Running time: 117 minutes. On a battlefield in Northern France, Lance Corporal Tom Blake with the British Army is asked to choose one of his battalion colleagues to join him on an assignment, he choosing his best friend, Lance Corporal Will Schofield. Of course, the two have been assured that where they will be crossing is safe enough, but the tension within the soldiers they meet as they get closer to the front, and the recent nature of the carnage they witness when they first go over the top, suggests otherwise. This is not a bad idea for a film, but "1917" never quite comes alive in the way that Mendes presumably hoped, and much of the reason for that is the direct result of how he has deployed to tell his story. The storyline concocted by Mendes and co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns too often feels like an amalgamation of such classic WWI films as "The Big Parade," “All Quiet on the Western Front” and "Paths of Glory." The lives of MacKenzie and his 1,600 men are at risk if the message does not make it through in time, one of those men being Blake's brother, Lt. Joseph Blake. This was clearly a fiendishly complicated project to stage and execute and there are some scenes (such as an especially tense one set in a seemingly abandoned shelter that contains a few nasty surprises), that are legitimate knockouts. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing 1917 (2019) near you. During World War I, two British soldiers -- Lance Cpl. And yet, that first glimpse of the literal Hell on earth they must journey through is only a taste of what they have to endure—at one point, one of them inadvertently plunges a hand recently sliced by barbed wire into the open wound of a corpse and that turns out to be one of the less excruciating moments in store for them. If that is enough for you, you may admire it for its accomplishments. The problem is that the visual conceit can’t help but draw attention to itself throughout, whether it is due to the increasingly showy camera moves or the sometimes awkward methods that are deployed to camouflage the edits and which begin to stick out more and more. At certain points, the story stops dead for brief appearances by familiar faces like Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong in exposition-heavy sequences that feel exactly like the cut scenes that appear between the different levels in video games. 1917 is a bit of a brag track, a cinematic flex by people who are really damn good with a camera. '1917,' starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, is a demanding movie about World War I that will leave you breathless. | "1917" is a movie that perfectly fits … I do agree with many of the comments that this film is great for people to watch due to its clear intentionality or attitude awareness. [1917 has] a rather simple plot for what turns out to be one of those rare films that can be truly worthy of the title Cinematic Experience. 1917 stuns its audience by switching protagonists early on, which is a tactic regularly used by horror movies to keep viewers on their toes. The story of 1917 takes place on April 6, and it’s partly inspired by events that had just ended on April 5. Director Sam Mendes wrote the screenplay based on the stories his grandfather told him about being a runner in the British Army. If you haven't watched it yet, you can read Salon's non-spoilery review. Two soldiers embark on a dangerous mission to save 1,600 men from certain doom during World War I. In the British trenches, with field telephone lines cut, two young British soldiers, Lance Corporals William Schofield, a veteran of the Somme, and Tom Blake, are ordered by General Erinmore to carry a message to Colonel Mackenzie of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, calling off a scheduled attack that would jeopardise the lives of 1,600 men, including Blake's brother Lieutenant Joseph Blake. With the radio lines down, Blake and Schofield are ordered to head on foot to that company in order to call off the attack before it can commence, a journey that will force them to travel through enemy territory. Schofield and Lance Cpl. ENTER CITY, STATE OR ZIP CODE GO. With this in mind, amid the horrors of an uncannily silent no man's land, the young brothers-in-arms must traverse nine long miles of hostile enemy terrain in the French countryside, to reach the 2nd Devons in time and call off the imminent attack. In 1917 during the first World War, Corporals Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean Charles-Chapman) are sleeping under a tree when they are awoken by a sergeant, who asks Blake to pick another soldier and report to his superior. To get to the regiment they will need to cross through enemy territory. 1917 (Film) Summary April 16, 1917. April 6, 1917. If the message is not received in time the regiment will walk into a trap and be massacred. Peter Sobczynski is a contributor to eFilmcritic.com and Magill's Cinema Annual and can be heard weekly on the nationally syndicated "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" radio show. April 1917, the Western Front. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Fandango FANALERT® Sign up for a FANALERT® to find out when tickets are available in your area. 1917 Movie Review Rating: 5/5 Stars (Five stars)Star Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Richard Madden, Colin … 1917 movie review: Director Sam Mendes reunites with cinematographer Roger Deakins to create one of the best war movies of all time, a technical masterpiece that will stun you speechless. Blake -- receive seemingly impossible orders. Two young corporals, Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay), are awoken from what could have only been a few minutes of sleep and ordered to report for a new assignment. The World War I film from Skyfall director Sam Mendes is … When he did finally make a cut, it came as a genuine shock. Sam Mendes' ambitious World War I film presents the harrowing odyssey of two British soldiers in one seemingly continuous shot. Stuff the belly, sleep, return home to Christmas Eve. And yet, for all of its technical expertise, little of it helps viewers to care about the characters or what might happen to them. 1917 review: WWI film exposes the limitations of immersive filmmaking While Sam Mendes’ two-take structure works well for ramping up the claustrophobia, it … 1917 is truly a marvelous fantastic war film like no other! Parents Guide. Two British soldiers are sent to deliver an urgent message to an isolated regiment. That certainly holds when it comes to the plot of director Sam Mendes’s new WWI epic, 1917, which just won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the … | for violence, some disturbing images, and language. April 1917, the Western Front. Taglines Director Sam Mendes has found a way to breathe life into the war movie with a simple story, imaginatively told, in "1917," arguably the year's most impressive cinematic accomplishment. Now, two ordinary troopers walk into certain death. At a time when it seems as if cinema experiences a new technological breakthrough every few months, it's oddly comforting that moviegoers can still be hooked by a film that's presented as being one unbroken shot. You must see this movie to truly appreciate every aspect of this amazing movie. Time is of the essence and the journey will be fraught with danger. When all is said and done, "1917" is basically a gimmick film. The result is a populist, immersive drama that leads the viewer through the trenches and battlefields of northern France, as two young British soldiers attempt to … A few miles away, another company, one that includes Blake’s brother, has planned an attack to commence in a few hours designed to push the Germans back even further following a recent retreat. Movie review 1917. Now, I enjoy an extended single-shot sequence that exists solely for a filmmaker to show off their technical finesse, but if I were to make a list of the most effective one-shot sequences, they would be the ones that are so absorbing for other reasons that we don’t even register at first that they have been done in what looks like one long take. 1917 (Film) study guide contains a biography of director Sam Mendes, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Plot Keywords Synopsis It's been already three devastating years into the costly World War I, and the Imperial German Army seems to have retreated from their position in the battle-scarred Western Front--an elaborate scheme designed to lure the Allies into a deadly trap. “1917” is not entirely without interest. ‘1917’ movie review: Digging deep into the trenches, dazzling with each step Namrata Joshi January 17, 2020 15:39 IST Updated: January 17, 2020 15:41 IST Namrata Joshi What makes a true hero? Blake and Schofield's stories as it pertains to them as soldiers in the bigger picture of the war, as soldiers trying to stay alive, as friends, and as human beings who have their own motivations are told for as long as they are able to survive on this mission. On 6 April 1917, aerial reconnaissance has observed that the German army, which has pulled back from a sector of the Western Front in northern France, is not in retreat but has made a strategic withdrawal to the new Hindenburg Line, where they are waiting to overwhelm the British with artillery. Synopsis On 6 April 1917, aerial reconnaissance has observed that the German army, which has pulled back from a sector of the Western Front in northern France, is not in retreat but has made a strategic withdrawal to the new Hindenburg Line, where they are waiting to overwhelm the British with artillery. 1917 is set over the course of 6 April (the day on which the US joined the First World War, though that event goes unmentioned on screen) and staged, like Birdman and Rope before it, to give the appearance of having been shot in an almost continuous take. 1917 is a 2019 British war film directed and produced by Sam Mendes, who co-wrote the film with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. In theaters Dec. 25. 1917 Review On 6 April 1917 — three years into World War I – two young British soldiers in northern France, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are … The following contains minor spoilers for "1917." Partially inspired by stories told to Mendes by his paternal grandfather Alfred about his service during World War I, the film takes place after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich, and follows two British soldiers, Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), in their mission to deliver an important message to call off a doomed offensiv… Offers. But the film is so obsessed with its particular technique that it doesn’t leave room for the other things we also go to the movies for—little things like a strong story, interesting characters, or a reason for existing other than as a feat of technical derring-do. 1917 Is a Movie About the Horrors of War, Told With a Devotion to Beauty and Life. Sitting through it is like watching someone else playing a video game for two solid hours, and not an especially compelling one at that. To get to the regiment they will need to cross through enemy territory. Two British soldiers are sent to deliver an urgent message to an isolated regiment. The entire movie is filmed as one continuous shot from start to finish with characters moving from place to place in real-time. Parents need to know that 1917 is an outstanding World War I drama that makes viewers feel like they're experiencing what it might really have been like to be in the trenches on the front lines. Granted, one of the reasons that the visual style ends up dominating the proceedings is because there isn’t really much of anything on hand here that has much chance of stealing focus. 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