1917 - Movie Review - One wonderful shot

This film is a 15, was released on January 10th, 2020, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS 

Introduction 

What I have always liked about film are the stories that are told and all the wonder and magic they hold. However, one other aspect of film that has my intrigue is the technical side - it's always amazing to see a film that pushes the boundaries of how a film can be made and how this can make it even better. This was one of the things that drove me to see 1917.

Thoughts Going In 

I wasn't interested in 1917 at first, but then I saw a trailer that explained the film was made to look as if it was all one continuous tracking shot, in the same style as the terrific opening to Sam Mendes' last film, Spectre. This took my interest as I felt this could result in a fascinating experience, especially in a cinema. After hearing the excellent reviews and seeing all of the awards/nominations, I thought it'd certainly be worth a look. 

The Story 

Two young British soldiers, Blake and Schofield, are instructed to leave their battalion and travel to another across various dangerous landscapes in order to call off an attack that, if carried out, will result in tons of major losses, including Blake's brother. 

What I Liked 

It goes without saying that the star of the show in this film is the cinematography. The choice to edit the film as if it is one continuous shot makes it feel like more of a genuinely engaging experience as everything happens in real-time, and it makes you feel as if you are right at the moment. The way the shots move also makes it more exciting, it never feels like there is a lack of life, even if it is slowly panning over a landscape or following slower movements. One-shot involves one of the two protagonists running along the rim of a trench as all the other soldiers run into the battlefield and various explosions occur, and it was extremely well choreographed and felt so epic and heroic. The way shots are lit adds an extra layer of wonder, one-shot following the same soldier as he runs through a town with the only casting light going on and off and the sun coming up in the distance really stuck in my head and just had me mesmerised. Basically, Roger Deakins is a genius and if he doesn't get an Oscar for his contributions here, the Academy is really overlooking masterful work.

The cinematography manages to make many other aspects in the film better than they probably would've been in a regularly edited movie. The story is nothing special, it's very much just a here to there story, and the characters are, on the surface, quite generic; just two young guys, one of which has a brother to save as a basic motivation, so overall, it's not too exciting. But, firstly, it doesn't matter because the emphasis is on the how not the why, and we've already established that the how is very well executed. Secondly, the real-time aspect as a result of the singular continuous shot heightens the tension. You feel every ounce of struggle that these characters go through, and you feel all the fear that they do. As a result, you naturally want to see them succeed in their goal after seeing all the hell they've endured to do so that you have essentially experienced alongside them, resulting in a satisfying story you're engaged in. Also, the film isn't just a thrilling journey from beginning to end, it balances a lot of different emotions when necessary. There's a really heartfelt scene where one of the soldiers finds a young woman hiding while caring for an abandoned baby, and it contrasts so greatly to the action from before that it feels a lot more tender in the landscape of the film. A similar scene involves a song being sung to an entire fleet of soldiers about to enter a fight, which was a real emotional punch considering the context of where it was occurring. There was also a healthy dose of comedy in the film - not to a distracting extent, but enough to make the characters feel more believable and the film a tad more entertaining. On top of this, the performances are tip-top. The two leads were fantastic and had a great dynamic, and the others such as Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Madden all used their somewhat limited time wonderfully. All of this is further proof of why this film is so thoroughly engaging.

Aside from the magical camerawork, other filmmaking aspects were just brilliant. The sound design and mixing were very well done and furthered the stress of the situation, with explosions and gunfire being made all the more alarming. The set design and aesthetic also captured the feeling of World War 1 and No Man's Land so expertly, adding to believability. Best of all, the score by Thomas Newman was on another level. The only works of his I'd known before this film were Finding Nemo and Wall-E, but this score was completely different - it was pulse-pounding, emotionally powerful, and just pleasure for my ears. It hit all the right notes at all the right moments, once again, adding to the tension in the film. This is an example of a motion picture that has examined every aspect of the filmmaking process and found ways to use them to its advantage, and it is commendable to a staggering degree.

The last thing I'd like to mention is the director, Sam Mendes. I was lucky enough to see this film at the Odeon in Leicester Square before it was released and with a Q&A with Mendes and the two leads. Hearing a filmmaker talk so passionately about their work in the way that he did just put it into a whole new perspective. He didn't talk down to the audience so we knew what he was on about, he spoke with such sophistication about all the technicalities of making this film. This alone had me convinced that he is someone who both knows what he's doing and enjoys what he's doing - hence why the films we get from him, such as this, are as good as they are. I tip my hat the Mendes, and I have further respect after finding out that this film was inspired by stories his grandfather told him. He was knighted for a very clear reason. 

What I Didn't Like 

My only issue is that the singular shot does create some distractions that may not seem obvious at first. Once you clock on to the fact that there won't be any cuts (which I knew about before seeing the film) you do find yourself trying to pay attention to where it may have been cut, and when you've noticed something, it can be a bit of an irritant. But, that is so ridiculously minor because I've already praised the cinematography endlessly and I don't think that tiny problems should distract from the excellence that has been achieved.

Conclusion 

1917 is modern filmmaking at its finest. Sam Mendes had an idea and has executed it in winning fashion. It takes a slightly straightforward narrative and makes it the most tense and most spectacular it can be with its off the charts cinematography, strong emotions, convincing performances, and generally remarkable filmmaking. There is so little to fault about this film and even after rewatching it once, I just want to go back and see it over and over again because I was engaged in every sense. 

I'm going to give 1917 a 9.5/10