Mario's Musings: 1917
Sorry for the lack of reviews lately, life got a little busy with the holiday season, but I have seen some new flicks like Joker, Doctor Sleep, the Irishman, and this current flick I’m about to discuss. That said…
…there aren’t enough films set during World War I. Off the top of my head, there’s All Quiet on the Western Front, The Promise, Doctor Zhivago, and Wonder Woman.
Well, now we can add 1917 to the list, and boy is it a doozy.
Set during the height of the First World War, the film is based on part of an account of the events told to director Sam Mendes by his grandfather. The story follows two soldiers, Blake and Schofield, in Northern France tasked with delivering a message warning of an ambush by the German forces after feigning a retreat. It’s personal for Blake as his older brother is among the soldiers walking into the trap set by the Germans.
It’s a straightforward story with some pretty interesting twist and turns along the way. The acting is top-notch, but to not mention the main course of the movie being the cinematography would be a crime. To the untrained eye, you would think this entire movie was shot in one take, that’s how well everything flows together. It’s almost jarring for the viewer because it takes you into the movie in an incredibly unique way. For me, it almost placed me into the movie, following the soldiers as they walked throughout the film, especially during the closed in scenes in the trenches. It was almost claustrophobic in a way, so I couldn’t even image having to actually be there in real life.
Having already mentioned the top-notch acting, and that’s due to the casting. The Game of Thrones fan in me laughed when I realized Dean-Charles Chapman and Richard Madden were playing the brothers in the film (for GoT fans, they played Tommen Baratheon and Robb Stark respectively). Along for the ride is George McKay as Schofield, who reluctantly goes along with Blake on his mission, almost as an avatar for the viewer who is going along for the ride, and the weight he brings to the role just shows the horror of war, especially a war of this scale.
All in all, 1917 is a great movie to take in over the holiday season if you can catch it during its limited release. If not, it releases nationwide on January 10th. I highly recommend seeing it, as the film comes from a personal place for director Sam Mendes, who gets to pay homage to his grandfather’s stories. Usually when someone gets personal with their work, it brings out the best in them, and it’s especially true in this case.