1917

1917 is a masterfully executed piece of filmmaking.  The director, Sam Mendes does not use this film to make a case for or against war, rather he use the backdrop of war to celebrate the qualities of the human spirit which only become evident in the harshest of conditions.

The promotional campaign for 1917 has made a big deal about its use of the "one shot" effect, which makes the entire film seem as though it's been captured in a single, long continuous take.  I believe that drawing attention to the technique is contradictory to what makes it so effective.  Mendes and his team of filmmakers took painstaking steps to make the technique invisible; the mechanics of filmmaking should exist with the singular purpose of immersing the audience.  In theory, you shouldn't even notice the technique if done properly; you should be fully absorbed by the events occurring onscreen.  Mendes comes close to accomplishing this.

I am fascinated by the idea that great art is somehow ingrained in our nature.  Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, rather it is an absolute.   You may have experienced this when listening to a beautiful piece of classical music; even though you don't remember hearing it before somehow the arrangement of the notes does not surprise you because each one is so perfectly placed that you can't imagine it any other way.  Classical music doesn't even have to be "your thing" to appreciate that perfect composition when you hear it.  It could be argued that every attempt at creating art has one single perfect outcome; a misplaced note, a heavy-handed stroke of the brush, or an unbalanced frame of film can be the difference between a masterpiece and a mediocre attempt.  1917 opens on a peaceful scene in the French countryside, and introduces us to two young soldiers who we will accompany for the next few hours as they make a harrowing journey across the battlefield on an extremely dangerous mission.  As the film unfolds each moment perfectly compliments the one it follows, and that is a truly an astounding accomplishment.  As an example, towards the end of the film, one of the main characters stumbles into a building which appears to have been severely damaged by artillery.  The people he meets, and the way he leaves them is not simply a detour as it may first appear, but it turns out to be a poignant segment of the overall arc of the film.  1917 consists of a series of events that are perfectly orchestrated to form what ultimately should be considered Mendes' masterpiece.