1917 is the incredible tale of 1,600 men’s fates resting on the reluctant persistence of one soldier.
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1917 is the incredible tale of 1,600 men’s fates resting on the reluctant persistence of one soldier.
Based on stories told by Alfred H. Mendes, the grandfather of director Sam Mendes to his grandson, the film is set against the backdrop of World War I which happened between 1914 and 1918, in the spring of 1917 in northern France. Two British soldiers, Schofield and Blake had been tasked to deliver a message to the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, commanding them to stop the attacks against the Germans after the latter had retreated. Intelligence suggested that the Germans was laying a trap by doing so, with the intent to ambush the battalion of 1,600 men, with Blake's brother amongst them.
Along their treacherous journey to the frontline, the duo encounter several traps and Blake dies midway. Schofield to left to carry on the mission by himself, with the lives of 1,600 lying squarely in his hands to make sure the message is delivered to commander Colonel Mackenzie.
1917 was nominated for 3 Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Score and won the former two - and It’s not hard to see why. The most obvious is that Director Sam Mendes has used some clever camera tricks to give the impression the entire film is done in a single shot, at least to the viewer. Scenes flow from one to the other without any cuts in between them, and some very ingenious choreography incorporated. While the ‘one-shot’ technique is nothing new, and has been used in films such as Birdman in recent times. 1917 manages to immerse the audience in greater urgency and brings us closer to the action of the war. At the same time, it can’t help but also make the film appear to be a little showy at times, and distract the audience from some pivotal moments. Time is also warped insidiously with this technique. Instead of a real-time development, we are moving across almost a day across the time span of two hours in the cinema. All in all, advances in technology have indeed contributed to the cinematic technique of this film in a positive way compared to a film like Ang Lee’s Gemini Man.
Actor George Mackay, while not having leading man looks, has an English look which helped him convince us of his unenviable and very dangerous journey into enemy fire. His exhaustion is written all over his face, even though he had no choice but to keep going on. The supporting cast carries little of the film, even though big names such as Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Richard Madden, Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman, as well as Sherlock Alumni Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott fill in as other army personnel on the war front. More importantly, another key ‘actor’ would be the film's set design. Showing us the grittiness and horrors of the times with just enough realism without going into self-congratulatory pat-on-the-back. One would readily nominate them for best art direction and set design for the upcoming Academy Awards. This is followed closely by the film scored written by Thomas Newman who has composed for many emotional and dramatic films such as The Green Mile, Wall-E.
Even if you may not be a fan of war films, this is one movie you can find strength in the character’s journey to an uncertain fate, and marvel at the artistry by so many unseen hands supporting the lone wolf in putting this visual spectacle together.
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