42 replies to this topic

[Capt.Confederacy]

I'm sure everyone has heard about and seen the trailer for the WW1 documentary, "They Shall Not Grow Old", and all are wondering how good it is. Well, I finally tracked down a theater showing it in 3D and saw it on its special showing tonight. Rest assured, it is astounding.

I generally detest 3D effects in any film because either 1) it's employed in annoying fashion such as someone constantly throwing stuff at the camera or 2) it adds nothing to the movie. Jackson, however, used it to great effect to make the viewer feel as if he is there. The colorization is superb, some of it looking as if it was shot yesterday. Also, Jackson does a good job of hitting the high points of what it was like to be an average soldier from enlistment to the battlefield to the mundane things such as dealing with lice. It is well worth seeing although use caution if you are thinking of bringing a child. The film doesn't shy away from showing battlefield carnage, and much of it is very graphic.

(If this documentary doesn't get an Academy Award for something, Hollywood might as well close up shop.)

[Geoff]

I agree with everything said above. Also saw the 3D version tonight. A superb film about the average British soldier's experience in WW1. Jackson and his team did an astounding job of bringing 100 year-old black and white film to life. It is gruesome at times, funny at times, and leaves the viewer with a great deal of respect for the WW1 soldiers.

[Pegasus6]

Well put, Just saw it this evening as well. Very immersive, humbling.

[Alec]

You must stay after the feature as Jackson walks you through how they detailed the entire movie. Everything from matching the correct color of uniforms to sound effects as well as the lip readers they used to then have actors match what was being said in the actual footage. He went the extra mile and then some.

[MT247]

Just got back from watching this and agree with everything that’s been said. Couldn’t believe they can make the footage that old look so good. I didn’t remember that it was in 3D and thought I was going to hate it but to my surprise, it really added to the experience. Movie theater was silent except for some of the light hearted moments. Highly recommend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobgee]

Just got back from the show. Brilliant work. Peter Jackson has done a fantastic job. And it's obvious, He's a collector! Next showings around the country will be on Dec 27th.  Bob

[Thor996]

Agree with all that it was outstanding, classy and superbly done. BRAVO. A five out of five stars from this poster. 

[RustyCanteen]

Definitely worth seeing. The 3D effect was very effective, especially in the trench scenes.

[ScottG]

Add me to the list of fans. I saw it tonight and was in awe of the production. If you are even remotely interested in WWI then don't miss this on the 27th. I may go again as it was that good.  Scott

[edstorey]

I saw it in Ottawa last night.   I went in with a healthy amount of scepticism as I am not a fan of colourization nor the current crop of documentary work but I was very impressed with the quality of the restoration work on the film footage and the manner in which it was portrayed.   I feel the 3D effect was used correctly as it enhanced the viewing experience without going overboard like we see in todays feature film releases.   Peter Jackson's commentary at the end of the film was very informative and he answered the questions I had concerning the project.   I could sense that this film was the work of an enthusiast who had the finances, reputation and more importantly the passion and knowledge to restore and craft the film footage into an educational and entertaining documentary.   We are bombarded with mediocre crap posing as history up here in Canada so this movie was refreshing to watch.

 

I am still not a fan of colourization, but I felt this film used the process to its best advantage.

[268th C.A.]

Better than anything comming out of Hollywood" 5 stars. A must see! Well done! 

[JBFloyd]

I had no interest in the 3-D version, so the 2-D worked fine for me.  I very quickly adjusted to the colorization.  It wasn't the over-saturated colors used so often, but looked very natural. The carnage was handled well also.  Jackson's own militaria collection was used to give the technical folks the color details they needed.  Jackson's segment after the credits cleared up a lot of my questions and really made the whole thing better for me.

 

Overall, a superb effort that deserves wide distribution.

[MAW]

Saw the 3-D version...and was very pleasantly surprised to see the theater a solid 3/4 full.  Full enough that there wasn't an easy seat to sit in without making people compress, unless you wanted to sit in the couple of rows right in front of the screen and look up the whole time.

 

It was what I hoped it would be.  Superb.

 

I'd like to spend some time with Mr. Jackson and trade collection stories...(although he could undoubtedly buy and sell me on the open market).

 

Not a soul left for the credits...everyone stayed for the "extras" at the end.

 

I will go see it again later this month...because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this footage so well done, and three dimensional.  I'm proud of Mr. Jackson's efforts and of our British friends for making this happen for the centennial.  I hope the director is inspired to do future historical films as well.

 

Go see this film.

Edited by MAW, 18 December 2018 - 06:22 AM.

[blackhawkdown]

Saw the movie in St Louis and was surprised that there was a line ahead of me waiting to get in. Most everyone clapped at the end and then stayed for the 30 minute bonus with Peter Jackson. Very cool to see Jackson showing some of his collection of uniforms to create as much color accurately as possible. It really brings the war to life. The colorized footage of an artillery shell hitting a column of men with horses was unbelievable.
I will need to own a copy of this for my library.

[stratasfan]

Does anyone know if it is coming out on DVD?

[Brian D]

Anybody know if this is going to have any sort of extended "normal" run in theaters?  Ours was sold out here in town for yesterdays shows.....want to catch it in the theater for sure.

[Garandomatic]

Ours nearly sold out... and even before they had one showing the geniuses decided to cancel the shows on the 27th. And I had to be at school for my kid's band concert last night, which made for a 13 hour school day. But also.

[KASTAUFFER]

Our theater here is down to the last 7 seats for 12/27. I just booked my ticket.

 

Kurt

[12A54]

I went to an afternoon showing as the evening one was completely sold out. I agree with all that has been said and also experienced a theater full of enthralled viewers who were stunned to silence, laughed, and remained for Jackson’s commentary - and then applauded. Amazing film that must get the award for best documentary. I’d mention the scene that most impressed me, but will avoid spoiling it for others who haven’t seen it yet.

[RustyCanteen]

This is a little post I made over on the World Militaria Forum (our companion site for non-US militaria) briefly talking about the film. http://www.worldmili...-grow-old-2018/

[MAW]

Another interesting thing to think about is the power of social media for this film.

 

Think about it...  This isn't a film about the AEF.  It is British focused...yet playing to packed theaters.

 

There were no TV commercials for it.  The advertising was all through social media and directed online content.

 

The world we live in is vastly different than in 1918....let alone 1990....

 

Food for thought.

[Capt.Confederacy]

Another interesting thing to think about is the power of social media for this film.
 
Think about it...  This isn't a film about the AEF.  It is British focused...yet playing to packed theaters.
 
There were no TV commercials for it.  The advertising was all through social media and directed online content.
 
The world we live in is vastly different than in 1918....let alone 1990....
 
Food for thought.

Indeed. At the theater I went to, there were no empty seats except some on the very front row. That's pretty impressive for a documentary with no traditional advertising at all.

[Brian D]

So, does anyone know if this may be released to a more "conventional" run with the success that it has had thus far?  I hate to think that I may miss it in the theater, but with the holiday hoopla going on for me right now I am not sure that I will be able to check this out, even though I really want to see it!

[CNY Militaria]

So, does anyone know if this may be released to a more "conventional" run with the success that it has had thus far?  I hate to think that I may miss it in the theater, but with the holiday hoopla going on for me right now I am not sure that I will be able to check this out, even though I really want to see it!

One news article had this excerpt:

 

Fathom will show Jackson’s doc again in 800 locations for two shows on Dec. 27. Warners will then open They Shall Not Grow Old in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, on Jan. 11, with plans to expand to the top 25 markets on Feb. 1, Super Bowl weekend.

[Squeaker]

I dont know if it has been more successful than they thought itd be or whats going on. I was going to have to drive about an hour one way to a participating theatre when I first started watching Fathoms website. Since the first showing, a closer theater has been put on the list and the showtimes have been changed around.

The 4pm shows unavailable and then it directs you to a 7pm time slot. I managed to get a ticket the night of the 18th for the next show and its already filling up. I grabbed a screenshot of the seating available to date...and its still a week away.

Attached Images

•