1917 Review

 

        This is my second film that I have watched from director Sam Mendes. He gained fame when his film American Beauty won Best Picture in 1999. The British director continued making great films like Road to Perdition and Jarhead to name a few. It can be interpreted that he reinvented James Bond when he directed Skyfall, which is still the highest grossing James Bond film to be released. 1917 is a departure from the espionage films to a more intimate look at war. A very simple film that easily had me hooked with having the background of World War 1, and its film aesthetics. 

1. Messengers

        So the film is very simple to follow. Two Lance Corporal’s Blake and Schofield are ordered by their superior General Erinmore to deliver a message to Colonel Mackenzie to delay an attack on a seemingly retreating German front. Making the mission personal to the duo is when the General says that Blake has a brother in the attacking front. 

        The two then depart to relay the message. One would think that it would be a boring film, given how the story and the situation seems mundane and not having that much action. What ultimately remedies that problem is by giving the two leads a personality. For Blake, he wants to make sure that his brother is safe from any attack. Whilst Schofield at first wants to wait at night to begin the mission, we see that he is hesitant on the endeavor since he feels that it’s suicide. 

 

        As the film progresses, the duo encounters various terrain as they try to maneuver through corpses, barbwire and booby trapped German trenches to deliver a letter. The film is ingenious with the whole approach. I’m just stalling because I really want to talk about the selling point in the film. Anyways, the main complaint that some people have with the film is that there’s nothing to draw on about the characters. Or not have anything to relate or care about them. 

        I think the point that we can infer is that when they strike a conversation or go through a trap is when we see just how close they are as friends. I feel that the synergy between the two make up for the fact that we don’t know their background. It’s not necessary since the film isn’t about them, but more so on the actual mission at hand. All the while that it takes place in a span of two days to really drive home that time is not on their side. 

        When seeing the trailer, one would think that Blake is the main lead. And perhaps they get separated throughout the film. Well, I won’t go more into the film since, it’s a big plot point and I’ll leave it at that. Another thing that I found interesting is that they casted actors that weren’t marquee names. Yes, the movie has Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch in minor roles. I feel it was necessary since if the film had a recognizable name, it would’ve made the situation a bit of a stretch and not personal. Given that they have very little time in the film, they do a good job of being the superior officers that the duo encounter in their journey. 

2. My Favorite Scene

        I remember watching the trailer and being so tuned in with the previewing sequences. What really made me watch 1917 was the music that the trailer had. The song “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” went along with the overall tone of the movie and well solidifying my money being used to buy a ticket. I honestly thought that the film wouldn’t use the music since, it’s common for a film to not have the music that was used for the promotion. 

        Here though, my expectation was subverted and surprised. The moment it’s used is probably one of the best scenes or shot in the movie. Just after Schofield escapes from an abandoned town overrun by Germans, he jumps to a river. After swimming and climbing over dead bodies, it seemed to us that he is dead when he hears someone singing faintly. He walks and the song gets subtly louder. It’s calming after everything he went through. And the fact that it is shot in one take, just makes it better. 

3. One Take Film

        Now I can talk about the film’s gimmick. It’s a good gimmick given the fact that not every filmmaker shoots his or her movie in one take. Nowadays, you can’t watch a movie without having different camera angles of what exactly you’re watching. Either it be an action scene, a romantic one, or something mundane as a conversation. Here, it’s a welcome back of an aesthetic that is considered a technical nightmare. Keeping in mind that there is much attention to make sure that everything is synched up right and having little errors. 

        As I mentioned before when Schofield hears the song being sang by a soldier. We see that the camera is behind Scho. and glides through the company that he sees. The shot conveys just how young the battalion is, only when we see their faces and being sad that they are young and not ready for what’s coming. 

        I will attest that not all the movie is shot in one take. Given the fact that the story takes place in a span of two days, no one would really sit a good 48 hours of butt numbing cinematic experience to watch the movie play out in its time accurate length. There are moments that signify what is spliced in to make the illusion that it was shot in one take. If you pay attention, anytime the camera does a swoosh from side-to-side, it’s to signify that it’s spliced footage. In either case whatsoever, the gimmick is utilized so greatly. 

4.     Hope in the Midst of War

        One last thing that I want to bring up is the recurring color of white. Now, it could be just that filming was particularly cloudy. In all seriousness, the color white pops up to really symbolize this basic idea that the color is associated with, hope. We see it when both Schofield and Blake walk in an abandoned farm. 

        They notice that the Germans intentionally damaged the land to leave no trace. While seeing a white cherry tree, Schofield thinks that the plants are dead. Which leads to Blake to say that it doesn’t matter, the tree will once more sprout and blossom. It goes to show that no matter how futile the war is at the time, everything reverts back. I feel that it’s refreshing to have that central theme pop up in a war film. Since there’s a sense of cynicism which is prevalent, but one where there’s compassion that is related to us by who these two main characters are.

5. Overall

        This was the last movie I saw before the pandemic in a theater. I was blown away, and it is the one of the best films of 2019. After the viewing, it made me want to see more of Sam Mendes’ work, including his two James Bond films. 1917 is probably one of the best World War 1 movies you will ever see. 

        1917 gets a five out of five.