1917

1917 is a movie set in World War 1 and follows the story of two soldiers given a dangerous mission to give a message that will require a squadron in imminent danger to retreat. Sam Mendes is the talented director behind this cinematic experience. The inspiration behind this movie was a true story told to Mendes by his grandfather who served in the First World War. For Mendes, this is a movie out of his element, as he had never before directed a war movie. Many of Mendes’ films range from dramas such as American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, and even some of the Bond movies, including Spectre and Skyfall. 

The film includes many scenes that are considered “one-shot scenes.” One-shot scenes are scenes that are filmed all in one take without any cut editing. The majority of the movie is composed of one-shot scenes that do an amazing job of dragging you into the world of the movie. One-shot scenes require extreme precision and countless rehearsals to ensure the immersion is captured. 

British actor George Mckay is the lead in the film. Online news source Screendaily reports that Mckay said the film was “so exciting – just because it gets so ambitious. Sam explained how rehearsal-heavy it would be and it would be like a play, in a way.” 

While filming, they mostly shot in chronological order in regards to the screenplay, which is not usually the case for movies. The actors had to carry around heavy gear in no man’s land and really live the roles they were playing. 

Watching this film is an extremely immersive experience that makes you feel like you are a soldier walking the battlefields and trenches of World War 1. Scenes are nearly perfect and performances are beyond outstanding. The dedication from each and everyone who worked on the movie shows through every second of the film, which I believe will go down in cinematic history as a masterpiece.