Why "1917" is one of the main films of the "Oscar-2020"

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The film combines a touching storyline with three Academy Award-winning technical excellence.

A new work by Sam Mendes, author of the films American Beauty and 007: Skyfall Coordinates, received 10 Oscar nominations. "1917" even received awards in the categories "Best Picture" and "Best Director", but they went to "Parasites".

The tape about the First World War took away the statuettes for the best camera work, the best visual effects and the best sound. Moreover, the victory only in technical nominations in this case does not detract from the emotional component of the picture.

Mendes shot a story that everyone understands about the most ordinary soldiers who have had a difficult fateful mission. The director made every effort to create the most realistic sensations for the viewer, forcing him to fully experience the experiences of the characters.

And the result was great!

Everyday, but tense plot

Two young British soldiers, Blake and Scofield, are ordered in April 1917 to cross the front line and deliver an urgent message to the battalion. The thing is that the Germans retreated, and part of the British troops decided to pursue them, but, as it turned out, all this was just a trap.

Now 1,600 soldiers of the second battalion can die. And, more importantly, Blake's older brother is among them, so the task becomes especially responsible for him. The two heroes set off on a journey, and with each step the situation becomes more dangerous: the enemies are getting closer, and time is working against them.

Undertaking to shoot "1917", Mendes decided to completely abandon the romanticization of military operations, opposing his story to numerous blockbusters about tanks, planes and large-scale fateful battles. He says that ordinary people were the main ones in the war.

Of course, they did so before him. "Dunkirk" by Christopher Nolan clung to exactly the same thing: the heroes were just trying to survive and help each other. But Mendes went even further. He reduced the entire action time to a few hours, and at the same time abandoned the parallel narrative and the abundance of characters.

In terms of the plot, this is generally the most linear movie. But this is how you can understand how Blake and Scofield felt during their trip. Each scene inevitably increases the degree of tension, which is facilitated by the irregular droning soundtrack. At the same time, the heroes are not ashamed of their fears, for example, Scofield repeatedly offers to abandon the venture, or at least wait.

But gradually the pace increases, and the unhurried step at the beginning of the action towards the end turns into a race against time itself.

Moreover, even when events become more tense, pauses repeatedly appear, which show people who have become hostages of this war. For example, a girl hiding in a basement with someone else's child.

It is moments like these that will give more emotions and food for thought than any tank battles and unnecessarily bloody skirmishes, which Mendes is trying to avoid. And the stronger will be the impression of the pile of dead bodies that the river could not carry away.

Beginners instead of stars

Trailers and posters for "1917" promise that the film will feature many famous actors. Indeed, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Oscar-winning Colin Firth, and many public favorites such as Andrew Scott and Richard Madden. But all of them got only short roles for a couple of minutes. And the point here is not at all about saving the budget.

It's just that in "1917" the camera relentlessly follows only the main characters, the rest appear only in order to somehow send two soldiers. And it's actually good.

Familiar from the films 11.22.63 and Captain Fantastic, George McKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, who appeared in Game of Thrones, do an excellent job with the main load.

It is this approach that even more helps to perceive the characters as real. Many stars are expected to have an already established image, and the faces of newcomers allow them to perceive heroes from scratch, without unnecessary stereotypes.

Movie connoisseurs and fans of these celebrities will simply enjoy the short, but very emotional appearances of their idols. Whether it's Firth's motivational speech or Cumberbatch's unexpected look.

Amazing filming prowess

Sam Mendes didn't just tell a human story about the war, he was able to translate it into an incredibly complex film to produce. No wonder the thirteen-time Oscar nominee and just a living legend Roger Deakins worked for him as a cameraman.

"1917" was shot almost entirely with the effect of one continuous shot. This approach is not new. It was used by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu in the famous "Birdman", and Alexander Sokurov actually shot "Russian Ark" without editing.

Still, Mendes further complicated and refined this technique. The heroes of "1917" do not stay in the same locations for a long time and rarely go indoors. They are constantly moving, and the camera follows them even in the trenches, even in the mud, even in the water, without switching. Editing glues are only occasionally found on dark elements.

Even the filming process itself can be considered a separate work of art. And to this it is also worth adding that in most of the picture natural light is used, which does not prevent the creators from changing the color scheme, making the viewer feel either the night cold or the heat from burning houses.

All these complexities are needed not only to surprise viewers or critics with skill: it is the natural pace of movement that makes it possible to better understand the tension of the picture.

Heroes cannot afford to rush, but every minute of delay can be fatal.

And therefore, each of their transitions, each pause and stop must be too long for the audience. Nolan used the ticking of a clock at Dunkirk for added tension. Mendes managed to translate this into the picture itself.

And all the more this applies to dynamic moments when soldiers run away from enemies or find themselves on the battlefield. Everything is built in such a way that even the viewer will have the feeling that a short run stretches for long minutes, and the death pursuing the hero is already catching him by the hand.

Sam Mendes came up with the script for this film based on the story of his grandfather, who served during the First World War. Tom really had to deliver messages under enemy fire. Probably, it was his personal emotions that helped him create such a deep story, in the center of which were simple and understandable characters.

“1917” is a great example of how to make a movie so that every viewer will feel it. This is an author's project that combines the incredible professionalism of the team, a realistic plot and a perfectly aligned pace. Undoubtedly, this picture will become one of the main events of the cinema of recent years, and therefore cannot be missed.