They Shall Not Grow Old

I would love to see this, but it seems it was shown for one night only - 16th October - at Vue cinemas across the land. Hoping it will come to BBC or Netflix sometime...

It’s on this week in Richmond North Yorkshire. Will make a big effort to get there.

I'm going to see it on Tuesday evening. I'm really looking forward to it.
I believe that the BBC is going to broadcast it on Armistice Day.

I believe that the BBC is going to broadcast it on Armistice Day.
Oh thanks for that MiniMoon - I shall make a note

It's been on but fully booked every screening.
I do want to see it on the big screen but may have to watch on tv on 11/11

I hope many of you managed to see this last night.

Yes i watched it last night. It was so clever how they introduced the colour.
But, the colour made the impact even more, the terrible injuries and all the bodies lying around.
In black and white they dont stand out quite so much, and the blood red poppies really stood out in many of the scenes, also the yellow mustard gas rolling over the land to engulf our boys.

I watched it last night, it was deeply moving, but, at a trivial level, I also noticed how bad their teeth looked. Lots of missing teeth and misaligned and discoloured teeth and how scruffy their uniforms looked, understandable at the front but also in footage showing them on parade.

It was good to see how it really was, field loos and all, rather than the scrubbed up santisation of modern films and tv programmes.

I thought that about the teeth too.Thank god for the NHS and painfree dental work nowadays.

The dreadful teeth were one of the first things I noticed too.
They were only issued with one uniform of course. And I imagine size and fit simply didn’t feature in the equation!

I noticed that too, not surprising really when you think of the rations they would be on. I suppose it is a minor point compared with all the terrible injuries, blindness, amputation that so many young men suffered but I wondered if any came home with a full set of their own teeth?

I thought that about the teeth too.Thank god for the NHS and painfree dental work nowadays

Even now in 2018, there are still many people who cannot afford a visit to the dentist !

I remember my grandad talking about young (underage) boys enlisting. He said that here on Tyneside many of the boys/men did not have a possession to their name and often shared clothes, shoes with their siblings. The prospect of having a kit of ones own was looked at as a luxury of sorts. If only they knew what awaited them.

gillybob But there are also many who can and do. There will always be the haves and have nots in life whatever happens in society, but i feel that doesn't take away from the fact that we DO have NHS dentist and are very lucky to have them especially for the younger generation who do not have to pay for their treatment.

Only children and those on certain benefits don't pay for dental treatment travelsafar Many times in my life I have had to put off having dental treatment because I could not afford it. Imagine being on minimum wage and needing a check up or a filling or two? eat? heat? or dentist? Likewise prescriptions. NHS dentistry is VERY expensive.

I found it extremely moving, the colorisation made it very contemporary, and brought home how awful conditions were at the front. In the beginning, all those young lads eager to join up had no idea what they were going in to, or how long they would have to endure such terrible conditions, no wonder they didn't want to talk about it when they returned.
The teeth were very noticeable! I don't suppose there were many dentists then, which would have cost money, so few bothered about their teeth.
Glad I watched it.

Have yet to watch this as I was out last night at an armistice party. One of the things that caught our attention was this poster from WW1 . On the bottom it says ‘Bad teeth no bar’ so I am wondering how bad teeth had to be for people to be turned down for the army given the comments above.

Many (if not most) of the people enlisting would have been from the poorest walks of life without the luxury of dentistry (other than maybe the string and door technique).

The other thing I noticed was how many said they enjoyed being in the war. How it was a good time in their lives.

Maybe it was the sense of belonging and comradery M0nica ? Many of these young men wouldn't have see the next town before then.

My parents both saw army dentists during WWll my father had all his front teeth out (he had come from a very poor family) but the false teeth they gave him lasted all his life. I don't know what my mother had done, but it was so horrific she never went near a dentist again!

DF had all his top teeth out while in the army, his upbringing was not particularly financially challenging.

It was such a good programme, no punches pulled. It's hard to comprehend the life they lived through that terrible war. There was a great sense of camaraderie with the men which must have alleviated some of the problems.
It's a shame we seemed to have learned nothing from their sacrifices.

Such a heart-rending film, but also such an eye opener - we’re all used to seeing films and dramas, and reading novels set in WW1, but the realism of this film set it apart. It was heartwarming and shocking in equal measure: seeing the men being blown to bits, or watching helplessly as their comrades sank forever into the gloopy mud, and the next minute seeing them goofing about, swapping hats with the captive enemy. They were so stoical, so accepting of the desperate situation they were in.
The saddest part for me was at the end, when they returned home and they said that no-one knew what they’d been through because no-one wanted to talk about it. They were just expected to slot back into their lives as if the intervening 4 years hadn’t happened.