07/12/2019
1917 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Saw the latest Sam Mendes movie this week and it's amazing. It's based on a fragment of a story his grandfather (who fought in WWI) had told him about an ordinary soldier sent to the front lines to deliver a message.
Cinematically, it's incredible. The whole movie is filmed as one continous shot, which completely immerses you in the action of the film (I think I spotted three actual cuts but may have missed some cleverly hidden ones). The immediacy this gives means you won't have much adrenaline left by the end - I jumped, shrieked & hid in my jumper throughout!
As it's in real time, we follow the soldiers' every moment. So as well as being in the midst of the hairier scenes, we also pause when they do, such as stopping to inspect an orchard of chopped down cherry trees (which also sets up a beautiful poetic moment later in the film) or listening to a song sung by soldiers in the woods before they have to go into battle. Which gives it an unusual Hollywood intercut with Eric Rohmer vibe.
The film does feature some well known faces such as Colin Firth & Benedict Cumberbatch, but they are not in star roles and the glory goes to the less well known lead actors, who are both excellent, in particular George MacKay.
The futility of war can't be escaped in this film, but the incredible bravery of ordinary men is raised to the extraordinary. Go see it! Out Jan 10th...
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chap...
