THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD (2019)

[indianasmith]

I saw the trailers for this when it hit the theaters early this year but wasn't able to make its limited release showings.
This week it debuted on HBO and I finally got to sit and watch it tonight.  Peter Jackson has created a magnificent tribute to the men who fought in the Great War (1914-1918), and it is truly mesmerizing.  Using original footage and still shots, painstakingly colored, with dialog recreated by lip readers and seamlessly dubbed, World War I comes to life in all its horror and heroism in this incredible film.  If you like history at all, take the time to watch this!
When I was younger my Dad would often tell me how, as a boy, he knew a number of Civil War veterans, but rarely took the time to talk to any of them.  I did interview a number of World War I veterans in the 1990's, when they were still here to be interviewed.  Now all the voices of that century old war have fallen silent, or at least, they had till now . . .  what a moving film experience!!!  5/5

[Svengoolie 3]

Is it better than "all quiet on the western front"?

[Trevor]

Is it better than "all quiet on the western front"?

Way better because it's real.

Butttt......... I have to say that what Sir Peter Jackson did with the footage should get him a kick up the backside.

I'm an archivist and you can restore, digitize and preserve silent black and white footage but for Pete's sake, don't colorize or add sound to it. It's OK to colorize footage if the images are losing color (which unfortunately happens over time) but don't colorize black and white footage!

Also, the title is a misquote from a poem: it should read They Shall Grow Not Old.

Anyone seen Casablanca in color?   It looks crap.

[indianasmith]

I think the color and sound was done to make the footage relevant to the younger generation, which has no use for anything B&W or silent.  Hearing the voices of the Great War, seeing their images as we are accustomed to seeing the soldiers of today - it made the movie, and the war, REAL for millennials in a way that stringing together B&W footage would not have.  Jackson dedicated the movie to his grandfather, who served in the British Army from 1910-1919, so I think his motives were good ones.

[Trevor]

I think the color and sound was done to make the footage relevant to the younger generation, which has no use for anything B&W or silent.  Hearing the voices of the Great War, seeing their images as we are accustomed to seeing the soldiers of today - it made the movie, and the war, REAL for millennials in a way that stringing together B&W footage would not have.  Jackson dedicated the movie to his grandfather, who served in the British Army from 1910-1919, so I think his motives were good ones.

I agree that the film was very good but speaking from a film archivist's POV, what was done with the footage is a major no-no: I had a client from India years ago who wanted to foot the bill to have all our B&W film archive (from 1898 until now) colorized. He didn't hang around long at my work as my then boss told him to get lost.

[indianasmith]

I don't think the original footage was altered; I believe it was all done digitally.

[Trevor]

I don't think the original footage was altered; I believe it was all done digitally.

That's 100% correct: the Imperial War Museum gave Sir Peter free reign with the material and I believe that in return, he digitized all their WW1 material (and restored it for them) and did not mess around with the original footage, thankfully.

[ER]

I thought TSNGO was masterful, and if anyone enjoyed what Jackson did with WWI, another similar film gives much the same treatment to the 8th Air Force during WWII, also with restored footage. It's called The Cold Blue.

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