As a history enthusiast, I find the lack of iconic First World War movie quite
disturbing. Despite being the second bloodiest conflict in human history, WWI
or the Great War as the soldiers used to call it, is slowly waning from our
memory. It does not receive attention from the general population as much as
the Second World War.
There are several movies about this grim moment in humanity that I have
watched. However I feel that none of them were able to capture the essence of
the Great War as well as '1917'.
When the thriller came out, my expectation was through the roof. A great movie
is rare and a great movie about the Great War is even rarer. Today, I finally
get chance to watch '1917'. It is not perfect but it didn't disappoint.
Continuous Shot
One of the features which make '1917' stands out is the use of long takes
technique. It creates an illusion that the movie appears in long continuous
shot, in this case two. It is an attempt to make the movie to appear more
immersive as the camera follows the main character most of the time.
I personally have mixed feeling about this method. I understand that '1917'
long takes technique is definitely interesting from the movie-making point of
view. But as a viewer, I think it is distracting if you are not used to it. I
get an impression that my view is being restricted. It's like playing a
first-person shooter game but your mouse is being disabled.
In the first part of the movie, in which the characters walk around the
trenches, I get frustrated because the camera won't move around to show the
interesting background. It is such a missed opportunity, in my opinion.
However, as the movie goes on, it does get more bearable, and even added to my
enjoyment.
I think that in slower pace scene, long take would be fine if the camera does
not get fixated on the main character.
Spoiler ahead! Watch the movie before you continue reading the next part.
About the Movie
The whole movie is inspired by a real tale of the director's (Sam Mendes)
grandpa story. The movie follows two British soldiers, Lance Corporals William
Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) who are ordered
to deliver a message to call off an attack which is doomed to fail. The two
soldiers risk their lives to walk beyond the no-man's land so that they may
save 1600 men including Tom's brother.
The main story itself was not the main attraction for me. I like it because of
the context of why they have to do it in the first place, the whole war. It is
what the characters see and talk about during their journey. And especially,
the mud and the trenches.
The way '1917' presents the destruction caused by WW1 is very on point. We get
to see those iconic trenches and the disgusting living condition in which the
soldiers had to live through. We get to feel the intensity of the artillery
barrage and the hopelessness of the soldiers as they charged ahead, only to be
gunned down pointlessly.
The rats, pile of dead bodies, the barbed wires, the no-man's land; we get to
see them all in HD. The World War One is a far removed historical event but
this movie allows us to relive the terror.
Pointlessness of War
This movie is very excellent in term of portraying how pointless World War 1
was. The scene after these two boys managed to navigate pass the treacherous
no-man's land and abandoned German trench was particularly impactful. They
realize how futile the battle is as they see an empty field, untouched by the
war, behind the enemy line. They realize that they are fighting hard only to
achieve marginal gain.
The ending part is also leave a strong impact on me. The commanding officer
stated that even if the attack is called off today, the men will die in the
next few weeks on another pointless battle anyway. It leaves me with something
to think about.
The movie shows us how easy it was, during that time, for soldiers to die. It
is unthinkable by today's standard, throwing men in front of machine gun and
artillery fires without cover.
It is accurate portrayal and cruel realization that a lot of men died and
injured in order to capture few kilometers of empty land. In Western front, in
which this movie is based on, there are a lot of indecisive battles which
cause a lot of causalities. It is the harsh reality of trench warfare when two
opposing sides are stuck in stalemate.
Historical Accuracy
This movie is unfortunately not the most historical accurate WW1 movie. It
accurately captures the atmosphere as a whole but there are inaccurate little
details. One of the inaccuracy which grinds my gears the most is the presence
of mixed unit. I understand that movies nowadays are trying to be inclusive.
But during those days people from different ethnicity did not serve in the
same regiment.
For further reading about how accurate this movie is, you can read this
article by
Smithsonian Magazine.
Conclusion
I believe '1917' can be the new WW1 movie icon, just like how Saving Private
Ryan is to the WW2. The continuous shot used in this movie is not for everyone but it
manages to capture the atmosphere of the Great War perfectly. I hope it will
spark more interests in movies about the Great War with better quality.
I give this movie a 4 out 5 stars!