immersed in ww1

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2020)

I'm afraid that I saw yesterday the movie that will win the Academy Award for Best Movie this season. I wrote that 'I'm afraid' because '1917' directed by Sam Mendes is an extremely technically ingenious film, impressive in cinematography, and belongs to one of the thematic categories loved by the members of the Academy. I could not help but be impressed by the visual aspects of this film. But I didn't feel any emotion, no special interest and no intellectual challenge when watching the movie. In a season blessed with many interesting, original and exciting films, '1917' risks to steal the show and the big prizes - Best Director and Best Film - as it already happened at the Golden Globes. If it happens at the Academy Awards, in my opinion, it will be a shame.
The story is between simple and simplistic. Two English corporals from the First World War trenches are sent on an almost suicidal mission to communicate to an isolated division the order of cancellation of an attack that would have attracted 1600 British soldiers in a tactical trap set up by the German enemies. The lines of communication had been cut, and the English generals had not thought of using aviation (already existing, as will be seen) to convey the message, because otherwise the story of the film would not have had any pretext. The film describes the race against time and death of the two soldiers, in the fields of fire, mud and death of the war.
I used the verb 'to describe' but what happens is that the spectators are close witnesses of almost everything that happens during the two hours of action, and the merit is the technical ability to use the long frames (although not really one shot as sometimes advertized) and the close camera perspective. The most appropriate term can be borrowed from the field of virtual reality and it is 'immersive experience'. '1917' represents a formidable immersive and cinematic experience, succeeding in introducing its viewers to the nightmares of the war trenches. However, the action is simplistic as in a trivial action movie, the characters are one-dimensional and stereotypes are not avoided, and even the presence of well-known actors in the role of the commanders who send soldiers in the risky mission fails to elevate the film to a human dimension. The comparison with the great war and anti-war films related to ww1 makes no sense. Perhaps also due to the technological promotion of the film, the viewers are prepared to watch the movements of the camera and forget (or have not many reasons) to feel emotion. I think that '1917' deserves the Academy Award for cinematography that it will get. But I'm afraid he'll get a lot more.