History Film / TheyShallNotGrowOld

* BawdySong: The end credits are played to the risqué song "Mademoiselle from Armentières."

* FriendlyEnemy: British soldiers in the film unanimously describe the captured Germans as good people who were really no different from themselves. They note how the Germans were relieved to be captured and often volunteered as stretcher-bearers without being asked. However, one soldier does amusingly state that, while Bavarians and Saxons were almost half-British, the Prussians were bastards - a sentiment amusingly shared by ''the other Germans'', who asked the Brits to give 'em hell.

* TankGoodness: The soldiers note how the tanks were kept a state secret and passed off as water tanks until their first use in battle. They were so impressed they thought the machines would instantly win the war for them, which they note did not come to pass.
* ToiletHumor: One story of camp life is about how they went to the bathroom, illustrated by funny pictures of soldiers' bare bottoms while they're sitting on the beam above the latrine trench. Sometimes the wooden beam would break, causing everyone to fall in and get absolutely covered in crap.

* ChildSoldier: Many British soldiers in the film state that they volunteered at ages as young as 16. Recruiting officers would turn a blind eye, guiding the boys to lie about their ages. Soldiers are described as "boys" many times throughout the film.

* KillItWithFire: One soldier's account describes his comrades' first encounter with a German armed with a flame thrower.

* FriendlyEnemy: British soldiers in the film unanimously describe the captured Germans as good people who were really no different from themselves. They note how the Germans were relieved to be captured and often volunteered as stretcher-bearers without being asked. However, one soldier does amusingly state that, while Bavarians and Saxons were almost half-British, the Prussians were bastards.

** The version of the lyrics leads to a ''very'' HarsherInHindsight moment: "Just blow your nose
and dry your tears, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII We'll all be back in a few short years]].

and dry your tears, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWar II We'll all be back in a few short years]].

* FriendlyEnemy: British soldiers in the film unanimously describe the captured Germans as good people who were really no different from themselves. They note how the Germans were relieved to be captured and often volunteered as stretcher-bearers without being asked. However, one soldier does amusingly state that, while Saxons were almost half-British, the Prussians were bastards.

* BodyHorror: Some of the soldiers talk about the effects of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_foot trench foot]].
** One soldier describes seeing a friend get mortally wounded by an artillery shell who he immediately puts out of his misery.

* StiffUpperLip: Despite the appalling conditions of living in the trenches and the terrible toll of dead and wounded, .

* GoKartingWithBowser: One soldier recalls how he was at a rugby game between a British team and a German team when they all found out that war had started between their countries. Both teams decided that the war would actually start ''tomorrow'' and carried on with their game.

* StiffUpperLip: The British veterans' commentary on their wartime experiences is remarkably frank and unsentimental.
* TankGoodness: The soldiers note how the tanks were kept a state secret and passed off as water tanks until their first use in battle. The soldiers were so impressed they thought the machines would instantly win the war for them, which they note did not come to pass.

* CompleteTheQuoteTitle: "They shall not grow old, as we that are left behind grow old." It's a line from the 1914 poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, which is used in the "Ode of Remembrance" at WWI memorials.

* CerberusSyndrome: The veterans note how the war changed considerably from beginning to end. In the beginning of the film, veterans recount how the war was fairly enjoyable, like camping but with just enough whiff of danger to make it exciting. By the end, the soldiers are talking about savage fighting, appalling losses and the terrible emotional toll of the war.

* BawdySong: The end credits are played to the risqué song ''Mademoiselle from Armentières''.

The film focuses on the common British soldiers' experiences rather than providing a detailed overview of the war. The visuals rely on archive footage that has been digitally restored and colorized in an attempt to show the war as the soldiers saw it. Without narrators, the dialogue is composed of voices of anonymous British soldiers recounting their memories. Sound effects and voice acting are also added to the war footage to provide an immersive experience.

''They Shall Not Grow Old'' is a UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne documentary by Creator/PeterJackson released in 2018 in celebration of the centenary of the war's conclusion.

* WarIsHell: War seemed pretty fun at the beginning, but by the end, the reality sets in.

* CerberusSyndrome: The soldiers in the beginning note how the war changed considerably from beginning to end. In the beginning of the film, soldiers recount how the war was fairly enjoyable, like camping with just enough whiff of danger to make it exciting. By the end, the soldiers are talking about savage fighting, appalling losses and the terrible emotional toll of the war.

* BookEnds: The film begins with black-and-white footage in a small, square screen, accompanied by the sound of a film reel. When the war starts, the screen grows and colorizes. At the war's conlusion at the end of the film, the film shrinks back down, fades back into black and white, and the film reel sound returns.

* GoKartingWithBowser: One soldier recalls how he was at a rugby game between a British team and a German team when they all found out that war had started between their countries. Both teams decided that would war would actually start ''tomorrow'' and carried on with their game.