Peter Jackson's documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old' uses state-of-the-art digital technology to restore, colourise and add voices to archive footage of British soldiers on the western front. The film, marking the centenary of the First World War's end, offers an immersive experience of the soldiers' lives in training and the trenches.
The effect is described as electrifying, with soldiers returned to an eerie, hyperreal life. The colourisation and 3D presentation challenge viewers' perceptions of reality, serving as an alienation tactic that reminds audiences the events truly happened to real people.
The film focuses solely on the western front, omitting the German perspective or other theatres like the Dardanelles. Jackson worked from specific archives at the BBC and Imperial War Museum, which allowed for intense focus. The documentary evokes rage at the incompetence and cruelty of the governing class who mechanised and normalised war.
Details include harrowing accounts of trench foot, lice, and rats, as well as the political incorrectness of soldiers recalling candid enjoyment or desensitisation. The title comes from Laurence Binyon's poem 'For the Fallen', though Wilfred Owen's 'The Old Lie' might have been more apt. The closing credits feature the brutally cynical song 'Mademoiselle from Armentières'.
While the technology may become commonplace, the film is outstanding as an act of popular history, offering a visceral reminder of the horrors of trench warfare.
