Absolutely incredible. An exhausting, somber, grim war movie made with some of the best talent on all fronts especially the cinematography done by the absolutely brilliant Roger Deakins
Is 1917 a good title for something that takes place over a day? (And indeed, is almost 2 hours in real time given the one-shot conceit, though director Sam Mendes does find ways to contract time.) Lets talk about that conceit because it exacerbates the completely legitimate comparison to an MMO side-quest. The story is so streamlined - it's this one, very simple mission - that it's basically an NPC giving the player a quest and off we go. With the camera never cutting away from the main character and following him through the adventure, often over the shoulder, the visual vocabulary is somewhat like that of a third-person sandbox/shooter. Does it really intensify immersion into the story? Maybe. I kind of think Mendes gave himself and his cast and crew a big challenge for us to marvel at as TECHNIQUE and that's all there is to it, but that's fine. We DO marvel at it. If there is a point to the single shot, it may be to show war as a continuous and relentless experience, here crunched into 24/2 hours for our convenience, a temporal prison for men who just want to go home but are afraid they can't connect to that other timeline. More importantly and all that said, it works, with a couple of stand-out moments (the flare run and the final sequence through to the end and bookend especially) and given the brief scenes with the characters NOT on the mission (you can't exactly go back to keep track of them), it's especially wonderful that they each leave such impressions (and not just the ones who are name-brand actors). My personal favorites are the hilarious Andrew Scott and that big fat rat.
Possibly the best film of the year. While some may say that editing the movie to seem like one shot is a “gimmick”, I wholeheartedly disagree. This technique allows the audience to become fully immersed in the world, you feel as if your in the trenches, on the battle field, etc. Plenty of twists and turns, even moments I knew were coming based on the trailers still caused me to jump out of my seat. Highly recommend this film, and see it in theaters while you can.
Finally someone not named Cuarón or Lubezki knows how to use the one shot ”gimmick” effectively in an action setting. There’s a deeply humane idea behind it.
This deserves to be watch on the biggest screen with the best sound you can find.
I've always been of the opinion that continuous-shot movies are an incredible undertaking and this one does not disappoint. Being immersed in it doesn't even begin to describe how much we resonate with the characters and their plight. The choreography is stunning and the suspense of our main characters wandering around behind enemy lines is gripping to say the least.
This is truly a powerful movie in more ways than I can probably talk about here. When it comes to cinema and the role of the protagonist, that character is usually front and center in a way that makes them the celebrity of the story, if you will. This film is no different until the very end when reality comes crashing down on both us and the protagonist. LC Schofield has a mission to accomplish and to him it feels like the world rests upon his shoulders and as an audience we feel the same because we're watching him. Cumberbatch then shows up at the end to pop that balloon by reminding us that this is just another day in WW1, that Lance Corporal Schofield is just another soldier doing his job, and that next week they'll probably just attack again anyway resulting in major loss of life. It's the crushing reality that this "hero's journey" is not really that at all, and the loss of his friend is a testament to just how senseless the reality of the war is for him. It's an incredibly bold decision to essentially undermine your own story with this truth and that makes it very powerful.
This beautifully gripping long-shot of serenely sombre scenes and casually macabre imagery as frame for the soldiers, exhausting all their hope, courage and sanity on their perilous task that would inflict defeatism and apathy in most, is to my warless mind and senses the truest testament to WWI and war in general. Absolute masterpiece.
great cinematography but other than that, it's just okay. The plot adds nothing unique and it hits all the tropes and all the same beats of a standard war movie. The film has a lot of familiar faces but they start to feel like cameos. There's been a lot of hype over this "one-take" style but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The scenes where they traverse through no-man's land and the scene in the ruined village work very well for the one-take. Other scenes where they're just walking through the trenches or talking in the truck makes the movie drag (I get that they can't edit those because that would ruin the "one-take").
I give Sam Mendes an A for effort. The film looks good and there are some great scenes but if this was done without the one-take, it turns into your run-of-the-mill war movie.
Visually it's absolutely stunning, and the one take is well done (though certainly not perfect).
Ultimately though the storyline just doesn't have that much substance, George MacKay as the lead role was poorly chosen and Mendes just had to add pc nonsense that sadly simply wasn't the reality of 1917 Europe.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 15 of 29
aniforprez
Absolutely incredible. An exhausting, somber, grim war movie made with some of the best talent on all fronts especially the cinematography done by the absolutely brilliant Roger DeakinsSiskoid
Is 1917 a good title for something that takes place over a day? (And indeed, is almost 2 hours in real time given the one-shot conceit, though director Sam Mendes does find ways to contract time.) Lets talk about that conceit because it exacerbates the completely legitimate comparison to an MMO side-quest. The story is so streamlined - it's this one, very simple mission - that it's basically an NPC giving the player a quest and off we go. With the camera never cutting away from the main character and following him through the adventure, often over the shoulder, the visual vocabulary is somewhat like that of a third-person sandbox/shooter. Does it really intensify immersion into the story? Maybe. I kind of think Mendes gave himself and his cast and crew a big challenge for us to marvel at as TECHNIQUE and that's all there is to it, but that's fine. We DO marvel at it. If there is a point to the single shot, it may be to show war as a continuous and relentless experience, here crunched into 24/2 hours for our convenience, a temporal prison for men who just want to go home but are afraid they can't connect to that other timeline. More importantly and all that said, it works, with a couple of stand-out moments (the flare run and the final sequence through to the end and bookend especially) and given the brief scenes with the characters NOT on the mission (you can't exactly go back to keep track of them), it's especially wonderful that they each leave such impressions (and not just the ones who are name-brand actors). My personal favorites are the hilarious Andrew Scott and that big fat rat.Michael12
Possibly the best film of the year. While some may say that editing the movie to seem like one shot is a “gimmick”, I wholeheartedly disagree. This technique allows the audience to become fully immersed in the world, you feel as if your in the trenches, on the battle field, etc. Plenty of twists and turns, even moments I knew were coming based on the trailers still caused me to jump out of my seat. Highly recommend this film, and see it in theaters while you can.bathkuyp
I really enjoyed the first shot.baraka92
Finally someone not named Cuarón or Lubezki knows how to use the one shot ”gimmick” effectively in an action setting. There’s a deeply humane idea behind it.This deserves to be watch on the biggest screen with the best sound you can find.
Forzelius
So after missing out on the first 12 or whatever it was, Deakins is gonna make it 2 Oscars in 3 yearsairi86ja
beautifuly filmed +soundrack made the film even more majestic
Emiam
8+/10Wow!!
diirtyharry67
this movie was very intense while showing the horrors and carnage of ww1.DisneyStitch
I've always been of the opinion that continuous-shot movies are an incredible undertaking and this one does not disappoint. Being immersed in it doesn't even begin to describe how much we resonate with the characters and their plight. The choreography is stunning and the suspense of our main characters wandering around behind enemy lines is gripping to say the least.nowhereman136
Possibly the best war film since Saving Private Ryan and the best WW1 film since Wings252
This beautifully gripping long-shot of serenely sombre scenes and casually macabre imagery as frame for the soldiers, exhausting all their hope, courage and sanity on their perilous task that would inflict defeatism and apathy in most, is to my warless mind and senses the truest testament to WWI and war in general. Absolute masterpiece.Ice Bean
I absolutely love this movieWithnail33
great cinematography but other than that, it's just okay. The plot adds nothing unique and it hits all the tropes and all the same beats of a standard war movie. The film has a lot of familiar faces but they start to feel like cameos. There's been a lot of hype over this "one-take" style but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The scenes where they traverse through no-man's land and the scene in the ruined village work very well for the one-take. Other scenes where they're just walking through the trenches or talking in the truck makes the movie drag (I get that they can't edit those because that would ruin the "one-take").I give Sam Mendes an A for effort. The film looks good and there are some great scenes but if this was done without the one-take, it turns into your run-of-the-mill war movie.
chunkylefunga
Visually it's absolutely stunning, and the one take is well done (though certainly not perfect).Ultimately though the storyline just doesn't have that much substance, George MacKay as the lead role was poorly chosen and Mendes just had to add pc nonsense that sadly simply wasn't the reality of 1917 Europe.
Cameos were fantastically picked though.
Showing items 1 – 15 of 29