The 'Saving Private Ryan' of WW1

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2020)

Being one of the nine Best Picture nominees for the annual Oscars, '1917' emerged as one of the finest movies of 2019 and one of the favorites to claim the most coveted prize in the film industry. Though the South Korean comedy drama 'Parasite' swept the big categories, leaving '1917' solely with awards for cinematography, sound and special effects, the movie still has become both a commercial hit and critically acclaimed worldwide.
The story is set in WW1 era France, and follows (more or less literally) the footsteps of two British soldiers handed the task of impending an entire company from walking into a trap set up by the Germans, by delivering an order of retreat to the commander of the company. In order to complete their mission they need to cross muddy fields abundant of rotting corpses and their stench, make their way through mined bunkers and avoid Germans in towns devastated by war. Will they manage to deliver the message in time?
The most immediate and flagrant distinction in the movie is the widely talked-about one-shot technique, meaning that the film is devised in such a way that it looks like the whole affair I shot in one long, fluid take. It is a great device for sustaining the tension in each scene, for instance in the opening scene in the British trenches, where the claustrophobia gradually increases until it's time for our soldiers to set out on their journey. When they finally enter the barren, reeking battlefield the viewer has transformed into a third soldier, feeling the unease with every passing plane and flinching at the sight of the dissolving corpses. The meticulous cinematography is nothing short of an immaculate masterwork, giving the landscapes a bleak, gritty and desolate look, suitable for this kind of war movie. Overall the movie is technically impeccable, both looking and sounding astonishing.
Despite its many benefits, ultimately the film's most unique feature remains its greatest obstacle: the fluidity of the camera movement prevents a more elaborate look into the characters and a more emotional connection with them (notwithstanding the poignancy of the subject of war alone), leaving the film rather hollow on an emotional level, something the good acting can't redeem.
Acting as the WW1 equivalent to Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan', '1917' shares many of the latter's greatest attributes; being a realistic, non-glorifying and morbid depiction of war. Among all WW2 movies it's also refreshing to see a film taking place in the less exploited First World War. All in all '1917' is further evidence that the film industry after a few years off truly is on its way back.