They Shall Not Grow Old

I loved the raw footage and hearing these soldiers discuss some topics that aren't frequently visited by other documentaries. The major flaw with this film is that they splice interviews from multiple different men into one sentence and it feels like the editing is trying to morph all of these individuals into one common experience. I wish that they would have separated these interviews so that you could tell which man said which parts.

In documented form, without the characteristic tone of the genre, the motivation and sacrifice of a generation that volunteered to fight in a war that was not entirely theirs is narrated.

It's surreal to watch both of Peter Jackson's film restoration projects - this and Get Back. There's a bit of tasting the forbidden fruit that's happening here that is a fascinating prospect of how we study history as time and technology marches forward. This is about as clear of a look at anything we'll get at something that happened 100 years ago and it just so happens we're looking at one of the most defining and horrifying events in that same amount of time. There will be people able to look and see what life is like now in 500 years - just imagine if we had the privilege of seeing what life was like in the 1500s or even earlier through video and sound. This is all to say that They Shall Not Grow Old is a priceless work of historical preservation and should be required viewing when learning about a soldier's life during WW1. What this isn't is a one stop shop for WW1 history. It doesn't give you the background on the conflict or the outcomes which to its credit keeps it focused on and consistent with the soldiers' experience. Their insights with the accompanying images is why we're here. This is certainly the strength of the doc, but the soldier's personal accounts left me feeling mostly cold. They simultaneously discuss how hellish the front line was and also express pride and enjoyment in their participation. It had me thinking more about the culture of the time than the actual war. What was so different then that men enthusiastically volunteered to be blown to bits but seem to harbor very little bitterness...even for their enemies. It almost felt like they were communicating that war was an acceptable alternative to their every day lives which...just wow. Needless to say, I enjoyed this as a piece of history and Jackson does a fantastic job of weaving just enough of a narrative to keep this very watchable.

An innovative use of archival film, bringing history to life. This was a very interesting look at the life of an English infantryman in World War I. Since it is archival footage, not a silent movie shot in black and white, Peter Jackson's use of colorization and 3-D rendering and use of oral history by survivors added extra impact to the telling of the tale. I thought his restricting the story to English infantry and not dealing with individual battles was a good way to bring focus to the film. Showing the opening of the war and armistice as the opening and closing of the film and leaving the rest without a true timeline was innovative and focused attention on the life of the solder in the war.

Amazing window to see the true happenings of the first world war. The commentary from the soldiers was amazing to get to see their point of view and their experiences there's nothing like it.

I've never seen such an artistic approach to a documentary. Peter Jackson uses his extraordinary vision to capture the tragedy of the Great War. The transitions of the black & white/small screen to color full screen encapsulates an eery clarity that comes with war; while capturing the ignorance of the horrors modern warfare, both before the war ramped up, and after the war ended. This film is a work of art, and impacted me on a deep level. Also, I think I saw my doppelgänger in it haha.

A must see film depicting the horrors of war by the ones who fought and survived. The revamped footage along with commentary sharing individual stories of their experiences, makes for a compelling movie on the great war.

Peter Jackson's digital sprucing up of the old WWI footage (the treatment of which might be controversial), combined with the essential oral stories of the actual men on the battlefield, make a historical learning experience that shatters imaginary boundaries and shows us the purely human side of both sides of No Man's Land.

There is a distinct and saddening lack of documentaries around World War 1 that covers not the events of the conflict, but the people involved in it. "They Shall Not Grow Old", however, covers only the experiences of the common British soldiers who fought in it. It does not waste time with detailing any battle or engagement, instead giving a broad overview perspective of the soldiers who fought and lived through the experience. Unlike many of the documentaries that detail something regarding the Second World War, and usually some leading hero or heroes in an engagement, there are no heroes in this documentary, which brings the entirety of the film to a ground level, one where you WILL, not can, sympathize and emphasize with the soldiers as they recount the tragedy, loss, victories, and joys of the war in all of their accounts and the scenes of death, dismay, and hopelessness shown throughout. It is a beautifully moving documentary, and I cannot recommend watching it enough.

Presented in such a way that makes WWI feel far more real. Great to show a class learning about WWI. Interesting and poignant.