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I remember my days at school, when
we were forced to watch ‘The World at War’, a 1970s drama-documentary series that our
teacher believed would help seven-year olds not to forget about the Nazis and
the second world war. School also taught us about the first world war, about
the trenches, the mustard gas, the gas masks, the mines, the tanks, and the German
‘Hun’. It also made sure we knew that millions of soldiers died a horrible death
to save us.
Writer/Director Sam Mendez (of Skyfall/Spectre fame amongst many) has managed an astonishing feat with his latest cinematic offering. By adding to
the annuals of war movie history, his film ‘1917’ brings those 70s child-hood
classroom horror stories agonisingly to life for the 21st century.
We know that war is hell, there’s no argument, and our
fascination with it, endless. Mendez knows this too, as he drags us like a warped
holiday-ride attraction, through the battle lines of no-man’s land during the early days of the First World War.
On the surface the story is a simple one, Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance
Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) have been set a goal by their commanding
officer (Colin Firth as General Erinmore in low-lit perfection). It could be medals or death. They have
no idea what they are about to face, no one does, but they are not the
architects of their fate, war will dictate that for them. Mirroring a sort of odyssey
quest, they seemingly overcome hurdles through sheer naivety.
It’s a war ravaged 1917 springtime landscape, where the cherry
blossoms shed their petals onto the decomposing corpses of men littering the French
countryside, as rats scamper about and peril lurks in the shadows. This film wasn’t
conceptualized on a Dorset rifle range where CEOs spend weekends shooting
paintballs for teambuilding. It’s edge-of-your-seat action-drama stuff, and then
some.
What appears outstandingly like a continuous tracking shot, the action seems
to have been filmed in one take adding to the immersive experience. Often, you’ll feel as if you’re sitting on the
shoulders of the protagonists as they splash their way through the muddied alleyways
of the trenches, attempting to reach the front line, and not knowing what they
will encounter around the next corner.
Outside of its ‘war’ genre, 1917 is an exceptional film, particularly
for its technical production. With sound,
music, and editing, fuelling an experience of ‘being there’, you know you're watching something special. It’s the Cinematographer
Roger
Deakins who should bag one of the ten Oscars 1917 has been nominated for. Rightly, the film
hasn’t been forgotten this awards season and is full-throttle to the finish line by grabbing the
main gong; ‘Best Film’. It might just get it.
1917 is a stunning visual masterpiece of film making that
is more than a war film. Keep an eye out for some of your favourite actors too, (Bodyguard anyone?) putting in their cameos, because that's what they are. The main feature IS the visual spectacle of this film - the entity itself! Highly
recommended, especially for those who love drama and war movies but still understand the futility
of it. Remember to pack plenty of water, and maybe a tissue!
Writer / Director: Sam Mendez
Co. Writer: Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Cinematographer: Roger Deakins
Music: Thomas Newman
Editing: Lee Smith
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