1917 [Blu-ray]

I saw this film at the cinema and decided to get the DVD, I got it and love the film, however unbeknown to me at the time I bought the version with Polish subtitles which makes viewing it a different experience. So any polish person wanting a DVD with subtitles get in touch.

Nothing to dislike, Grandson loves his new toy and is always in it. Excellent

Shocking quality, I went to clean the disc and it snapped. Not a happy customer

Reminiscent of “Saving Private Ryan”, this shows a pair of young Lance-Corporals, Blake and Schofield, attempting to carry out the impossibly tall order to deliver in person a message across no man’s land, through trenches reportedly abandoned by the Germans, to save 1600 Allied soldiers from obliteration by falling into the trap of attacking enemy forces believed to be weak, but in fact reinforced by the withdrawal. Blake has a strong incentive to succeed, because his brother is a Lieutenant among the 1600. Schofield has the misfortune to be chosen by Blake, because he happens to be dozing alongside when he is summoned. The film has made the news with what is described as a “single camera shot” approach. This cannot really be the case for a two hour film covering a period of something nearer twelve hours. In fact, long shots have been skilfully joined to create a sense of continuity. The intended effect is to make one feel immersed in the experience: when Blake and Schofield force their way towards a crossing point through no man’s land, pushing through a flow of men going the opposite way, the trenches feel like a dizzying maze. Similarly, the muddy struggle through a wilderness of water-filled bomb craters, the putrid carcases of horses and twisted human corpses feels done in “real time” giving the audience a virtual experience of this as close to “shellshock” as one can suffer at the cinema. I realised on reflection that the film consists of a relatively small number of long scenes, each portraying a different aspect of war: the aftermath of the downing of an enemy plane, the experience of being stuck in a lorry convoy which ought to be faster than going on foot but isn’t, crossing a broken bridge under sniper fire, fleeing pursuers through a devastated city lit by fires like Armageddon and so on. Those who love films of dangerous action may enjoy this. For much of the time I was wondering why I was once again watching a fictional representation of horrible events with which I have long been familiar: the manufacture at great expense of all this carnage seemed almost obscene, although I appreciate that Mendes made the film as a homage to a grandfather who lived through this war. For even one of the corporals to survive such a chain of ordeals seemed well nigh impossible, but I knew that a film in which they totally failed would not make good box office. Even when the horror is offset by something of beauty there is a sting in the tail: cherry blossom surviving on felled trees or floating on the river beside murdered villagers; a young woman in hiding caring for an orphaned baby whose name she does not know; a soldier singing a haunting spiritual for men many of whom will die later in the war, if not immediately should the message fail to reach the commander in time. Can yet another film about the First World War derive any fresh insights from this appalling and pointless waste of human life? In this case, the answer for me is “Not really”, yet it may serve to renew the shame we ought to feel over any involvement we have in manufacturing arms, condoning conflict or turning a blind eye to the effects of war, when we should be urging negotiation and steps to stop escalation into fighting. For me, perhaps the most morally defensible film, hard-hitting in its authenticity, is the documentary “They shall not grow old” based on real footage produced in 1918 by Peter Jackson.

okay thanks

The cinema-photography is masterful. It grabbed me from the start. I was there with them in the trenches, back in 1917. Wonderful.

Very well crafted movie that holds one's attention from beginning to the end. This is mainly down to the way it was filmed as one continuous scene. If it was a stage play they'd have to have the protagonists on a giant treadmill with the scenery constantly scrolling past behind them as there's no pauses to allow for scene changes. We constantly follow the protagonist through every step of the way. The protagonists two lance corporals, best mates, are given the task, mission, to deliver a communicate across no man's land to another brigade who are about to storm the enemy first thing the next day. They are to deliver a command to stop the attack as what they first thought would be an easy victory will in fact be a trap, set by the enemy, and thousands of men will die for no advantage. The two corporals have to stop the attack at all cost but to do it they have to negotiate territory ranging from hazardous to downright hostile and v' dangerous. As an added incentive one of the corporals has a brother in the brigade that is to lead the attack. Their trials and ordeals are numerous and varied and give the viewer a good idea of life on the front line of the First World War and we can easily empathise with the two corporals and what they had to overcome in their quest to complete their mission. The two lads are just everyday boys thrown into the hell that was the First World War, they've been there long enough to be experienced soldiers of the day but they are not would be 'Boy's Own Heroes' they are just trying to stay alive and for the sake of their comrades complete the mission they are given. It's beautifully filmed and acted and the action is none stop with hardly a let up.

1917 is a film largely based on a story told to director Sam Mendes by his paternal grandfather Alfred Mendes. It chillingly brings home the reality of the claustrophobia and squalor of day-to-day survival in the trenches and in the no man’s land of The Great War in 1917, and the mission two British soldiers were sent on to prevent a massacre during Operation Alberich, which saw the Germans deliberately retreat to lure the British into a pre-planned trap. Set in Northern France but actually filmed in the UK, aerial reconnaissance showed the German army had withdrawn, looking to lure the British in to an overwhelming artillery bombardment. With British phone lines cut General Erinmore, played by Colin Firth, orders two lance corporals to navigate the hazardous eight miles across no man’s land, through the former German trenches and through bombed out villages and towns to stop the planned attack of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. The lance corporals Blake and Schofield, played superbly by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay have extra reason to survive a mission with a high likelihood of death as Blake’s brother is a lieutenant in that Devonshire Regiment, heading for almost certain slaughter unless his brother can deliver the ‘stand down’ message in time to stop the baited trap springing. Much of the film is taken up with their hazardous journey and is effectively broken up into two movements – day and night. The gritty realism at times is almost too much to bear as they speed through the grim, muddy reality of the British trenches to head out through no man’s land at a more cautious pace. The horrors of war are fully realised here, with fallen and decaying horses, former comrades face down in the mud, soldiers caught up in barbed wire defences, and bodies being eaten by rats. What is so impressive about this film is it’s filmed as if in two single camera shots, with no evident editing save for a fade to black as MacKay is knocked clean out over an hour into the film. Despite this the camera is far from static, almost constantly moving in shots that must have taken cinematographer Roger Deakins weeks of planning. It’s an immersive experience, putting the viewer right into the heart of the action often to jump out of your seat effect. It’s often filmed close to Blake and Schofield in a narrow angle, almost from their point of view as they carefully scan their surroundings. Whilst negotiating the German trenches it’s particularly effective, bringing out the palpable fear that German’s may have remained and the claustrophobia of a network of underground tunnels and dark, oppressive barracks, full of rats and booby trapped. The sense of peril when a booby trap is set off by a rat is edge of the seat stuff, with the tunnels collapsing as they try to find their way out. Also well done is the sense of sheer wanton destruction of the landscape, farms, towns and bridges really brings home the devastating effect of war. Bombed bridges, shattered buildings, trees hacked down and used to block roads, dead animals and even despoiled orchards to mean the advancing enemy is starved of food are all realised with chilling effect. This is as realistic as it gets and a sobering, if engrossing watch. It brings home the heroism and the gritty, chilling callousness of war, so often romanticised in cinema – not here. Mendes has produced a superb film that hits hard and is technically a major cinematic achievement. It rightly won Golden Globes for ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama’ and ‘Best Director’ and seven awards at the British Academy Film Awards, but quite how it missed out on the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar is a mystery. The best film of 2019, and one that will live long in the memory of anyone who watches this gripping tale of heroism in the face of adversity.

If like myself you watch films to also appreciate the various movie making skills on display you will find 1917 a very rewarding experience. The technical merits on show here are first rate including three Academy Awards for cinematography, visual effects and sound mixing. Your eyes and ears are truly treated to a visual and aural feast. This reviewer found the cinematography in particular was first rate. It’s also not a spoiler to state that this is NOT an action war film, it merely tells a tale that could take place during any stand off that has occurred throughout the centuries between the different races of humans. The Blu-ray presentation of this film is also first rate with outstanding picture and bone rattling audio that will impress anyone with a decent home theatre setup.

This is a sensational and heart-breaking view of World War I. Not 100% historically accurate, but close enough to convey the reality.

A mi juicio la mejor pelìcula sobre la Primera Guerra Mundial.

このDVDは日本の再生プレイヤーでは映りません。外国用のモノです。 詳しい人に観てもらいましたが、無理でした、残念

日本語字幕でなくても、充分楽しめます。