They Shall Not Grow Old

[Swedemoto]

I highly recommend this documentary. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job transforming the original footage to be colorized and altered the frame rate to be more accurate. It's not an academic film but centers on the life of a foot soldier. I saw it yesterday and wore the shoulder pin from my "taid"'s uniform in his honor. I'm not exactly sure what Regiment he was in but I beleive it was the same Regiment as Jackson grandfather, the South Wales Borders. Could also be the Monmouthshire Regiment maybe. I'll have to check with my Auntie.
There was also a great 30 min. mini doc after the movie that was about the process of making the film that was great as well.

[dxhall]

An amazing film.  The conditions in the trenches were unbelievable.  Most of the audio is made up of interviews with WWI vets which were recorded in the 1960s.  I'd recommend it highly (and I'm not a film guy).

[john fish]

Repost of a comment that I made on ADVRider:

    A remarkable achievement. I would add that Jackson used forensic lip readers to add voices to the men captured in those 100 year old films and went so far as to add the probable accents based on the origin of the military units.

    As Jackson said, it's a film by non-historians for non-historians. Some chilling moments-- when a crying man describes shooting and killing a comrade who had been grievously wounded, footage of a man with an unholy stare walking back from the lines with uncontrollably shaking hands, and a scene that shows men in a trench waiting for the order to go over the top who Jackson later describes as probably in the last 30 minutes of life based on the attrition rate of the attack.

[inditx]

Here Here! 

[JJ]

A friend of mine who is a history buff told me I must see it.  Maybe today...it is playing at our local theater. 

WW I changed the course of history...but at a terrible human cost...

[Moto]

I drove 50 miles in the dead of winter to pay about $20 a ticket to see it with my son, not knowing it would go into general release later. And the theater was filthy and stank.

And I'm still glad I did. (Cheapskate Guzzi context.)

Moto

[Muzz]

Just come back from a four day sojourn in Wellington, where we went to the Te Papa museum to see the Terracotta Warrior exhibition and see the Gallipoli exhibition.  This had almost double size models of characters from the landing basically illustrating their story.  These were made by the Weta Workshop and were so lifelike (barring their size) it was amazing.

I found the experience intensely moving.

[JukeboxGothic]

Two of my great uncles were shot at Galipoli. One was repatriated to Australia and was never the same. The other fought in France and survived. My great grandfather fought in France was at Passchendaele and several other battles. He survived and tried to sign up in world war 2. Another great uncle was less lucky and died on the Somme in 1916 aged 21. Thats just on my mothers side. I cant wait to see this film and try to understand a war that really devastated our family.

[John A]

I've not seen it, I'll look for it. In the meantime there is this https://youtu.be/rnKYVw5IM0g
Anzac Day is April 25 .  Rough duty performed so admirably

[molly]

Those Tommys had some bad teeth. Brilliant film,a must watch for all school kids

[JJ]

Those Tommys had some bad teeth. Brilliant film,a must watch for all school kids

Just came from this movie...It is a brilliant documentary, and a MUST SEE for any history / WW I buff.  The footage from the Imperial War Museum is just incredible.   Thumbs up all around!  

Stay to the end also and watch the 30 minute explanation by director Peter Jackson on how it was made.  Equally as interesting.

I think ALL Millennials should be made to watch this for obvious reasons...

[Buckturgidson]

Thanks for the heads-up, I was unaware of this film. So many young men tragically lost, including the English composer George Butterworth at the Somme.
It is not an easy read, but The Great War and Modern Memory, by Paul Fussell, is recommended, along with most anything else he wrote.

[JJ]

Some WW I photos of my grandfather, Cesare Julius Cerilli, he was trained as an artillery soldier, but caught the Spanish Flu, lost all his hair, and almost died, but it prevented him from being sent to the trenches.  He lived to be 87...

[Cruzerdog]

an eye opening movie --- a million dead...

never saw conditions like that in Laos  & Udorn in 1966 ---College Eye ops  -- we had flushing latrines on the EC121's   

[JJ]

an eye opening movie --- a million dead...

never saw conditions like that in Laos  & Udorn in 1966 ---College Eye ops  -- we had flushing latrines on the EC121's

I think a million was just from Britain alone...see below...

[Swedemoto]

Yeah, I was surprised by the number of young lads who lied about their age in order to enlist. I know my grandfather was under 16 when he enlisted. I don't know what the quality of life was like back then but wonder if the prospect of a "job", food and a wage was a motivating factor for him and the rest. I know that he was providing for the family and was working in the coal mines and slate quarries since 13. I have an enormous amount of respect for their bravery in such dreadful conditions.

[john fish]

For folks interested in watching more about WWI, there is an interesting short series on Netflix:

https://www.netflix.com/title/80045666

If anyone is a reader, I would be interested in hearing about what books you would recommend.  Guns of August by Tuchman is a good start.

[ohiorider]

I just turned 76 this January. 

I may have posted a similar post already, but in case I didn't, here goes!

I came from a long line  of old irishmen who didn't marry until later in life.  And typically to a much younger woman.  My dad and mom were 17 years apart in age .... my mom 24, and my dad 41 when they married.  I came along when my dad  was 56.

Point I'm getting to is .... my father, not my grandfather, was in WW1.  Not Infantry, but Quartermaster Corps.  So he went over and came back in one piece.

Amazing when I watch the trailer to this movie, just to think my father was "over there" over 100 years ago.

Here's a pic of my father in his WW1 uniform.  RIP, dad.

Bob

[JJ]

I just turned 76 this January. 

I may have posted a similar post already, but in case I didn't, here goes!

I came from a long line  of old irishmen who didn't marry until later in life.  And typically to a much younger woman.  My dad and mom were 17 years apart in age .... my mom 24, and my dad 41 when they married.  I came along when my dad  was 56.

Point I'm getting to is .... my father, not my grandfather, was in WW1.  Not Infantry, but Quartermaster Corps.  So he went over and came back in one piece.

Amazing when I watch the trailer to this movie, just to think my father was "over there" over 100 years ago.

Here's a pic of my father in his WW1 uniform.  RIP, dad.

Bob

At the end of the day...they were all very, very brave men...