Edge of 1917
When I was a teen (and out of Star Trek novels) I’d scan through the ever-changing stack of books beside my Mom’s bed. She is a bit of a war buff and would read a ton about The Great War (WW1) and World War II; mostly from the Canadian or British point of view (The Americans get enough attention, I guess). The best ones would have collected accounts told by the soldiers themselves.
A lot of war books are densely filled with facts with dates about who did what when, but these would have soldiers recalling a mission or a day out on the battlefield. There was something very human about these accounts. Sometimes they would chronicle a success, a partial success, or complete failure. You never knew which direction these life experiences would take. Even then, I thought about how many of these would make for some excellent movies. That is what 1917 is.
It takes place on The Great War’s Western Front in Northern France. Aerial reconnaissance observes the German army making a tactical withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, where they will lie in wait to overwhelm a planned British attack. With the field phone lines cut, two Lance Corporals Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are assigned to deliver orders to stand down to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch). To reach him, the two Corporals will have to risk crossing no man’s land and a large walking distance within a short time. But failing to do places the lives of 1,600 men in jeopardy including Blake’s own brother.
1917 clocks in at a perfect 2hrs without a moment of it wasted. It is the advantage of telling a straightforward account rather than tackling a complex operation as many other war films do, but it also cuts to the chase.
“Best not to dwell on it.”
That is the advice a senior officer gives one of the corporals after a painful experience.
“Stiff upper lip. No time for mourning now. You must get that message through. We will let what just occurred sink in later. “
That is never said but it is what you feel with that one earlier line of dialogue. The brilliant move 1917 makes is to rarely explain what is happening but show you with long takes instead. Great effort was made to have the film flow like it was done in one continuous shot. It, of course, isn’t (that would be impossible) but it succeeds in making it feel that way. There are several Children of Men-ish heavy action sequences that are delivered smooth and fluid thanks to some heavy Steadicam use. I can’t wait to dive into the Blu-ray special features as I imagine they will be as compelling as the film itself. For now, this interview with cinematographer Richard Denkins will have to do.
When he was young, director Sam Mendes’ grandfather told him of the events that eventually would become 1917. I hope there are a few copy cats made as a result of its success as I greatly want to see more of these stories told on the big screen. If given the same care and treatment, I can envision them all being #MarsApproved.
Happy to hear good things about this one. I recently became mildly infatuated with WWI after listening to the Dan Carlin podcast series on it and there really isn’t a ton of modern mediums I can sink my teeth into to grasp what that strange and nearly unimaginable time was like. I’ve had this one on the radar since I first heard about it and a Mars approval goes a long way for me. Good read.
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Thanks, Trav! Yeah, WWI is almost a forgotten war. I think it is all the nuance. The good and the bad is not as cut and dry as WWII’s. Plus, the end result just got everyone back at it again twenty years later.
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Great movie and this proves how good a 2-hour movie can pass by without it seeming like you sat for 2 hours.
Great twist and turns. I’m not a big movie dude but this one is excellent.
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A small movie dude with excellent taste.
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the arkells have a song named, show me don’t tell me – and I like that description of how the long takes do the showing here, rather than a narrated explanation
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Rush has a similar song on Presto!
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Great comparison to Children of Men. I hadn’t thought of it but 1917 is so reminiscent of some of Cuaron’s action scenes (the car one in particular) but then carries that tension for the whole two hours! I really was impressed by this film.
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Me too. It is really well done. Yeah, that car sequence in Children of Men is still impressive.
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It’s a well made film (if lacking in plot) , where the long take isn’t simply a gimmick. Rather, it feels fully necessary to bring out the horrors of war. The 2-hour runtime never feels like a drag. I can’t imagine how much thought and planning went into each sequence!
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It is truly a step forward in cinematograhpy. I hope to see more like it!
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This is on my list… everyone I know who has seen it has only praise for it.
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Yeah, I’m sure it isn’t for everyone but I thought it is done very well.
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I will probably get to this (your review helps). Deakins is one of the best so there are a few things nudging me. Plus I like a good was story but I want some truth and realism thrown in.
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It is a very simple plot that the film doesn’t deviate away from. I found it to be very effective.
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I like when things don’t get to scrambled. Keep it focused.
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