1917 is directed by Sam Mendes and stars George MacKay and Dean Charles-Chapman.
War/Drama. Released 2019.
1917 follows two young soldiers (MacKay and Chapman) who are faced with a demanding race against time which involves crossing over to enemy territory to deliver a message that could save 1600 of their men, one of whom being one of their brothers.
There has been a lot of discussion about the unique selling point of this film: the 'single' take. This had really excited me, and I had expected that this would be a technically jaw-dropping piece of cinema and a thing of sheer beauty. However, what I didn't expect was that the emotional stakes felt equally impactful and as influential as that continuous and immersive shot. In 1917, you will lose all sense of space and time; it is a truly immersive and consuming experience, so see it on the biggest screen you can, because there is simply no other way. 1917 is a stunning cinematic achievement. Not only is it visually staggering due to the way in which it was shot, but there are some stunning stills from this film. Roger Deakins really is the greatest cinematographer alive. Being someone who knows and understands how most shots are constructed, there were some sequences where I was in utter disbelief. It felt like magic.
Dean Charles-Chapman is excellent. Knowing him from Game Of Thrones and having watched several interviews with him, this role feels like a very natural next step, and he's proven to be tremendously talented, with his role in Game Of Thrones crucial to the plot but not the most nuanced, complex or present character. He has solidified himself as a rising star and I hope this is just the beginning; there is one sequence where I was stunned at not only his emotional performance but the fact that the ill paleness we see in his face in a specific scene was brought about entirely by his body's emotional reaction - no SFX makeup required.
George MacKay - even having worked on small projects for the last decade or so - was someone that I had never heard of or seen before watching 1917, and I am so impressed. There is something so refreshing about going into a film and discovering a new talent for the first time; I, of course, love going into a film excited that I'm going to see a brand new performance by Scarlett or Leo, but for 1917, casting an unrecognisable face was simply the only way. It heightens the immersion of the film, because these soldiers are just normal people and could be anyone. However, MacKay's face is not going to be unrecognisable anymore, because he also has solidified himself as a rising star, and is nomination-worthy in this film. The role is extremely demanding, both physically and emotionally, and pulls everything off. It is genuinely jaw-dropping work from him, and as an actor, I feel inspired, which isn't something I say a lot. MacKay is so committed and if I was to ever achieve a performance like this one I would be so proud.
As I said, I hadn't expected this film to resonate so emotionally. There is one sequence - the big money sequence from the trailers - that, as a result of the emotional stakes, MacKay's performance, the cinematography, Mendes' direction and Thomas Newman's epic score, everything I had felt throughout the runtime of the film up until that point all came back ten times stronger. It was almost as though I had suppressed the emotion to concentrate - along with the characters - on getting to that important goal, not allowing time to dwell, and this climactic sequence felt like a cathartic release of that built-up emotion. The music swells, the bombs explode, the soldiers fight and MacKay just keeps on running. Aware that this may sound hyperbolic, I think it is one of the most emotionally impactful sequences I have seen in cinema.
1917 is a beautiful, gripping and technologically jaw-dropping war film. Conquering extremely demanding performances, both physically and emotionally, Dean Charles-Chapman and George MacKay prove to be some of the most exciting stars on the rise, and Sam Mendes solidifying his status as one of the greatest living directors, potentially having crafted the one of the greatest war films of all time and achieving one of the most immersive cinematic experiences you will ever have on the big screen.
George MacKay - even having worked on small projects for the last decade or so - was someone that I had never heard of or seen before watching 1917, and I am so impressed. There is something so refreshing about going into a film and discovering a new talent for the first time; I, of course, love going into a film excited that I'm going to see a brand new performance by Scarlett or Leo, but for 1917, casting an unrecognisable face was simply the only way. It heightens the immersion of the film, because these soldiers are just normal people and could be anyone. However, MacKay's face is not going to be unrecognisable anymore, because he also has solidified himself as a rising star, and is nomination-worthy in this film. The role is extremely demanding, both physically and emotionally, and pulls everything off. It is genuinely jaw-dropping work from him, and as an actor, I feel inspired, which isn't something I say a lot. MacKay is so committed and if I was to ever achieve a performance like this one I would be so proud.
As I said, I hadn't expected this film to resonate so emotionally. There is one sequence - the big money sequence from the trailers - that, as a result of the emotional stakes, MacKay's performance, the cinematography, Mendes' direction and Thomas Newman's epic score, everything I had felt throughout the runtime of the film up until that point all came back ten times stronger. It was almost as though I had suppressed the emotion to concentrate - along with the characters - on getting to that important goal, not allowing time to dwell, and this climactic sequence felt like a cathartic release of that built-up emotion. The music swells, the bombs explode, the soldiers fight and MacKay just keeps on running. Aware that this may sound hyperbolic, I think it is one of the most emotionally impactful sequences I have seen in cinema.
1917 is a beautiful, gripping and technologically jaw-dropping war film. Conquering extremely demanding performances, both physically and emotionally, Dean Charles-Chapman and George MacKay prove to be some of the most exciting stars on the rise, and Sam Mendes solidifying his status as one of the greatest living directors, potentially having crafted the one of the greatest war films of all time and achieving one of the most immersive cinematic experiences you will ever have on the big screen.
A+
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