1917 (2019)

In the grand tradition of such intimate war epics as Dunkirk and Black Hawk Down, Oscar-winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) directed this ground-level journey of two young British army privates (Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay) who are sent on an urgent mission during World War I to deliver a message that will hopefully stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap set by the enemy.  And everything which transpires on-screen is conducted within ONE continuous shot. :o One of the more acclaimed and successful war epics of recent years, this film nonetheless was dismissed by several as relying more on its central conceit than telling a compelling story....it was also nominated for ten Oscars including Best Picture, and ended up winning three.  Let's embark on this harrowing mission with Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield to see how this holds up five years after it was released.....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

1917 - 2019

Directed by Sam Mendes    

Starring George MacKay, Dean Charles-Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch

Genre: War Adventure (Audio clip)

This movie feels like it was very much influenced by Dunkirk....which is not to say it's a copy or homage or anything along those lines. From what I gather, Sam Mendes was hoping to make a World War I epic for a while....but I can't see how a major studio would have dished out $100 million to an auteur to take an experimental approach towards portraying large-scale true events BEFORE Nolan proved it could be done a couple of years prior with the fractured narrative structure of his WWII opus. Mendes was going for a straightfoward structure this time around but in a style which was likely MORE challenging.....following two soldiers traversing through No Man's Land and both sides fronts by foot ALL in one shot! 😯It also helps that he hired the SAME Oscar-winning editor of Dunkirk to edit THIS movie….that would be Lee Smith. 

Some dismissed this film's one-shot approach as a purely distracting gimmick upon release and I don't consider it to be a gimmick - I think at its best, this approach helps maintain a steady tension and forward momentum for a war which was generally a brutal stalemate for most of the time. It's a very effective device as we follow two British soldiers (Dean-Charles Chapman, George Mackay) on a harrowing mission to bring orders to a British commander who is about to send his forces into a trap set by the Germans. Along the way, they encounter any number of obstacles and unexpected dangers....sometimes to a point where this almost starts a resemble a Lord of the Rings adventure at times...

Fortunately we're frequently reminded of the brutal nature of this war at ideal points to take it away from the fantasy realm. Yes some of the action involving one soldier starts to take on a slightly otherworldly feel as he's sometimes blessed with German snipers who apparently can't aim....or river rapids which carry him in JUST the right directions. :/ But there is always a grim surprise waiting for him at every turn to ensure that we know this isn't just an "adventure" - the surprise usually comes in the form of abandoned corpses. 🥴

And the very conclusion of this story is quite emotional as every performance is spot-on, showing these young men just IMMERSED within such a grim world that the only respite they can really find is simply stone silence around desolate environments - even finding just ONE tree still standing to lean on eventually feels like a luxury. Just a gorgeously executed journey through Hell on Earth and one of the best war films of recent years!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

This film is expertly scored by a virtuoso who has been composing film scores for a variety of genres for more than four decades now.  And he keeps popping up on this very podcast too, having crafted memorable and even often ICONIC music for previous episodes The Shawshank Redemption, Erin Brockovich, Desperately Seeking Susan, and Skyfall, one of several collaborations he has done with Sam Mendes along with this movie.  I’m referring of course to LA’s own composing FAVORITE SON (if it was up to me of course) Thomas Newman.  And the orchestral music he conducts for this film is as propulsive and emotional as you would expect. (Audio clip) 

For me the musical highlight would be a selection he composed for what is likely this film’s most visually striking AND surreal sequence which occurs about 70 minutes in….it is now night-time, he has been shot by a German marksman in hot pursuit, he is alone, and Schofield now finds himself stalking his way through a bombed out village with only sporadic lighting to come from small fires on the ground and small, bright flares shot above.  There is of course danger here as he is still being shot out but as this is also likely the film’s most unrealistic sequence – I mean it IS a stretch that having been shot, not really knowing where he’s going, AND that there is likely shrapnel and various other obstacles ALL around….that he could traverse through this village so confidently and briskly.  But thanks to the starkness of the imagery and ESPECIALLY the majesty of Newman’s music playing overhead, this setpiece achieves a certain level of actual WONDER not really possible at any other point of the film.  The track is called “The Night Window.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Just taking this category in a slightly different direction, one common trope which I have always found to popping up again and again within the war genre likely since the late ‘70’s is the out-of-nowhere big-time actor cameo.  Basically you’re immersed within this brutal story and SUDDENLY we have a brief but memorable appearance from major star during one key sequence….we’ve seen this in SO many war epics from Saving Private Ryan to The Hurt Locker to likely THE most famous examples as these two films are just JAM-PACKED with random walk-ons: The Thin Red Line from ’98 and A Bridge Too Far from ’77.  Now sometimes these cameos can help enliven things within an otherwise grim story and other times, they can just distract actually taking you OUT of the story.  1917 has several such cameos from a variety of top-flight UK actors including Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong - and generally they all work quite well.  (Audio clip) 

But for me, the best one HAS to be Benedict Cumberbatch who is especially effective in that critical late scene as Colonel Mackenzie….SUCH a build-up to our hero finding this guy and his pompousness when he finally receives those all-important orders does NOT disappoint. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

As this movie is pretty much one continuous shot meaning that EVERY setpiece is directly linked to the next, this COULD be a tough call.  But sorry for me….it’s actually not and I’m also going for the obvious here as THIS is the sequence which was highlighted in pretty much every trailer, I’m referring to about five minutes of truly bravura filmmaking….the final climax as our one remaining protagonist – Schofield – is coming right up on the particular line where he’s supposed to bring these orders. (Audio clip) 

And THE key moment ends up being Schofield on the ledge of a trench….having JUST been told that Colonel Mackenzie’s main bunker is about 300 yards away….so as the camera lingers on him staring out in this direction…..we see the look on his face as hhe realizes there is ONLY one way to get there in time.  And then as the camera pulls away higher, he runs RIGHT towards it….out in the field of battle.  (Audio clip) 

Seeing this on the big screen with Thomas Newman’s rousing music swelling….the imagery of this one unarmed man running as he gets sideswiped by HEAVILY armed men running his path….I believe he falls twice and that was fully improvised…..the dust of explosions falling all around him….it’s pretty awe-inspiring.  YES it’s showy and the actual reality of such an action at this point and time would have likely looked SOMEWHAT messier…but no matter.  This is Bravery and determination on full display….THIS is why we go to the movies! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

Yeah for THIS particular category, I have been TRYING to make an effort recently to limit it to ONE person….yes filmmaking is a collaborative effort but trying to nail down the magic of a movie to ONE person is part of the fun.  Lee Smith deserves MAJOR props for editing this all together so tightly and he was justifiably nominated for an Oscar for his work.  The DEAK….the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins also deserves credit for crafting together a series of truly beautiful, fluid shots and he justifiably WON an Oscar for his work here.  Of course, the strong cast was game as well working in coordinated matters, meeting SO many challenges just when it came to blocking.  But at the end of the day especially considering just HOW much of this story was derived from war stories told to him by his late grandfather who himself fought in World War I – and just considering the SHEER scale of this production, it’s the DIRECTOR who pulled this together.   For his Oscar-nominated work on what I consider to be his best film next to Skyfall, Sam Mendes is the MVP. (Audio clip)

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Streaming on Netflix

Of course my reasoning for reviewing this film at THIS particular time along with the other review this week for World War II thriller Fury is to commemorate the annual celebration of Veteran’s Day which occurs this week.  This film is just one dramatization among MILLIONS of memorable stories of the brave men and women who serve their countries in the armed forces, often at great sacrifice.  Therefore a hearty THANK YOU to all of those who have served and continue to serve – Happy Veteran’s Day!

And that ends another ONE SHOT review!