{"id":451,"date":"2020-01-19T01:06:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T01:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=451"},"modified":"2020-02-08T00:50:06","modified_gmt":"2020-02-08T00:50:06","slug":"1917","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=451","title":{"rendered":"1917"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"1917-sam-mendes-movie-poster\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The new Sam Mendes epic war drama \u201c1917\u201d is a Best Picture contender for one simple reason: It\u2019s fucking amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which, once I picked up my jaw from the floor, is exactly what I said to my husband after we saw the movie last week. He agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, \u201c1917\u201d follows two young British soldiers on a seemingly impossible mission during World War I. The pair must venture through no man\u2019s land and deliver orders calling off an impending attack to prevent 1,600 troops, including one soldier\u2019s brother, from walking into certain death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I say \u201cfollows,\u201d I mean it literally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Director nominee Mendes presents this story in one long, fluid shot (he gave us a taste of this in the opening scene of 2015\u2019s \u201cSpectre<\/a>\u201d). From the moment we meet Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay) in an open meadow, we\u2019re buckled in for the journey \u2013 every uninterrupted step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one-shot technique (one of my favorites, when its use is this purposeful) allows Mendes to tell us this story essentially in real time. And his vision is nothing less than brilliant; his camera placement puts us squarely in the middle of the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audience sees, learns, and experiences everything alongside and in sync with these characters, which creates a level of anxiety that must be felt to be understood. We know nothing beyond the frame of the camera, and that uncertainty heightens both curiosity and concentration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all the while this continuous scene refuses to blink, keeping us on edge and hanging on every. Single. Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The occasional pivot or rotation or close-up gives a slightly different perspective and some additional detail, but our attention by way of the lens never deviates from its focus. And that slow zoom \u2013 the camera barely inching closer \u2013 on General Erinmore (Colin Firth) as he doles out this mission at the film\u2019s start gives every indication of its importance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your heart isn\u2019t already pounding out of your chest, those background drum beats add to the film\u2019s intensity and fully express the significance of this race against time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tension is real. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to calling shots behind the camera, Sam Mendes also gets his first writing credit here. Those efforts earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t see many war movies, but \u201c1917\u201d is beyond impressive. I was completely mesmerized and have been raving about this flick since I left the theater. As if the story itself isn\u2019t fascinating enough, the seemingly seamless visuals will blow your mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStories are nothing unless you\u2019re emotionally engaged,\u201d Mendes said in an IMDb On the Scene<\/a> interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His statement is a hundred percent accurate, and presenting “1917” as one long take was the only<\/em> way to effectively tell this story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I held my breath. I jumped. I winced, and I gasped. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I loved every minute of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have just enjoyed the insights of Movie Addict Mel, a cinema dork and conversational writer. Follow her on Twitter @movieaddictmel<\/a>, and \u201clike\u201d her Facebook page www.facebook.com\/movieaddictmel<\/a><\/em>. \n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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