WatchSeeLookView (Oscar Season) - 1917

It’s that time of year when films of differing tone and style are mashed together into a contest to determine one of them as “the best”. Yep, it’s Oscar season so time to take a look at some of the big contenders for this year. Given that I’ve been a lean*, mean** film-watching machine over the last few months, I’ve already covered off some of the big hitters. Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Pain & Glory have all been discussed while Marriage Story and Parasite have had a brief mention (might flesh those ones out later on). That still leaves a few more to cover off so let’s kick off with something appropriately cinematic.

1917 (2019)
Dir. Sam Mendes / Dur. 119 mins
In A Nutshell:- The horrors of the First World War unfold, seemingly in a single take.

The Good:- It’s a film that definitely rewards viewing on a big screen. Technically, the film is an astonishing achievement, composed of a number of long takes (designed to look like a single take - with one notable exception; more on that below) and giving a real sense of movement to a conflict characterised by its frequent lack thereof. George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman make a convincing duo with Mackay having a particularly haunted , shell-shocked appearance throughout. It boasts some stunning visuals (courtesy of longtime Coen Brothers director of photography and previous Oscar winner Roger Deakins) and some moments of genuine tension and emotion; possibly all the more so knowing that it was based on stories told to Mendes by his grandfather.

The Bad:- There is a moment where Mackay’s character is knocked out and the action shifts forward once he regains consciousness which breaks the flow of it seeming like a single continuous shot. It’s a shame that Mendes chose to do that as it breaks the flow a little. Also, I found the famous bit part roles a little distracting too - dropping in Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Adrian Scarborough, Benedict Cumberbatch throughout made me focus on them as guest stars rather than as part of the story. I found myself at times marvelling at how they’d managed to pull off these long shots with a number of technical requirements throughout instead of paying attention to what was going on.

The Verdict:- It is a visually stunning and amazingly impressive piece of filmmaking that deserves to be seen on the screen. While there might be the odd moment that brings you out of it, it holds your attention from the opening shot all the way through and leaves you feeling, appropriately enough, slightly battered and dazed by the end.


* sedentary

** probably occasionally irritable at most