Wednesday, March 13, 2019
They Shall Not Grow Old
Last night, IPLawGuy and I hobbled over to the Sun Valley Opera House to watch "They Shall Not Grow Old," with some commentary by filmmaker Peter Jackson. The movie is simple but profound: a restoration of World War One film with oral history commentary by veterans of the events depicted. In all, it is an anti-war movie, focused on a war that grew out of a minor conflict and caused unmitigated tragedies and led to revolutions in both Russia and Germany.
When I was a kid, there was a World War One veteran living across the street from us. Mr. Kengel was shell-shocked; the sound of our tennis balls crashing against the garage door resulted in understandable protests from him.
But like most Americans, I did not think much about World War One. We are much more knowledgable, it seems, about the Second World War, which somehow seems more modern and immediate.
And yet there is a lot to learn in the modern day from the epic rolling tragedy that some called The War to End All Wars. It was fueled by interlocking alliances and empire; nations with no real beef with one another suddenly were in a shockingly bloody war. Technological advances turned it into a bloodbath that few foresaw when it began. It was the last war of medieval Europe and the first of the modern age.
The stench of death was all over it.
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This sounds like a fascinating piece of film to watch. Thank you for sharing.
I do remember Mr. Kengel from Colonial and his erratic driving. I even remember his driving on the sidewalk a few times. I visited him once with Jane Gillis and he showed us some of his many collections.
I did not realize he was a WW1 Vet.
I do remember Mr. Kengel from Colonial and his erratic driving. I even remember his driving on the sidewalk a few times. I visited him once with Jane Gillis and he showed us some of his many collections.
I did not realize he was a WW1 Vet.
There's a fantastic podcast called Hardcore History (less corny than it sounds) by a guy named Dan Carlin. To call it a podcast is probably an understatement, the episodes are 3-5 hours long, deeply researched, and vividly narrated. In any case, Carlin has a recent series called "Blueprint for Armageddon" that walks through the first world war. The many ways in which 19th century tactics and politics clashed with 20th century technology, at terrible human cost, are mind-blowing. How Europe recovered from it, and in time and with the appetite to do it all again 20 years later, is unfathomable.
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