Name: They Shall Not Grow Old
Genre: Documentary, War, Historical
Released: 2018
Duration: T1H39M

Peter Jackson directs this WWI documentary featuring never-before-seen black-n-white footage that's been digitally coloured to commemorate the centennial of the war's end.

"Driven by a personal interest in the First World War, Jackson set out to bring to life the day-to-day experience of its soldiers. Using the voices of the men involved, the film explores the reality of war on the front line; their attitudes to the conflict; how they ate; slept and formed friendships, as well what their lives were like away from the trenches during their periods of downtime. Jackson and his team used cutting edge techniques to make the images of a hundred years ago appear as if they were shot yesterday. The transformation from black and white footage to colourised footage can be seen throughout the film revealing never before seen details." (Official synopsis)

2018Rating: MA15+, Strong war themes and injury detail99 minsNew Zealand, UK

DocumentaryWarHistorical

All Reviews (8)

Director:: Peter Jackson ('The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Hobbit' trilogy, 'King Kong')

Streaming (3 Providers)

They Shall Not Grow Old / Reviews

Flicks, Liam Maguren

Feeling heavily enlightened and emotionally shattered during Sir Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, I grew to realise a potential double meaning behind the film's title. It's a line from Robert Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen which, when used here, reflects the colossal restoration and colouring efforts put in place to house the memories of those who gave their lives to The Great War. It's also a stark reminder of the youth that was robbed of these men.

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Variety

Perhaps surprisingly, with a blockbuster merchant at the helm, little here is rousing or sentimental; the film's mordant intimacy of perspective endures as stoically as the speakers themselves.

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The Telegraph

It is an encounter with the past that feels exhilaratingly present-tense.

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Stuff

They Shall Not Grow Old, should be lauded ... for not only making history come alive again, but providing a potential template and touchstone for future film-makers and storytellers wanting to look back.

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Independent

You might have thought there was nothing new to say about the First World War but Peter Jackson's astonishing and revelatory new feature documentary comes at the subject in a way no previous film, book or play has ever done.

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Hollywood Reporter

Nothing feels too sentimentalised or sanitised, but nor is it sensationalised for extra shock value either. These are the true accounts of survivors, after all, mostly talking decades after the events and grateful to be alive.

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FilmInk

...unbearably poignant.

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Empire Magazine

An emotionally rich documentary that wows both as a technical achievement and an unforgettable portrait of a terrible period of 20th century history.

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