Book Review: 1917 (2019)

[Rachel Caldecott]

Title: 1917

Tagline: Time is the enemy

Genre: War, Drama, History, Action

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Chris Walley, Nabhaan Rizwan, Jamie Parker, Tommy French, Paul Tinto, Billy Postlethwaite, Richard McCabe, Justin Edwards

Release: 2019-12-10

Runtime: 119

Plot: At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake's own brother among them.

 

[RK Wallis]

I've heard good things about this one.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

It is truly excellent.

 

[Steve C]

I watched it the other night. What makes it exceptional is that it is shot from one long POV
The story is nothing exceptional but the camera work makes you feel part of it. All show no tell
There is a good review here Why 1917 should win the best picture Oscar

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

I went with my son who is studying film production, and he had shown me a short documentary about the camera work beforehand. It certainly worked. As for the story... Simple but effective. It didn't need to be anything else to transport, engage, and entertain the viewer.

 

[Andy D]

It’s technically spectacular and, though there’s not much of a story, the journey the characters go on is completely absorbing, I think. My cousin said it was ‘a pioneering opera of a movie’ and, for once, I thought he was right

 

[AgentPete]

I haven't seen it, purely selfish reasons... Didn't want to be too depressed. Is it bleak / depressing?

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

Ummm, well it is very realistic. But, as it is not a horror flick, the camera doesn't dwell on the grim bits like human and horse corpses. You see them, they are in context, but they are not put there to simply shock (and they don't leap out at you, so to speak). But yes, it is bleak and the entire WW1 was depressing, I can't deny it. But it had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through and made me jump a couple of times. I would see it again. Not this week, perhaps, but in a month or so. The camera work is stunning and it very effectively draws you in. My life right now is pretty depressing, so overall I found it a welcome distraction.

 

[AgentPete]

Thanks R, I will see it Sending you good vibes

 

[SteveWhy]

I wrote a capsule review of this movie not long ago:

The one take style isn't gimmickry; the story is about a journey and the film's impact is all in how we traverse the space with the characters step by step, second by second, immersing ourselves in the time and place. While the spectacular second half doesn't feel as alive as the intimate and immediate first half and the bombastic score spoils some scenes where a diegetic soundtrack would have been more immersive, 1917 more than justifies itself among the crowded ranks of war films."

 

[AgentPete]

Hello @Rachel Caldecott,

We are changing the status of this ticket to closed as we have not heard back from you in 7 days.