompassing kaleidoscope.
It was fascinating watching these young, unknowing men bursting from excitement, but then leveled by the nearly indescribable horrors on the battlefield {gore, corpses, dead animals, mustard gas, massive explosions, flesh ravaged by disease ... the works}. This doc honors the memory & memories of these valiant men, while also being critical of war, itself {watching them interact & find common ground with similarly war-weary German soldiers is something to see}. The camaraderie btwn. these men was as palpable as the dangers that always threaten them. 'They Shall Not Grow Old' does not always make for an easy watch -- war sucks. But boy, am I glad this inspirational documentary exists for all generations to experience. These were real men, & not just faces lost to history.
Jackson - whose family members served in WWI - provides a short introduction explaining how the project came about, followed by the actual 100 min. documentary, and then he gives us a 25 min. look at HOW he & his esteemed filmmakers were able to create the visual & aural masterwork that they did. At the start, the doc seems ordinary, but around the 20 min. mark -- boom -- we see the war time images transform from grainy black-&-white into vibrant color; something similar to when Dorothy arrived in Oz}. Suddenly, like traveling in a time capsule, the young men in their uniforms feel like real people, not just shadows. And it's amazing to see every shade of blade of grass, and every colored stitch of clothing in what it actually was.
There are no "characters" to follow from scene to scene & no subplots, so to speak. This doc is just one, big, immersive look into a very articular, specific experience ... the trenches of the Western Front. If I have one 'complaint' of this movie, it would be that - after combing through 600 hrs. of film, Jackson chose not to highlight women on the home front {working in factories} or people of color in the main 'narrative' of the doc. That said, he DOES include them a bit in the post-doc explanation of how he achieved the restoration, and why he chose not to include them so as to provide a more streamlined tale of the men in the trenches and not a sprawling, all-encompassing kaleidoscope.
It was fascinating watching these young, unknowing men bursting from excitement, but then leveled by the nearly indescribable horrors on the battlefield {gore, corpses, dead animals, mustard gas, massive explosions, flesh ravaged by disease ... the works}. This doc honors the memory & memories of these valiant men, while also being critical of war, itself {watching them interact & find common ground with similarly war-weary German soldiers is something to see}. The camaraderie btwn. these men was as palpable as the dangers that always threaten them. 'They Shall Not Grow Old' does not always make for an easy watch -- war sucks. But boy, am I glad this inspirational documentary exists for all generations to experience. These were real men, & not just faces lost to history.