Review of 1917 by Sibasis Bhattacharjee

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2020)

1917 is the latest movie from critically acclaimed director Sam Mendes. As the name suggests, the movie is set in 1917 amidst the chaos of World War 1. The movie has made all the right noises in the awards season, bagging the Best Movie Award and the Best Director Award in Golden Globes and numerous Oscar nominations. The movie is presented to the audience in an apparently unbroken shot.
The story follows two young corporals, Blake(played by Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofeld(played by George MacKay) on their mission to head on foot to reach Blake's brother's company to warn them before they walk into a German trap. The radio lines have been cut by the retreating Germans. Thus begins their journey around the socalled no man's land in Northern France separating British and German troops. In spite of initial assurances that their passage will be safe, their path is laden with danger lurking in every corner and views reminiscent of the phrase "Hell on Earth". But, Blake accompanied by exhausted and wise Schofeld stop at nothing in order to save the lives of 1600 soldiers. The movie pulls off an undeniably impressive technical feat. Roger Deakins is one of the all-time great cinematographers and his work here on what must have been an insane and intensely challenging shoot is impressive. Deakins already has a welldeserved Oscar right next to his name for the movie Blade Runner 2049. Mendes has utilized his work well and puts his technical skills on display in almost every shot. The single shot technique is not a new idea but it still enthralls the audience and can pull a flock of movie watchers to the movie theatre. It is quite evident that Mendes wants the audience to notice this feat and drop them right in the middle of the action. The film does not devote much time to build up and throws the characters into a tense atmosphere from the very beginning.
The movie strives to provide a visceral depiction of the horrors of war and stages and executes tense scenes(such as one set in a maze of buildings) to perfection. The movie elicits gasps and awe from the audience throughout its running time of two hours which pass by pretty quickly. The camera moves through dark spots to obscure the transitions. But, it is staggering to imagine the scale at which this movie was made. This apparent single-shot nature endows the movie with its immersive nature and makes the audience feel as if they are on the battle field witnessing the perils and sacrifices of the two soldiers. This gives an authentic and tangible feel to the movie, not to mention its heart-pumping action sequences. The set design looks perfectly accurate and not a single item looks out of place. The background music is in sync with the feel of the movie and contributes to the uneasiness of the audience. The acting of the actors is also on point and do whatever is required of their characters without doing anything unnecessary. George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman are both very good, and their fresh acts make the audience root and care for them. The movie also has some famous faces with guest appearances from some of the best known actors of the British movie industry. The movie has drawn unfair comparisons to Nolan's thriller "Dunkirk" and other war movies. However, Nolan's movie was built as a thriller and is more about the peril a group of soldiers find themselves in and hence did away with the scope of character development. This movie could do more regarding the scope of character development. The movie also pulls back punches when it comes to showing violence and ugliness of the war, unlike "Dunkirk". Nolan pulled back no punches beginning the movie with scenes where the protagonist tries and fails to relieve himself several times. Undoubtedly, the movie thrives through its technical brilliance and immersive nature. The movie is made to emphasize its technical brilliance and captivate the audience with that. However, this movie is definitely one of the best movies of this year(it released in 2020 in India) till now.
The movie shines not only because of its technical brilliance, but also because of its ability to give an immersive experience to its audience and enthrall them with its heart-pumping sequences.