Directed by Sam Mendes. Reviewed by Paul Sorrell

While this film has attracted considerable attention ahead of this year’s Oscars, it’s important to say what 1917 is not, as much as what it is. While it offers no great insights into male friendship or the nature of war — as we might have expected given all the hype — it presents a compelling adventure story in which spectacle and intimacy are effectively combined.

The film is based on the ancient narrative theme of the quest. Two young soldiers, Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield, are charged with delivering a message across no man’s land and enemy-held territory that will save 1,600 British troops from dying in a German ambush; they include the officer brother of Blake.

The shtick of 1917 is the way in which it is filmed. A technical tour de force, the film gives the impression that it was shot in one long take. The great advantage of this technique is that the audience is emotionally drawn into the unfolding story, literally following in the footsteps of the two protagonists as they set off on their seemingly impossible mission. This approach allows director Mendes to achieve a level of immersion rarely experienced in films about war — when the pair are thrust up against decomposing corpses or giant rats in foxholes and dugouts, we are right there with them.

As Mendes has pointed out, this is a film of exteriors, shot in the open air, both in daylight and at night — even interior scenes are filmed in buildings so badly damaged that they are open to the elements.

This is not a deep film. At base, 1917 is a Boy's Own yarn that keeps us engaged through the skilful handling of tension and suspense. There is no real attempt to develop themes of mateship, especially as the link between the two messengers is broken early on. However, Schofield’s character is rounded out through various encounters; we see him jostled by infantrymen amid cheery banter in the back of a troop transport and comforting a young Frenchwoman tending a baby (the mother is dead or missing) in a burning village. Officers’ attitudes range from the wooden rectitude of the top brass (Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch in cameo roles) to responses between sardonic detachment and warm humanity shown by middle-ranking officers.

Whether 1917 has anything more to offer than a gripping story and superlative production values is something viewers will have to decide for themselves.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 245 February 2020: 29