A Reel Review: 1917

For various reasons, the First World War has not been given as much cinema-time as the Second World War. Decade after decade, celebrated filmmakers with names like Spielberg, Nolan, Tarantino, and Ford have brought WWII to us in many forms that have cemented a place in our culture and hearts. Today, we can add director Sam Mendes and his towering drama 1917 to that list. 

France, Spring of 1917. The height of WWI. Two British soldiers; Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), and Schofield (George MacKay), are given a special mission by General Erinmore (Colin Firth)…to cross the enemy lines and deliver orders that will prevent a Battalion from walking into a trap. 

Taking place over two days across a scorched-earth battlefield littered with dead soldiers and animals, rats, bottomless craters, booby traps, bombed-out villages and towns and the occasional German soldier, 1917 follows Blake and Schofield as they make their way through these terrors to reach the Second Battalion, who are charged for an attack thinking that they have the German army on the run. The desperation is felt right away; the situation is dire for the British army, and if the Second Battalion charges, they lose over 1600 men…which includes Blake’s older brother who is a lieutenant ready to help lead the charge. 

1917 is episodic in a way, as the two men encounter peril after peril which includes (but not limited to), an abandoned German underground bunker and farm. Along the way they encounter their own army and enemies, and while help is scarce…the threats loom large. Around the half-way point, an event happens that makes the desperation of their mission even more important, and the film finds an emotionally-charged angle which latches onto the humanity of it all. There is a spirituality around it, as we go from location to location, our soldiers are born again on their way to another stage of their journey. 

Director Sam Mendes, along with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, have filmed a technical masterpiece. It is filmed and edited to look like one long continuous take with no cutaways. The camera stalks our two soldiers from the opening shot to the closing, and it sustains a perfect balance of intimacy with the characters and the large sense of scale. The audience is dropped right into the middle of the battlefields and the sequences are breathtaking. Tension is mounted high, and the ugliness of their surroundings are realistic as they come. Thomas Newman’s score is magnificent. 

Acting is superb as our two leads go through some serious emotion and physical work. Dean-Charles Chapman and George MaKay are perfectly matched; two young men who are barely old enough to shave given the mission of impossible odds and stakes. Their personalities are fleshed out nicely; with Blake being a storyteller and Schofield not truly believing in their mission. The rest of the cast is a string of cameos as characters come and go; held down nicely by Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, and Richard Madden. 

Nothing in war is ever easy, and even when the film makes its way to the Second Battalion, the clock is nearly done ticking and the commanding officer is moments away from going into the fray. By this point the emotion and desperation is truly felt, which is capped off by a quiet moment full of heart. Sam Mendes based the film in part on stories told to him by his grandfather, and the love he shows for the men who fought in WWI can be seen and felt on the screen. 1917 stands as a great war story; executed by a visual miracle and a healthy dose of humanity. The First World War has finally been given its cinematic monument. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it