THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD – Review

A restored and colorized image showing a moment from Peter Jackson’s acclaimed WWI documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

When director Peter Jackson, the director and visual effects wizard behind the LORD OF THE RINGS series, was asked by the folks at the British Imperial War Museum if he could do something with old archival footage of World War I to mark the 100th anniversary of the war’s end, Jackson was unsure what he could do. Everyone was familiar with the grainy, sepia toned images of what was then called “the Great War” so what could he add. But he told the historical foundation he would try to come up with something. Boy, did he!

That “something” was the documentary THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD, an eye-popping, brilliant cinematic exploration of ordinary British soldiers’ experience of the war, which Jackson created through a magical transformation of old faded, scratchy black and white images into glorious 3D color images with sound. The images that bring back to vivid life the British soldiers pictured in these mix of home movies and newsreel footage. The transformation is so remarkable that the documentary has become a huge popular hit in Britain, and plans are developing to bring it across the pond to us.

You really want to see this remarkable documentary in 3D and on a big screen, as that is part of the “wow” in seeing Peter Jackson’s brilliant magic with this old archival footage. I took a couple of friends to a preview of the film, friends who were not sure they were interested in seeing a film about WWI. Both came away impressed and big fans.

Part of the reason is that Peter Jackson tells this story as “one non-historian to another.” There are no dates, no list of battles, no experts talking. Instead the film focuses entirely on the experience of ordinary British soldiers. The only voices we hear are theirs, from recordings made around the 1960s, so that the voices, of men in their 50s and 60s, still sound strong.

The film is both technically impressive and emotionally moving. Jackson points out that while we are used to seeing silent black and white images of the war, these young men did not live in a silent black and white world. THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD goes far beyond colorized black and white film. Jackson lets the audience see enough of the un-restored film footage that when he makes the switch, to full-color, sharp, 3D sound film, there are gasps. Jackson used his considerable technical resources, the ones used to create the “Lord of the Rings” movies, to update the old film footage. He corrects the exposure of too-light or too-dark film stock, cleans up and restored scratched images to create sharp, clear images. He also found the right running speed for the film, which was variable in that early time of hand-cranked cameras. That step eliminates the too-fast or too-slow movement one often sees in old silent footage, so that the movements become natural and realistic like modern film. He colorized the footage, but went to extreme steps in doing so, matching the color of actual uniforms and even the tones of local foliage. Then, he further transformed the film to 3D and added dialog. Yes, the soldiers speak, thanks to lip-readers and actors reading the transcribed text in the correct regional accents.

We see the world of these ordinary young Brits from shortly before the war begins until shortly after. One of the most striking details is how young they were, as many of the speakers enlisted underage, even as young as sixteen. We hear them joke and kid around as they describe training and how they kept themselves amused in long days in the trenches. But the film does not shy away from the brutality of war, with emotional descriptions of lost comrades and stark footage of war’s carnage.

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD was shown last month at special Fathom Events screenings around the country. In addition to this astounding film, there was the added bonus of a short “making-of” documentary, which Jackson reveals his production tricks and all the other amazing historical touches he added to make these long-gone soldiers spring back to life in the muddy trenches of France and Belgium. Unfortunately, this new theatrical run does not include the excellent “making of” feature, but you are going to want to seek it out after you see this amazing film, because you will wonder how Jackson did that. However, don’t wait for a DVD or online release to see this film. This is the kind of 3D film that demands a big screen, as well as being one of the best uses of 3D seen in years.

Even if you don’t think you are a WWI buff, this remarkable film is an experience you do not want to miss. THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD opens Friday, Feb. 1, at Marcus’ Ronnies, Des Peres, and Chesterfield Galaxy, AMC’s Chesterfield and Creve Coeur, Regal’s Gravois Bluffs, and B&B’s Wildwood and Wentzville Tower.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars