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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 18 January 2019
'They Shall Not Grow Old' is an immersive marvel

By LINDSEY BAHR raderie in the trenches as
Associated Press somewhat fleeting, which
Director Peter Jackson is struck me as something I
upfront about what audi- hadn't heard before in all
ences should not expect the band of brothers nar-
from his unconventional ratives out there, and what
World War I documentary, it was like when the person
"They Shall Not Grow Old." next to you was suddenly
This is a film made by a non- killed, and the weariness
historian for an audience and apathy both they and
of non-historians, he says. the Germans seemed to
There are no dates, names feel as the war stretched
or locations. Neither are on and everyone just
there any talking heads or wanted to go home. And
historians or politics. It's just the big gut-punch is yet to
images and the voices of come when they begin to
those who were there, tell- describe what it was like
ing their own stories. This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows a scene from the WWI documentary to re-enter civilian life af-
And the result is riveting "They Shall Not Grow Old," directed by Peter Jackson. ter the war: No one cared.
— an immersive, haunting Associated Press And no one wanted to talk
and often transcendent ex- about the war. These veter-
perience that's unlike any- it does not spare you the another world, and this isn't son and his team give what ans were now a nuisance
thing you've ever seen be- harrowing stuff. You watch even taking into account is perhaps the most honest and a burden. "They Shall
fore. That's because Jack- as soldiers strip off their the voices. collective account of the Not Grow Old" won't pre-
son has done something shoes and socks to reveal The narration comes from Great War that's ever been pare you for that history
revolutionary by restoring, gangrene. You see dead hundreds of hours of BBC committed to film. test or ready you to talk
colorizing and adding 3D bodies piled on top of and IWM interviews from They talk about joining up, about the Gallipoli or Ver-
depth to hundred-year-old one another, a hand stick- the middle of the century and lying about their ages dun. And yet, while it might
footage from the archives ing out of the mud, bare- (Jackson wanted the vet- in order to do so, the rigors not be a conventional his-
of the Imperial War Muse- bottomed soldiers trying erans telling their stories in of basic training, the logis- tory lesson, it is a necessary
um, depicting everything to relieve themselves in a their 60s, where possible). tical difficulties of having and utterly urgent one, and
from basic training to the makeshift, and quite pub- You never learn who is talk- one uniform for the entire it's very much worth taking
trenches. lic, toilet. The mechanics ing, and the voices change war, the pain of the ar- the trek to the theater for
Although there are many of a cannon are downright quite frequently, but some- my-issued boots, many of its special engagement on
smiles as the men as young hypnotic. The 3D effects how, with all this somewhat which didn't actually even Jan. 21 to take advantage
as 15 and 16 look upon the make you feel as though random collection of anec- fit the soldiers. They also talk of the astonishing technol-
camera that's filming them, you've been transported to dotes and footage, Jack- about the unique cama- ogy on display.q

Fans buy 'Little House on the

Prairie' star's memorabilia

ingston Daily Press & Argus
reported.
Interest in the sale exceed-
ed expectations, said auc-
tion house owner Kenny
Lindsay. The online auction
catalog received about
58,000 views and more
than 300 bids were placed.
"The amount of exposure
the auction got was off
the charts," Lindsay said,
though he declined to
disclose how much mon-
ey was raised during the
In this Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 photo, Kenny Lindsay, owner/ auction. Lindsay said one
auctioneer of Kenny Lindsay's American Eagle Auctions and standout item was a photo-
Appraisals Co., holds an original cast and crew photo from the graph signed by the cast of
production of the television show, "Little House on the Prairie," in
Genoa Township, Mich. "Little House on the Prairie"
Associated Press that the Laura Ingalls Wilder
Museum in Minnesota pur-
GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. sale in Michigan. chased for $1,200.
(AP) — More than 200 items Items sold in the American "Another cool piece was
belonging to "Little House Eagle Auction & Apprais- sheet music signed by
on the Prairie" star Melissa al Company online auc- composer David Rose, who
Gilbert and her husband, tion this month included a wrote music and the theme
Emmy-winning actor Timo- red wedding dress, signed song for 'Little House on the
thy Busfield, have been memorabilia and awards Prairie' ... it went for $1,100,"
purchased in an estate Gilbert received, The Liv- Lindsay said.q