1917 : An Epic War Drama

Well honestly I'm not a fan of war based drams but I never thought a continuous shot film based on the WWI would be so intriguing and captivating. The reason why I stumbled on 1917 was due to the number of positive reviews from critics as well as the audience.

Director Sam Mendes who is also the writer and producer tried telling the story that is partly based on an account told to him by his paternal grandfather Alfred H. Mendes. Making a war film based on a real life incident is difficult as it involves a lot of important aspects pertaining to the history that we have studied. Keeping all those aspects in mind, Sam Mendes gives an epic movie filled with all the gritty and horrific experiences that 2 corporals had to undergo during the World War I. 

Plot 

Lance Corporal William "Will" Schofield (George Mackay) and Thomas "Tom" Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are ordered by General Ernimore (Colin Firth) to carry a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) for calling off an attack that would jeopardise almost 1600 men including Tom's brother, lieutenant Joseph Blake (Richard Madden). Now, these 2 soldiers cross the no man's land to reach abandoned German trenches. Here a small tripwire is triggered by a rat which leads into an explosion which almost kills Will.  Somehow Will manages to get back to his feet with the help of Tom. They shortly arrive at a farmhouse where a German aircraft is shot down. They try to help the German pilot but he stabs Tom and gets killed by Will. Tom starts bleeding and is about to die when Will promises him that he will carry the message so that his brother's life is saved. From here onwards the journey of Lance Corporal William Schofield starts. How he finishes his mission forms the rest of the movie.

In such movies, more than the action sequences, the soundtrack plays an important part. I would like to remind you guys about Hans Zimmer and how he made Dunkirk amazing because of his amazing background score. Similarly, Thomas Newman, who has composed this film's soundtrack has left no stone unturned. Sam Mendes and Thomas Newman have a history of collaborations which makes the composition a lot more valuable and spectacular. 

I cannot imagine how tedious it is to shoot a movie of this genre in just 2 continuous shots and for this we have to appreciate cinematographer Roger Deakins and editor Lee Smith who used long takes so that the film appears in a certain way. This idea itself deserves some appreciation as it makes you feel every moment as if you're a part of the corporal's journey.

George Mackay has done a brilliant job as the entire movie is on his shoulders. He is the one who is constantly in the frame and seems to just get all the expressions and emotions right. Rest of the actors have also done a good job. In a movie of this scale, sometimes it gets difficult to focus on one individual but this movie seems to throw that problem out of the window due to its continuous shot ideology. 

Among its accolades, the film received ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Mixing. It also won Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, and at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards won a leading seven, including Best Film and Best Direction. It also won the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, and Mendes won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film.

1917 is available on Digital HD,DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray. So do watch it ASAP, considering you haven't watched it yet.