1917 (2019 film)
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 Time is the enemy.
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1917 is a British war film directed and produced by Sam Mendes and written by Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, with Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch in supporting roles. The film is partially inspired by stories told to Mendes by his paternal grandfather, Alfred Mendes, about his time serving in World War I.
The film premiered in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2019 and was released theatrically in the United States on 25 December and in the UK on 10 January 2020.
Plot
During World War I, two British soldiers — Lance Cpl. Schofield (portrayed by George MacKay) and Lance Cpl. Blake (portrayed by Dean-Charles Charman) — receives seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their comrades -- including Blake's brother.
Why It Rocks
- The concept of the aforementioned plot of two British soldiers who receive seemingly impossible orders where they must cross into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their comrades is well-executed and creative.
- It has some of the best cinematography of all time in a British film; it is absolutely amazing, to the point where the film feels like it only needed one shot to make.
- The acting is beyond incredible, particularly from George MacKay as Lance Cpl. Schofield and Dean-Charles Chapman as Lance Cpl. Blake, who gives standout performances.
- Awesome soundtrack, composed by Thomas Newman, who also composed the soundtrack for Skyfall and Spectre (which were also directed by Sam Mendes), Finding Dory and WALL-E.
- "Gehenna", the track played when Blake and Schofield reach the no man's land, perfectly conveys the sense of dread one must feel while looking at such a wasteland.
- "Sixteen Hundred Men" and "The Night Window" play during the climactic crane shot of Schofield running parallel to the trench as the 2nd Batallion goes over the top so he can deliver his message.
- The eerie yet powerful "The Wayfaring Stranger" cover sung in the trailer and film by Jos Slovick became a borderline Breakout Pop Hit when the film was released.
- Well-done and great directing by Sam Mendes who still keeps the charm of the film, just like the aforementioned Skyfall.
- Lots of emotional moments, such as Blake's death. They rescue a panicked German pilot from a crashed airplane and attempt to help him, but the pilot, not speaking English and either misapprehending their intentions or simply not wishing to become a captive, stabs Blake with a knife; Blake ultimately dies of his wounds after quite a lot of agony.
- As Blake is dying, he's so shocked by the pain that when a shed collapses behind him from the flames, Blake asks Schofield whether there's an artillery bombing or that he's been shot, and Schofield has to correct him that he's been stabbed bitterly. The pain has deteriorated his mind so much that he forgot the reason why he is dying.
- In addition, the entire scene shows Blake's face slowly losing its color to the point where it's deathly pale in his final words. The sheer realism of this undignified moment can turn your stomach inside out. Incredibly, Dean-Charles Chapman was able to make his face go pale on his own in real time; CGI only came into play following Blake's passing, making his face only a little paler than Chapman could have done on his own.
- The plane crash itself. You might think that it's a normal scene of a German plane being shot down by the English after the chaos ensued from the bunker cave-in, but when Schofield walks up the hill to see where the downed plane is landing, it goes over the hill and towards him and Blake, causing the two to run. The way it's shot makes it look like you are also one of those in danger due to witnessing this dogfight.
- The entire scene shows Blake's face slowly losing its color, to the point where it's deathly pale in his final words. The sheer realism of this undignified moment can turn your stomach inside out. Dean-Charles Chapman was able to make his face pale on his own in real time; CGI only came into play following Blake's passing, making his face only a little paler than Chapman could have done on his own.
- The scene where Schofield wakes up after having been shot in the church in the ruins of the French town. He wakes up and sees that there's a burning building in the background, as well as German flares flying through the air, illuminating the night sky and creating lots of dynamic moving shadows as Schofield traverses the town square. Reviewers and audiences all around describe this scene as being incredibly beautifully shot and one of the best scenes in the film.
Reception
1917 received universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike, with a common point of praise being the cinematography. On review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds 89%, with a critics consensus that reads, "Hard-hitting, immersive, and an impressive technical achievement, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with raw, startling immediacy". On IMDb, the film holds an 8.3/10. On Metacritic, 1917 has a 75 from critics indicating "generally favorable reviews", and an 8.5 from audiences, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. PostTrak reported it received an average of 4.5 out of 5 from viewers they surveyed, with 69% saying they would recommend it.
Trivia
- Although media accounts have referred to the story as being told in only one shot, the story cuts to black one hour and six minutes into the film, when Schofield is knocked unconscious, and fades in upon his regaining consciousness after night has fallen. Mendes explained, "It was to do with the fact that I wanted the movie to go from afternoon to dusk, and then from night into dawn. I wanted it to be in two movements...I wanted to take it somewhere more like a hallucination. Somewhere more surreal, almost dream-like. And horrifying too."
Videos
External links
1917 at the Internet Movie Database
1917 on Metacritic
1917 on Rotten Tomatoes