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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says ‘1917’ is likely to feature on many critics’ ‘Best Of 2020’ lists later this year…
One major difficulty about war films is that the real life heroics are often so unbelievably brave, they look false on screen.
It is why those who were actually there, or their descendants, are often so critical of the way their memories of events are depicted.
1917 is set on 6 April 1917, and the German Army have retreated to the Hindenburg line. The plot is simple, and not unknown in this genre.
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Two Lance Corporals, Blake and Schofield, are given a do-or-die mission. Two Allied battalions are due to attack enemy lines the next morning, unaware that they are walking into a carefully laid German trap, with a potential catastrophic loss of 1600 lives.
Just to add to the tension, Blake’s brother is serving in one of the battalions. All communication lines are cut and only a personal written order can halt the slaughter.
‘1917’.
Their orders are to get this message to the Commanding Officer on the front line before the attack is launched.
What we experience is a cinematic tour de force, with what seems to be a continual shot of Blake and Schofield, from being volunteered going all the way through the story.
The Germans used a “scorched earth” policy as they pulled back, destroying roads, blowing up bridges and felling trees all to slow down the British advance.
We, the audience, are right there with them as they make their way through the rat infested trenches, stepping over, and through, the wounded, dying and deceased corpses, human and animal.
The tension is continually ratcheted up as they progress through the wasteland knowing that they could, at any moment, trip a booby trap, or be shot by an enemy sniper.
An aerial dog fight paves the way for the most shocking scene of the whole film which is brilliantly unexpected. This is supreme cinematography by Roger Deakins that has to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated.
The script is not without its clichés and faults, notably the woman tending a baby, and convoys of Lorries passing by just at the right time.
However, the film is based on the experiences and stories of Director Sam Mendes’s grandfather, and bearing in mind my opening comments, these might well have happened.
What I can say is that this is a totally immersive cinema experience. You are caught up in the tension of the journey and you are in the middle of all the events.
The use of relatively unknowns, George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, as the protagonists, is excellent, together with occasional cameo appearances by the likes of Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Richard Madden and Benedict Cumberbatch who are welcome familiar touchstone on our progress.
This is a film that has rightly been nominated for, and won, a number of major awards already. It will certainly appear on many “Film of the Year” lists. It is well worth your time, but again, I urge you to see it in the cinema. Enjoy!
