1917
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Dan Gough,
5th Apr 2020
Tags:
Life
Review
Drama
'1917' is one of those war films, much like 'Dunkirk', which is a non-stop tense but enjoyable ride from start to finish.
The film is directed by Sam Mendes, and it’s the story of two young soldiers, Lance Corporals William Schofield, a veteran of the Somme, and Tom Blake.
The two British soldiers are tasked with carrying a message to Colonel Mackenzie, the commander of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment.
The message is to call off a scheduled attack that would endanger the lives of 1,600 men, including Blake's brother, Lieutenant Joseph Blake.
You can feel the constant sense of imminent danger through the soldiers’ journey.
Mendes and his team have certainly gone the distance to portray a real World War 1 atmosphere throughout the film. You can feel the constant sense of imminent danger through the soldiers’ journey, and you are never sure what is going to happen next.
The two encounter various obstacles and challenging places, such as No Man’s Land. In their mission, they pass through ditches, see the corpses of animals, are shot at a few times and become injured.
While it has its moments of violence and tension, it also has its moments of humanity that pull at the heartstrings of those watching. For instance, watching the chemistry form between Blake and Schofield, and seeing how the soldiers interact with the community and orphans.
'1917' shows how war has an effect on everyone, not just the soldiers, but also on the civilians and children that are left behind from those conflicts.
The legacy of those wars [The World Wars] has not yet faded.
Even though we are living far beyond the World Wars, the legacy of those wars has not yet faded.
It is important to revisit them and learn about how young people, from the ages of sixteen to their twenties, lived and fought on our behalf.
While not perfect, '1917' does a good job of highlighting history. The film leaves you with a sense of blessing and relief of what those young people did, so that perhaps future generations would not have to.
