Tag: British soldiers

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD to Return for an Additional Fathom Event January 21st

On the heels of its already record-breaking release, and in response to popular demand, a third Fathom Events date has been added for Warner Bros. Pictures’ much-heralded WWI documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old,” from Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson.  The film will be screened at more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. on Monday, January 21, 2019, taking advantage of the holiday weekend.  The announcement was made today by Jeffrey Goldstein, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events.

“They Shall Not Grow Old” debuted in North America at 1,122 locations on December 17, 2018, taking in an impressive $2.327 million.  As anticipation grew for the second Fathom Events release date, on December 27, several locations were sold out more than a week in advance.  Playing on 1,007 screens, the film earned an astounding $3.375 million for a record-shattering two-day total of $5.702 million.  It is the highest-grossing U.S. cinema event to date, for both Fathom Events and the event-cinema industry.

In making the announcement, Goldstein stated, “The response to ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ has been overwhelming.  Peter Jackson’s documentary is a towering achievement of film restoration that has conquered the ravages of time and stands as a fitting tribute to all those who fought and died in what was then called ‘the war to end all wars.’  We are so proud to be part of bringing this film to audiences across the U.S. and Canada.”

“This project has been a historic and record-setting journey for Fathom, Warner Bros., our exhibitor partners and the event cinema industry,” said Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt.  “We are honored to give audiences another chance to experience this groundbreaking documentary as it should be seen — in 3D and on the big screen.”

Tickets will be available soon at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings”Trilogy, “The Hobbit” Trilogy) comes the groundbreaking documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old,” presented on the centenary of the end of the First World War.

Applying state-of-the-art restoration, colorization and 3D technologies to century-old footage — carefully chosen from hundreds of hours of original Great War film held in the archives of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) — Jackson has created an intensely gripping, immersive and authentic cinematic experience. The only narration comes from Great War veterans themselves, selected from over 600 hours of BBC and IWM archive interviews, resulting in a gripping account of “The War to End All Wars,” told by the soldiers who experienced it.

By restoring the original footage to a standard never seen before, the human face of WWI emerges with vivid clarity through the fog of time. Jackson captures the day-to-day experience of its soldiers and reveals the reality of war for those on the front line: their attitudes about the conflict; their camaraderie and their need for humor amidst the horror; the functions of daily life in the trenches; and what their lives were like during periods of rest.  Using cutting-edge techniques to transform the images of a century ago into footage that could have been shot today, Jackson both remembers and honors a generation changed forever by a global war.

“They Shall Not Grow Old” was directed by Peter Jackson and produced by Clare Olssen and Jackson, with Ken Kamins, Tessa Ross, Di Lees and Jenny Waldman serving as executive producers.  The film was edited by Jabez Olssen.  The music is by David Donaldson, Janet Roddick & Steve Roche.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Wingnut Films Production, co‐commissioned by 14‐18 NOW and Imperial War Museum in association with BBC. This film has been rated R for disturbing war images.

 

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD – Review

A before-and-after shot from Peter Jackson’s WWI documentary THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD. Courtesy of Fathom Events and Warner Bros.

When director Peter Jackson was asked if he could do something with old archival footage of World War I to mark the 100th anniversary of the war’s end, the visual effects wizard behind the LORD OF THE RINGS series was unsure what he could do. He told the historical foundation he would try to come up with something. Boy, did he!

That “something” was the documentary THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD, an eye-popping documentary about the ordinary British soldier’s experience of the war, through the transformation of old faded, scratchy black and white images into glorious 3D color images with sound. The images that bring back to vivid life the British soldiers pictured in these mix of home movies and newsreel footage. The transformation is so remarkable that the documentary has become a huge popular hit in Britain, and plans are developing to bring it across the pond to us.

Local audiences will get a chance to see this miraculously transformation in 3D at a special Fathom Events encore screenings on Dec. 27 at AMC Chesterfield, West Olive, Creve Coeur and Edwardsville, IL at 1pm and 4pm. A regular theatrical run is also planned for later in January. Tickets are available through FathomEvents.com. You really want to see this remarkable documentary in 3D as that is part of the “wow” in seeing Peter Jackson’s magic with this old archival footage.

This goes far beyond colorized black and white film, and Jackson lets the audience see enough of the unrestored film that when he makes the switch, there are gasps. Jackson used his technical resources to correct the expose of too-light or too-dark film stock, clean up and restored scratched images. He also found the right running speed for the film, which was variable in that early time of hand-cranked cameras, a step that eliminates that too-fast movement one often sees in only silent footage, so that the movements become natural. He colorized the footage, matching the color of uniforms and even local foliage. Then, he transformed the film to 3D and added dialog. Yes, the soldiers speak, thanks to lip-readers and actors reading the transcribed text in the correct regional accents.

The film is astounding, but be sure to stay after the film for Jackson’s making-of short documentary, which reveals his production tricks and all the other amazing historical touches he added to make these long-gone soldiers spring back to life in the muddy trenches of France and Belgium. Even if you don’t think you are a WWI buff, this remarkable film is an experience, one you do not want to miss.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars