They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

My Regal added a 10pm showing and my shift ended at 9 - I’m at the theater now and waiting for it to start. A very nice surprise.

What did you think Josh?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

What did you think Josh?

I found it very moving. I have absolutely no objection to the colorizing, reframing, addition of sound and 3D conversion, and it was amazing to see footage from this era assembled the way it was. The use of the audio interviews was probably the best choice they made, and that really added so much emotional weight.

 

[GlennF]

Now that it has opened as a regular feature, is it worth seeing in 3D? I have read it is, but there are many more available showings of the "flat" version. Opinions, please?

 

[Malcolm R]

See it quick. It appears to be doing less than half the business this weekend than was estimated (at least by BO Mojo).

 

[Tino]

Now that it has opened as a regular feature, is it worth seeing in 3D? I

Absolutely 100%

 

[avroman]

I already have the UK Blu. LOVE IT! Now bring on a 3D version. Happy to double dip for that.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Now that it has opened as a regular feature, is it worth seeing in 3D? I have read it is, but there are many more available showings of the "flat" version. Opinions, please?

As I mentioned in another thread, I thought the 3D added little to nothing.

I'm glad I saw it 3D as I was curious to see the conversion, but I can't think of any part of the movie that benefited from it...

 

[Robert Crawford]

As I mentioned in another thread, I thought the 3D added little to nothing.

I'm glad I saw it 3D as I was curious to see the conversion, but I can't think of any part of the movie that benefited from it...

As I asked you in that other thread, what were you expecting from the 3-D conversion?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

In terms of the history conveyed in "Old", I'd give it an "A". The interviews with the former soldiers were excellent and conveyed a great impression of their lives during war and the toll the battles took.

In terms of a visual presentation, though, I'd give "Old" a "D". I hated hated hated hated hated the colorization used - it looked consistently unrealistic and became a distraction.

People talk about how much colorization has improved over the years. Yeah, I guess it's better than in the 80s Ted Turner days, but the hues still don't look vaguely realistic. Mostly we get a smeary sense of brown and green, with no tones that seem true to life.

Honestly, the colorization became an active distraction for me. I found it harder to invest in the stories because the visuals were so ugly.

It didn't help that various artifacts came along for the ride. Those often made faces look computer generated and simply odd.

As I watched the film, I thought maybe that's just the best they could do with the source, colorization or not - and then I watched the post-film documentary and saw how the footage looked in its restored black and white state. That material looked amazing - the B&W shots shown during the doc were tight as a drum and really brought the material to life.

I'd love a B&W version of the film, as it'd look so much better without the terrible fake color in the mix.

Also, I disliked the added sound. All the phony elements - the looped dialogue, the effects - failed to connect to the material. It all felt "canned" and fake, so these components made it even tougher for me to invest in the project.

This all seems ironic. Jackson uses the colorization, sound effects and dialogue to bring history to life, but all it does it detach me from the human stories.

If "Old" had been restored black and white and used audio that consisted solely of the soldiers' memories plus gentle score, I'd have loved it. But all those technological gimmicks alienated me from the basic information and material...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

As I asked you in that other thread, what were you expecting from the 3-D conversion?

Some actual sense of depth?

Yeah, the 3D added a bit of dimensionality, but not much. I didn't think the 3D immersed me in the visuals in any way.

Granted, as I note above, I had many other problems with the visuals. I didn't mind the 3D like I felt bothered by the colorization, but I just didn't think it was useful...

 

[Tino]

I thought the restoration, 3D and colorization were all excellent and added to the powerful impact of the film. It added a sense of realism I felt that if it were just black and white would have been lost.

 

[GlennF]

Enjoyed the film, but like Colin had some issues. I agree the colorization didn't work in a lot of places. The faces looked kind of "dead", especially the eyes. In the documentary Jackson talks about how hard it is to make grass, trees, etc. look real. I don't think they really achieved that. The 3D was interesting and worth seeing once that way. I also agree with Colin that in the documentary they show what the black and white footage looked like once it was restored and before it was colorized. That was amazing - looked brand new.
I was also curious why, in the extended opening sequence, and at the end, they chose to show the original scratched, beaten up footage and not the restored black and white footage. Didn't get the point of that at all - it just made it look like the war footage I have seen for years - only smaller as it was in a small "frame" on the screen.
The "battle" sequence near the end with the drawings didn't work for me as well.
Interesting film, but have to say I was somewhat disappointed.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Enjoyed the film, but like Colin had some issues. I agree the colorization didn't work in a lot of places. The faces looked kind of "dead", especially the eyes. In the documentary Jackson talks about how hard it is to make grass, trees, etc. look real. I don't think they really achieved that. The 3D was interesting and worth seeing once that way. I also agree with Colin that in the documentary they show what the black and white footage looked like once it was restored and before it was colorized. That was amazing - looked brand new.
I was also curious why, in the extended opening sequence, and at the end, they chose to show the original scratched, beaten up footage and not the restored black and white footage. Didn't get the point of that at all - it just made it look like the war footage I have seen for years - only smaller as it was in a small "frame" on the screen.
The "battle" sequence near the end with the drawings didn't work for me as well.
Interesting film, but have to say I was somewhat disappointed.

I think they left the pre-combat footage unrestored - and windowboxed - so there'd be a bigger visual impact when the screen opened to 1.85:1 and color. Kinda of a "Dorothy lands in Munchkinville" thing...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I thought the restoration, 3D and colorization were all excellent and added to the powerful impact of the film. It added a sense of realism I felt that if it were just black and white would have been lost.

Clearly a lot of people agree with you, but I really did experience the exact opposite effect. The colorized footage looked so awful and the effects were so canned/phony that I couldn't invest in the project.

I'd love to see a version that just used the restored B&W footage and lost all the gimmicks. The B&W material in the documentary really did look amazing!

 

[TJPC]

Wow! Did we see the same film? How many tired hours of scratchy jerky black and white film of WW I have we all seen through the years? To see these scraps cleaned up, in colour, with sound and in 3D brought a miraculous realism and immediacy to the footage. It was one of the most moving experiences.

I read about what was done and it is absolutely the only reason I went to see this movie at all. I really am looking forward to what Peter Jackson can do with “let it be”.

 

[Tino]

Wow! Did we see the same film? How many tired hours of scratchy jerky black and white film of WW I have we all seen through the years? To see these scraps cleaned up, in colour, with sound and in 3D brought a miraculous realism and immediacy to the footage. It was one of the most moving experiences.

I read about what was done and it is absolutely the only reason I went to see this movie at all. I really am looking forward to what Peter Jackson can do with “let it be”.

Did you stay for the making of after the credits?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Wow! Did we see the same film? How many tired hours of scratchy jerky black and white film of WW I have we all seen through the years?

Did you miss the part where I said how great I thought the black and white restored footage looked?

 

[TJPC]

Did you stay for the making of after the credits?

Yes. I am a person who always watches all the extras on Blu rays as well!

 

[Sam Favate]

I finally saw this on Blu-ray. I thought the presentation was amazing. The restored footage was really incredible and worth seeing. The narrative was fairly straightforward, it was basically life in the trenches, with the voices of men who were there. It’s really a stunning historical document.

I understand why they chose to use colorization. It brings the images to life in a way that the B&W footage doesn’t. But even after 30+ years of colorizing old films, colorization isn’t there. It still distracts and often takes you out of the experience. The restoration of the B&W footage by itself is stunning. It see such detail in 100+ year old films is amazing. It would have been enough.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I understand why they chose to use colorization. It brings the images to life in a way that the B&W footage doesn’t. But even after 30+ years of colorizing old films, colorization isn’t there. It still distracts and often takes you out of the experience. The restoration of the B&W footage by itself is stunning. It see such detail in 100+ year old films is amazing. It would have been enough.

I've made that argument all along. When I saw the restored B&W footage in the post-movie documentary, I felt stunned - it looked astonishing, much better than the ugly "color" visuals of the movie itself.

I just don't get the notion that B&W is less immersive or impactful than color. Would all those great B&W movies have been better in color?

I don't think these soldiers' stories and the events would be any less involving if they'd stayed B&W. Even if they perfected colorization, I just don't think it makes much of a difference - B&W doesn't negate emotional impact...