‘1917’ is an incredibly suspenseful, and emotional film designed to appear like one continuous shot. This concept of an extended single shot, although may be boring/dragged on to some viewers, can make the audience feel like they are in real time, in 1917. This creates a better emotion connection to the characters and the film itself, which made the movie a thriller.
‘1917’ is set amidst the tension and chaos during World War I, and takes place in and around the so called ‘no man’s land’ in northern France, which separated the British and German troops. Corporals Blake and Schofield are ordered to deliver a message to another company, one that includes Blake’s brother, a few miles away. The company had planned an attack that would push the Germans back even further following a recent retreat. However, Blake and Schofield's company believed their attack was a trap that would ultimately land them in ambush, costing thousands of British lives. With radio communication down, Blake and Schofield are ordered to travel by foot to the company in order to call of the attack. Their journey forced them to cross enemy territory and risk their lives. While on their mission, tensions continue to rise as they would encounter dead bodies, old German camps, and extreme exhaustion and dehydration.
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The director of the film, Sam Mendes, designed ‘1917’ to be a one-shot film in order to bring World War I to life. But Mendes follows his own inspiration of terror and suspense to surprising tenderness and kindness, as when a German plane crashes and Blake and Schofield try to rescue the enemy pilot, and also when Blake encounters a woman and an orphan child in a bombed-out village. He also creates a slight pause in the continuous, real-time momentum of the film, when Blake is knocked out cold from a German sniper on his way to deliver the message.
The cinematography by Roger Deakins, and special effects/audiovisuals made the movie even more realistic and exciting. With the action moving from one hellish of a place to the next, the main characters’ sense of anxiety and tension continue as they encounter new people and territory. The film is filled with suspense and surprises, leaving me at the edge of my seat. I felt a deep connection towards the characters and I was constantly scared when they were in trouble. But, the most key details added to the film are how real looking the dead bodies are and how the sounds make it seem like a war is going on in the theatre. It made me feel like I was on the battlefield, fighting in the war.
One film review is a Roger Ebert review of ‘1917’, created by Peter Sobczynski. It states that the film’s technological details and editing are impressive, but draws attention to itself too much throughout. In fact, he states that, “The problem is that the visual conceit can’t help draw attention to itself throughout, whether it is due to the increasingly showy camera moves or the sometimes awkward methods that are deployed to camouflage the edits and which begin to stick out more and more...Instead of gradually fading into the background in order to make room for elements of a more dramatic or emotional nature, the distracting technique remains front and center”. He also believes that the film work doesn’t help viewers have an emotional connection with the characters. For instance, he says that, “And yet, for all of its technical expertise, little of it helps viewers to care about the characters or what might happen to them. When all is said and done, ‘1917’ is basically a gimmick film”.
I disagree with Peter Sobczynski because I don’t believe the film’s visual effects overshadowed the storyline. In fact, I believe that the film’s editing and details made it even more realistic. I can’t think of one time in the movie when the special effects distracted me from what was going on with the characters. I also don’t believe that the film doesn’t allow you to connect with the characters. When I watched the film, I felt like I was literally walking in their shoes, and overcoming their struggles and obstacles alongside them. The close-up views allowed me to see their emotions and feelings, and the way that the camera followed them made me feel like I was right alongside them. The special effects and video editing were appropriate for what was going on in the film. I think it wasn’t too much or too little. Lastly, I strongly disagree that the film was gimmick. Lots of war stories could fall into the category of being gimmick, but I believed that this particular war film was unique. It was focused on one story line, one battle, one mission, and a very small amount of characters. The film was very small scale/personal and focused only on the lives of two men.
In conclusion, I believe that ‘1917’ is a fantastic war film. It is filled with suspense, surprises, horror, and excellent cinematography that draws you into the storyline right from the very beginning. These elements help provide a real connection between the audience and the characters. The effect of a one-shot film helps make it a unique movie and very different from most other war films. I wish it would’ve won best picture award film.
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