pipesgt Loc: Central Florida

I don’t go to a lot of movies and recommend one even less often but last evening, I saw a film that I would recommend to every student of history. It's called "They Will Never Grow Old." The producer/director used hundreds of hours of 100-year-old B&W film from the archives of the British Imperial War Museum that was taken by combat cameramen in WW I, remastered it in color and added sound, using British actors to lip-synch the soldiers words after lip readers first determined what the soldiers were saying. He used combat veterans from the appropriate parts of Britain so their dialect would match the soldiers regiment.

The film really gives the viewer a very realistic view of the soldiers, as we see them transition from carefree young trainees thru training and into their first combat. The film was narrated with voice-overs from combat veterans speaking from their own memories.

At the end of the film and a long credit crawl, the producer gives a 30-minute presentation of how this wonder was created, a project that took four years in UK and NZ. It's worth staying for. The film is also shown in 3D. A word of warning. The film is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC in places showing the horror of war as it really is but I highly recommend it. It’s playing in limited engagements but it’s worth finding, even if it’s a bit of a drive.

Here's the link to the trailer https://www.facebook.com/ForcesTV/videos/238726423474387/

therwol Loc: USA

I saw it and agree. You must wear the 3D glasses or the images are quite distorted. Very much worth it, though.

Burtzy Loc: Bronx N.Y. & Simi Valley, CA

I saw it in 2D. It was great and the 30 minute deconstruction of the process that followed by Peter Jackson was equally fascinating.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Saw it, but in 2D. I think it was one of the greatest documentaries and I cannot recommend it enough. The showings have been limited for some reason. But you can do a search online to see where and when it is playing in your area. If you are lucky enough to have a viewing, GO.

Bartulius Loc: Bristol, Ct

I watched in 2D, very moving. Although the movie doesn't mention it, the reason the American Legion, VFW and other such organizations were founded is obvious; our men went through the same horrors.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Nice one.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46452/to-an-athlete-dying-young

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Brilliant! Thanks for the link.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

I had a ticket for the 3D version. After a while I left that screen and went to the 2D screen. In my opinion the 2D was preferable. I generally not in favor of 3D movies. They are too dark and appear not to be as sharp as 2D movies.

papaluv4gd Loc: durham,ct

I don't recall his name, but I believe the genlteman who did that was the fella who filmed the Lord of The Rings.

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

Hair! I used to have wave hair. One day it just waved goodby.

carlberg

It is impossible to make a truly 3D movie out of 2D movie and to sell tickets for one is fraudulent. And I don’t think there were 3D movie cameras during WW1. For a true 3D effect you need two images photographed simultaneously from slightly different positions and displayed so each eye only sees one of the images. There is software to produce pseudo-3D images from 2D photos, but they just give me a headache and are not convincing.

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

Try also the poetry of Wilfred Owen. Tragically he was killed one week before the Armistice. Here's a sampling of his poetry: https://www.poemhunter.com/wilfred-owen/ I've read Owen's poetry written prior to WW I, competent but hardly memorable. The War made him a great poet, but at what cost; the cost not only to him but to all of us for the works he might have given us after his tempering in the crucible of the War.
For an experience comparable to They Will Never Grow Old don't miss Benjamin Britten's majestic War Requiem, which sets Owen's poetry to music for orchestra and chorus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Requiem It is a truly moving work.

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

On the opening day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 the British had 58000 casualties, of which nearly 28000 were killed. the Attackers had pulverised the German front lines with a mass Artillery Barrage, but the Germans were dug deep, and when the Guns stopped they clambered out and trained their Machine guns on the Troops walking (yes walking!) towards them, of course, it turned out to be a Massacre! A lot of these Troops were in "Pals Battalions".These were young men who joined up with their friends from their local areas, and were kept together. In the days and weeks following the Battle, mass funerals were held throughout the Land, some families lost two or three family members. No wonder the term " Lions led by donkey's" was coined!

therwol Loc: USA

3D motion picture cameras existed in the era of WW I. Movies were viewed on a device called a stereoscope. Projection didn't come along until 1922. Having said that, I doubt if anyone was out in the field in WW I with a 3D camera.

I found the 3D effects in this movie somewhat annoying and artificial, but the film made up for it. I didn't get a choice of 2D, or I would have taken it because my wife has poor vision in one eye.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_film