Film Review: They Shall Not Grow Old

It’s kind of hard to believe that the supposed “War To End All Wars” just passed the 100th anniversary of its conclusion this past November. It was in many ways the first exercise of modern warfare, yet it feels like ancient history. Even Hollywood doesn’t seem to mine it for material as much as it does for the second World War, Vietnam, or recent conflicts with Afghanistan and Iraq, despite its many monumental significances as a major historical event that hugely affected the world.

That’s what Peter Jackson, and his team, is trying to combat with the documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old. In the doc, the filmmakers have pieced together a loose narrative about the experience of being a British soldier in WWI by utilizing archival footage combined with narration that is lifted from BBC interviews with real veterans from the 60s.

However, what makes this particular documentary an interesting experiment is the technical feat of colorizing the black-and-white footage, and altering it so that it feels more or less like that could’ve been shot yesterday. Along with that are added foley and ADR to the silent footage, which utterly transforms the old footage into something wholly new. It’s jaw dropping at many points, seeing the soldiers and hearing them, as they go through their routines. It completely repaints the image of WWI that you probably had in your head.

It doesn’t start that way, though. It begins with the standard black-and-white footage, showing life in Britain during the war, and how soldiers were recruited, and what their training was like. It isn’t until we finally see the battalion enter the western front that the footage expands to fit the full frame, and bursts into vivid and vibrant color, not unlike the iconic transition from The Wizard of Oz. Throughout this, we hear the narration from the veterans talking mostly about the mundane day-to-day aspects of being a soldier, and the conditions they were forced to deal with – even before they go into battle. It continues exploring what the soldiers went through as they deal with the new technology, the trenches, the actual battle, and the aftermath, both in the battlefield and at home.

As incredible as the use of color is, what really struck me was the focus on the deeply human experience of wartime. The film largely avoids the greater context surrounding the war, instead honing in on the emotional reality of the men, a good chunk of whom were ranging from 16 to 19, as they were facing horrors that mankind hasn’t experienced at this point in history. But it’s thankfully doesn’t linger too much on the suffering. Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of the film is spent exploring the day-to-day experience. In those moments, we see the men socializing, joking around, and all around making the most out of the situation they’re stuck in. Their resilience is incredibly moving, and allowing the vets to tell their own stories, instead of historians or other various talking heads, is the most effective choice in the entire film.

They Shall Not Grow Old is not just an effective documentary, it’s probably one of the finest technical achievements for the medium in quite a while. Peter Jackson has been tinkering with furthering filmmaking technology for his entire career, and this might be his most accomplished experiment to date. But past the craft is a genuine love and reverence for the people it seeks to place us with brings a strong emotional resonance. As someone who considers himself a history buff, and a huge admirer of the work put into ambitious movie making wizardry, this hit a real sweet spot for me. The scope and dedication of its production team is absolutely palpable, and they’ve made a thoughtful ode to the men who may have long since passed, but will never be forgotten.