1917 (2019)
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Two British soldiers must navigate a deadly landscape to deliver a message that could save 1,600 lives.
The story
Set during World War I, the film takes place after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich. Two British soldiers, William Schofield and Tom Blake, are tasked with a perilous mission: they must travel through dangerous territory to deliver a critical message to Colonel Mackenzie. Their goal is to call off a scheduled attack the following morning that would jeopardize the lives of 1,600 men. The journey takes them through no man's land and across a landscape scarred by war, where they must navigate obstacles and enemy forces to ensure the message reaches its destination in time.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On April 6, 1917, it is discovered that the German Army has retreated to the Hindenburg Line. Lance corporals William Schofield and Tom Blake are ordered to deliver a message to Colonel Mackenzie to cancel a deadly attack. They cross no man's land and encounter a crashed plane; they rescue a pilot who then stabs Blake, leading to his death. Schofield continues alone, eventually being separated from a British unit at a destroyed bridge. He faces a sniper, is knocked unconscious, and later navigates a town at night, encountering a woman with a child. He eventually reaches the front lines and manages to deliver the message to Mackenzie, who cancels the attack. Schofield then finds Blake's brother, Joseph, and gives him Tom's belongings, before resting and looking at photos of his family.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sam Mendes
- Writers
- Sam Mendes · writer; Krysty Wilson-Cairns · writer
- Cast and characters
- George MacKay · William Schofield; Dean-Charles Chapman · Tom Blake; Mark Strong; Andrew Scott; Richard Madden
- Genres
- war; drama
- Themes
- sacrifice; war
- Tone and mood
- immersive; tense
- Setting
- The Western Front in northern France, 1917.
- Premise and plot tags
- war; historical; one-shot
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by stories told to Sam Mendes by his paternal grandfather Alfred about his service during World War I.
- Reception
- The film was a critical and box office success, receiving numerous accolades and being named among the best of 2019 by several critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 57
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Cinematography · win; Academy Awards · Best Sound Mixing · win; Academy Awards · Best Visual Effects · win; Golden Globe Awards · Best Motion Picture – Drama · win; Golden Globe Awards · Best Director · win; Critics' Choice Awards · Best Director · win; British Academy Film Awards · Best Film · win; British Academy Film Awards · Best Director · win; British Academy Film Awards · Outstanding British film · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to be shot with the Arri Alexa Mini LF digital cinema camera.; The film was designed to appear as two continuous shots.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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