1917 is a film which comes written and directed by Sam Mendes who some may know as the director of Skyfall (2012). The film stars Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay and Colin Firth. The film follows the story of two young men during World War 1 who carry an important message which will stop a force of men from attacking a target, which is a known trap.
Having not had a chance to see this in cinemas late last year, I had wondered if I had missed out on something special. Having seen the film get nominated and win many awards after its release had me thinking that there was something good there, but I just never went to see it. Now that it’s out on Blu-ray and I find myself without any real new release film to see with all the cinemas closed because of COVID-19, the time came for me to take a look at 1917.
Having now watched the film twice, I find it to be quite good. Sam Mendes has done well with directing this film, which is basically just a journey of two men delivering a message. The story isn’t super spectacular, it’s actually just very simple and the characters are developed as it goes along, but I never found them memorable, in fact two days later, I’ve already forgotten their names. Where this film does shine though, is with its cinematography and Mendes’ continuous shots. Continuous action sequences have been a trend in films lately and I think maybe it’s something we’re going to see a lot more of in the next decade. We saw the continuous sequence technique most recently in Extraction, but it is executed rather well in 1917. Viewers will be on the edge of their seats watching the two young men navigate the war zone in a seemingly continuous sequence (there are many cuts) and this can get quite intense.
As a film, this reminded the most of Dunkirk (2017) in which you just follow a character as they run around the battlefield. I had a little bit more fun with 1917, but I do feel the films are fairly similar. If you are a big fan of the war movie genre, then you’ll have a great time with 1917, it’s well put together and is quite intense.
If you are purchasing the Blu-ray this week, you will get quite a few features, these include:
- The Weight Of The World: Sam Mendes
- Allied Forces: Making 1917
- The score of 1917
- In the trenches
- Recreating history
- Feature commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes
- Feature commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins
Many of the features provide a behind the scenes look at the film. These will be most enjoyed by fans of 1917 or war movie genre buffs.
If you haven’t seen 1917 yet, it’s definitely worth watching, even if you just rent it (recommended). If you have seen it and are a fan, then the Blu-ray discs will be a nice addition to your collection.
