Loved how this movie was shot as if it was one continues scene with no cuts, seeing its just not possible, they used CGI to seamlessly edit them together.
Something I didn't think about first time I watched the movies was that there were a lot of big actors in supporting roles and the main characters were more unknown actors. It makes sense in the way seeing these veteran actors as generals, colonels and captains give them an extra sense of authority whilst the young enlisted men are unknowns to a degree.
This is my great-grandfather, who was killed in a gas attack in Ypres, Belgium,in July 1917. Matthew Stanley Shaw Irving, 1883-1917. Any one of the background soldiers could have been him. Makes this movie all the more personal. It’s an amazing film…cheers…
My great Grandfather was force conscripted in Imperial Russian army 1915, he went mia presumed died, somewhere in Eastern front when Russian Empire collapsed due Revolution and collapse Imperial army 1917 actual location and date with his exact date are unknown due the chaos there. No records survived or ever manage to left front due the chaos of collapse. We gained independence in December 1917. He never got to see his home free from Russia.
I saw this at an IMAX cinema... I have never seen in my life the whole crowd Jump at the "Trip Wire" Scene.... The technical aspects in that the film "flows" and "moves" continuously without any edits ("one shot" ) is simply ground breaking... The tension from the visuals, the acting, the soundtrack...
As a historian, this is probably one of the most accurate all-around portrayals of the First World War on the Western Front ever put to film. The cinematography is just incredible, as the almost lack of cuts during the film does a fantastic job at building the tension and unease that a soldier of the First World War would have experienced in this environment. The equipment and kits are all on-point and the uniforms are correct. The scene where they cross No Man's Land in particular is scarily well-done. Many accounts of those who fought in the West tell of how the world between the two armies seemed to have lost all color. No life - not even trees or grass - could exist in this area because of the constant shelling and fighting. Everything there was dead. As I understand, a great deal of historical study went into this particular scene, and I recognized a couple period photographs of the Western Front which were actually used as references. The only really glaring mistake I could discern from a historical standpoint was the presence of the Mk. IV Landship (that really big tank) in the No Man's Land scene. The Mk. IV was just a few months away from production around this time, but it wasn't deployed in combat until the end of the year. That aside, this film is an insanely accurate portrayal, which is both wonderful and terrifying in its own right.
My great grandfather served in the Devons on the Western Front. He was killed in action at Arras at then end of April 1917. His remains, along with countless thousands of others, have never been found. Lest we forget.
I watched this movie with my Ex after getting back from Afghanistan. The scene with the rat in the trip wire made me stand up in the theater, forgetting where I was for a moment. Was easily the most embarrassed I had ever been in my life.
@paultaylor9498 pointless? Yes. Everything about every day life in trench warfare was pointless. It's very accurate. Most of war is not "honor and glory." Most of war is pointless death.
I was about 20 minutes in the first time when i realized they filmed it to be seemingly cut-less. I was flabbergasted. You really feel like you went on a real mission with them the entire way
I love that the final shot is the same one that at the beginning, with a peaceful laying down on a green tree. It gets you on the go from the very min it starts and it doen't give you rest up until the end of it. Wonderful movie...
My great-grandfather enlisted at 16 (lied about his age) and was sent to Egypt as part of the Mid-Lothian bicycle regiment (yes, they rode bikes into combat). He took part in the battle of the Sinai. From there he was sent home for a while and reassigned to the Royal Engineers in France. He finished the war with the Royal Engineers at Somme 1918. My grandmother says he never spoke about his experiences. What is amazing, my great grandfather and his 2 brothers and father all survived the war! These movies about WWI just give us a glimpse into the war, an experience that for us is just a couple hours but for them a lifetime. I highly recommend Peter Jackson's "They shall not grow old." It is a different experience, more like a documentary but it is a fantastic watch.
My friend Randy asked if I'd go to see this with him. I thought, "oh boy, another of Randy's war movies," but I indulged him. When the movie ended and the credits rolled, I couldn't even get out of my seat. Stunned. Such an amazing film.
@@MichaelBosley that's not actually true. the battlefield of the Somme, for example, was all chalk under the topsoil. you can still see in aerial shots of the farmland where the trenches were as the soil is still lighter there from all the chalk that was dug up/blown up. Now the land around Ypres, that wasn't chalky, that was all reclaimed marsh with heavy clay. Minor nitpick, these weren't French trenches, they were British and German - though the Somme was chosen as it was where the British and French armies met up.
Benedict Cumberbatch played Sherlock Holmes in the BBC TV show and Andrew Scott, whose character can be seen splashing the alcohol around, played Moriarty in the same show.
@@tfpp1 He means the craters and trenches that will take hundreds of years of erosion to erase. Plus, French farmers who own acreage in what was once No Man's Land still have to be careful when ploughing their fields. Unexploded ordnance such as artillery shells, bombs, and grenades are still found. Particularly dangerous are chemical warfare shells containing mustard and nerve gas which is still active more than a century after they were fired in artillery barrages.
Dan Carlin -ancient hisory podcaster - used to say the worst place in time was any losing army: Then he did a bit on WW1. Now the worst place is either side in a WW1 battle.
@@holddowna Dan has an incredible five part series called "Blueprint for Armageddon" about the First World War. One of my favourite stories from it is from the British explorer Ernest Shackleton, who went to go explore Antarctica in 1914, right when the war was breaking out. Shackleton wrote about his thoughts prior to heading out: "We hope in our small way to add victories in science and discovery to that certain victory which our nation will achieve in the cause of honor and liberty." His expedition fails, the ship and crew stranded for two years and they have to cross over Antartica to reach the other side for a chance at rescue, Shackleton and five other men get in a row-boat and try to row for a whaling station off the coast of South America. They rowed for almost three weeks. When they finally arrived, in rotting fur coats and tattered clothes, Ernest made sure a rescue ship was sent to get the rest of his crew. Finally, he spoke with the man in charge of the station and asked him how things went with the war. “Tell me, when was the war over?” I asked. “The war is not over.” he answered, “Millions are being killed. Europe is mad. The world is mad.” The year was 1916. Shackleton and his men would not return to England until the Spring of 1917, where he would volunteer for the British Army shortly after arriving home.
i feel like i saw this in a theater maybe only a couple of months or two before lockdown. i think it was the last movie theater experience i had for couple of years at one point.
1917 is in my top eleven all time favorite movies. Its incredible! The scene in the burning city, along with the accompanying score is the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life 😍😍
This was easily one of the best movies thats come out in many years, the single continues camera shot used in this film and Birdman is simply amazing, and yes the music is incredible, the acting, the set and costume design. Its unbelievable. I hadnt felt as tense watching movie because of the music and cinenematography since watching 1917 until I saw oppenheimer, maybe chernobyl had a similar feel.
This was the last film I saw in theaters before the lockdowns started and I'm so thankful I saw it on a big screen. I'm sure you have watched them by now, but the behind the scenes videos on the making of this film make you appreciate it even more. Roger Deakins is, if not THE GOAT, one of the GOATs for sure. Such a fantastic film.
One thing brilliant about this movie. There is a trope that has been in a lot of war movies. The guy who talks about his dreams after the war or shows a pic of his loved one, especially a girlfriend, fiance, or wife is the one to always die. The best way to survive a war movie is to never talk about home or your dreams. That's why Blake died.but Scofield lived. It happened in Saving Private Ryan. Capt Hillard (Tom Hanks) was a bad ass leader who survived so much. As soon as he talked about who he really was and his wife back home, he died.
There is a very subtle point shown when MacKay is able to tell Liutenant Blake how his younger brother died. They had showed us scores and scores of anonymous bodies of soldiers from both sides whose relatives would never know how their loved ones died. But in this case, Blake's family would have the closure of knowing their loved one had soldiered courageously and had died honorably in the arms of a friend.
I think my favorite part of this movie is that they used relatively unknown actors for the main roles, but gave some very famous British actors (Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, etc.) relatively minor roles, that only appear for a few minutes. It really hammers home the theme that WW1 was made up of thousands of stories, and that this is only one of many. Casting such charismatic, well-known actors into those little scenes makes it seem like there are other stories taking place simultaneously to this one that we are only seeing glimpses of. One of the most effective ways to cast a movie I've ever seen.
I understand that you are Canadian; the Canadian sector of this battle was Vimy Ridge (this is a big deal in Canada). Also, 6 Apr 1917 was the date the US officially entered the war.
did you notice the film comes full circle? it ends where it began under that tree. its often said of war that it consists of long periods of boredom interrupted by short, sudden outbursts of madness and mayhem. as a contrast you should watch the original masterpiece "all quiet on the western front," about ww1, which won 1930's best picture oscar. the acting can be a little "wooden at times compared to today but the cinematography, battle sequences, humour, endearing characters and overall story are all top notch. thanks for the video.
Blake’s death really affected me. It was so sudden, so real, the color leaving his face and his last words and moments all in the same shot…incredible.
Alfred H. Mendes was Sam Mendes Grandfather, that fought in WW1. A Portuguese descendant born in Trinidad and Tobago. This movie was inspired by Alfred's stories from fighting in WW1.
The trenches were narrow, because they were designed to lower the blast radius of bombing if they were hit in the trench, its Also why they're built with lots of turns
The casting of more well known actors as officers and lesser known actors as the main characters was a brilliant move. Though I will say it wasn't until watching reactions like this one did I realize that this film was basically Tommen Baratheon rushing to save Robb Stark with King George VI, Professor Moriarty, Merlin, and Smaug.
When I saw this in the movies I nearly cried when the man was singing because it’s true about in battle men would sing to cheer the lads up before going over the top
You're right to be impressed by the attention to detail, it really is extraordinary. A big part of this is they firmly rooted the story in a specific time and location, i.e., immediately before the Battle of Arras and in the sector where the Germans did pull back from a salient in order to strengthen their defensive line. The British trenches there were rough and waterlogged because they were trying to push forward and the water table was high. The Germans were positioned on a well drained and chalky soil and had been there since 1916, so their trenches are so solidly built. It is also why, after the explosion in the bunker, Schofield is blinded by the dust, and they emerge from the tunnel into that pale scene of destroyed equipment. It's even more pronounced in the last trench scene, where he's pushing through the Devons. Having toured the battlefields in the area, that sort of chalky white is just below the surface. Honestly, even the details on the uniforms are so well done that even the most pedantic button counters can't find much to fault,
Ames - oh wow, yeah No Country For All Men was visually captivating too. Didn’t know about Deakins. When I first watched this last year, I didn’t know about the “one shot”. Wasn’t until they were easing down the crater and the camera followed them with the water in the foreground, so smoothly, that I said, “Hey, has this been one shot?”. Most impressive thing from behind the scenes stuff, is how they rehearsed the long scenes before the trenches were dug, and marked key points on the property, then created the sets. Also, so stunning when those flares were going, creating the most unique lighting I’ve seen. Hope you delve into the making of it. So cool.
You picked up on everything including the significance of the cherry blossom 🌸 ❤. That was Blake telling him to keep going. Films like this dont come along very often.
I like the final scene where the trenches are dug into Chalk. We think of the WW1 battleground as being mud. But north of the River Somme are Chalk hills as shown in this movie.
I am a combat veteran ( Vietnam ) I really don't have the words to thank you enough for this. Every war is horrible in it's own way . I don't think you can possibly know the good you have just done. May God bless you.
The behind the scenes "how it was filmed" documentary is incredible, having to build the actual trench networks and practise matching their movement speed to their dialogue (and reshoot when they moved too fast / slow lol). The smoothness of hooking up of the cameraman and fall away railing to crane him down.... just wow
The making of this movie and how they did all the shots is incredible. 1917 Behind-the-scenes Extended Featurette on One Long Shot. it's just 11 mins long
I highly suggest watching the making of documentary. The way they timed the uncut scenes and the entire pathway he ran was mind boggling. It deserves all its praise.
I've never seen this movie. But Ames has the professional attention span to tell me about it.. Showing emotions and feelings are what story telling is about. There's reason you don't watch certain movies unless you're in a strong mood.. Thank You Ames.x seeing you laughing is better. Cheer's Beautiful.x
I knew so many WWI veterans, my grandparents' generation. Those guys were tough as hell, and shaped most of the 20th Century. They didn't talk much about their war experiences, but you knew they'd been through some awful things. I miss those men.
The trenches are very accurate, Ames. The French and English had a policy of providing just the bare necessities in the frontlines to protect their troops because it was thought that if the trenches were too comfortable, then their soldiers might lose their desire to fight. That is why you see some English soldiers trying to sleep inside holes they dug in the trench walls. The Germans had the opposite philosophy. They built their trenches deeper and reinforced them with concrete walls to provide better protection. They also took advantage of the layers of chalk deposits which were dozens of yards deep in that part of France so that they could build unground living quarters that were as much as 40 feet deep. It gave the German soldiers a safe place to sleep and eat when they were not on duty, and the chalk deposits could absorb the blasts of most artillery shells except for really large ones. But rats plagued both sides because of the large number of dead people and animals in No Man's Land, plus the food scraps that would inevitably accumulate in the trenches after years of living in them by hundreds of men.
Asghar Farhadi Iranian director, is one of my favourite directors, three of his films I own, About Elly (2009), A Separation (2011) & the salesman (2016) I highly recommend...
Amazing movie! both of my grandfathers served in WW1, one in The Battle of Delville Wood and the other in The Battle of The Somme, as a kid I heard some stories from only one of them who got wounded at Delville Wood, the other never spoke a word about it, I was told he suffered from being gassed at The Somme.
The year this came out was a great year for movies. I thought for sure 1917 would win best pic. Parasite wins instead which is fine because it was also amazing. You also had Jojo Rabbit(which I thought should've won), and Ford vs Ferrari. I know next to zip about cars and racing, but that movie gets better every time I watch it.
I saw this in the theater with a bunch of WW2 vets. There wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end. I'm a teacher and when I talk about catharsis I use the end of this movie as a prime example.
I am 76 and my dad was a sergeant in the Lancashire Fusiliars in WW1 my dad was in his 50s when I was born and he told me nothing as I was only 6 when he died though my older brother told me dad was gassed [survived of course] Dad was at the Somme battle.
I’ve never been a huge action movie fan, but THIS film… is a viewing experience I recommend to EVERYONE! I’ve never been moved, and captivated by a film since I’ve seen this. It’s an amazing story, with its correlation to WWI 😢 I LOVE THIS FILM and it deserved more than the 3 Oscar’s wins
I'm sitting here with my Grandfathers Doughboy Helmet, he was in the Army, and Artillery and survived 5 campaigns, He would never tell us anything of it, except when we were little He would tell funny stories about how they would steal Chickens & Eggs from the French people after He died we found a stash of Photo's that were so Horrific, as far as you could see there wasn't a single Blade of Grass,
JR Tolkien was a combat veteran of WW l. In an interview he said his inspiration for the dead marshes in Lord of the Rings, came from seeing corpses floating just below the surface of the water in the shell craters in no mans land.
oh, I saw this film in the cinema and it was truly an unforgettable visual experience. the plot is amazing as well, but the way some scenes are shot gives you chills! // hi, Ames! ☺️
Start to finish, a true cinematic masterpiece. Up there with Saving Private Ryan, the emotions it brings out of viewers is a testament to the incredible effort the film took to create. And the score is legendary.
I never tire of this film. Visually stunning, brilliant acting. The main thing that's not accurate is the waterfall, and the geography is a bit off apparently. None of that matters really, as the rest is so good. Some people say it's unrealistic to have so much happen to one guy in a 24 hr period, but having read first person accounts of this war it does not surprise me in the least. Lots of people are making suggestions for more WW1 movies, and one I haven't seen recommended yet is Regeneration. It's primarily about Doctor Rivers, who treated the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and it's more about the psychological impact of the war. Was released in the USA as Behind the Lines.
All Quiet in the Western Front - should be the logical and most immediate follow up film here. Both sides must be experienced and seen at their fullest. Also, for anyone interested, as an absolute must, check out Otto Dix's works on WWI. Insane, in the full sense of the word.
Great reaction Ames like always love this epic movie, Despite the movie is inspired by Sam Mendes' grandfather, the two main characters played by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay are not based on real people. Instead, both of the characters are more of a loose reinterpretation of Alfred Mendes' own experience during the First World War. There are some fun-facts about it. In case you didn't realise the way director Sam Mendes chose to present the shooting seem like just one take. In layman's term, the one-shot approach refers to a single long take that occurs in real-time minus the traditional edits often seen in most movies. Interestingly enough, "1917" isn't literally shot in one take, but it is via the magic of clever editing and elaborate camerawork. Creating an illusion as if "1917" was shot continuously in a long, single-take is very cool. And believe us, it is, but the process itself wasn't exactly smooth sailing even with veteran English cinematographer Roger Deakins in charge as the director of photography. Deakins, who has been nominated for 14 Oscars before finally winning one for 2018's "Blade Runner 2049", had to endure a series of tricky challenges to get the shot from behind the scenes. For instance, during the movie's climactic scene where George MacKay's Schofield has to run across a battlefield, he has to combine different camera techniques including using a 50-foot Technocrane (telescopic crane) to accomplish the task. A series of long shots were also utilised to be stitched together later in post-production by editor Lee Smith, with the longest take being around 9 minutes. Given the nature of its filmmaking technique, the shots tend to stretch from 20 to an incredible 50 takes, totalling around 65 days of filming. Long sections of this movie take place in trenches. The production team had to dig out entirely new trenches to be used in the film, so that the trenches’ geography adhered to the events depicted in the script. As a result, the crew ended up digging more than 5,200 feet of trenches (in other words, almost a mile) to be used during filming. In the climactic sequence, in which Lance Corporal Schofield runs across the battlefield and the camera tracks him, he bumps into other soldiers on two separate occasions. Both times, he falls to the ground, rolls over, and jumps back up to carry on running. This wasn’t scripted; George MacKay accidentally bumped into a couple of the extras playing soldiers while they were filming and just played it off so he wouldn’t ruin the take. Keep up the good work.
Mendes said in the commentary that when Blake died, the actor actually was able to make his face go white. They didn't do anything in post to his face.
I always wanted to do content on TH-cam but this film was the big push I needed to do it and ended up being my first film review 4 years ago. It's such a triumph of a film in every aspect. I recommend it to everyone, any chance I get.
This is the last movie I saw in a theater. I had to sit in the lobby for about twenty minutes after the film ended before I could go outside because I was so shaken by it.
The exact moment i started watching this the movie Dunkirk started on tv here in Denmark . 2 amazing movies and watching along with Ames .. whats not to like...
Winner of 3 Oscars
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Editing
Best Cinematography
Did NOT win Best Picture. I liked Parasite and I like Bong Joon-ho as a Director. But 1917 was better and Sam Mendes did an amazing job as Director
@@thamoose2179 Yeah in hindsight Parasite was very good but this deserved it more for me. It achieved everything it set out to achieve
@@thamoose2179I agree. I think 1917 should’ve won best picture.
@@thamoose2179Agreed. This should've been Best Picture.
Loved how this movie was shot as if it was one continues scene with no cuts, seeing its just not possible, they used CGI to seamlessly edit them together.
Something I didn't think about first time I watched the movies was that there were a lot of big actors in supporting roles and the main characters were more unknown actors. It makes sense in the way seeing these veteran actors as generals, colonels and captains give them an extra sense of authority whilst the young enlisted men are unknowns to a degree.
I swear I can see Blake’s face go pail in real time. 😢
I KNOW! That was so crazy to me!!!!
Yes you do, goes white to almost blue as the blood leaves his body. Scary and well filmed scene.
A great example of digital effects used CORRECTLY. Showing us a real-time change that couldn't be easily achieved with makeup alone.
it did, that was not an effect. Watch any of the making-ofs and they'll tell you the actor did it by himself
@@RaceDayReplay He would’ve had to about give himself and aneurysm to pull that off! Great stuff!
This is my great-grandfather, who was killed in a gas attack in Ypres, Belgium,in July 1917. Matthew Stanley Shaw Irving, 1883-1917. Any one of the background soldiers could have been him. Makes this movie all the more personal. It’s an amazing film…cheers…
Great Uncle was killed at Meuse-Argonne 4 Oct 1918.
My great Grandfather was force conscripted in Imperial Russian army 1915, he went mia presumed died, somewhere in Eastern front when Russian Empire collapsed due Revolution and collapse Imperial army 1917 actual location and date with his exact date are unknown due the chaos there. No records survived or ever manage to left front due the chaos of collapse. We gained independence in December 1917. He never got to see his home free from Russia.
I saw this at an IMAX cinema... I have never seen in my life the whole crowd Jump at the "Trip Wire" Scene.... The technical aspects in that the film "flows" and "moves" continuously without any edits ("one shot" ) is simply ground breaking... The tension from the visuals, the acting, the soundtrack...
It’s amazing!!!!!!
As a historian, this is probably one of the most accurate all-around portrayals of the First World War on the Western Front ever put to film. The cinematography is just incredible, as the almost lack of cuts during the film does a fantastic job at building the tension and unease that a soldier of the First World War would have experienced in this environment. The equipment and kits are all on-point and the uniforms are correct. The scene where they cross No Man's Land in particular is scarily well-done. Many accounts of those who fought in the West tell of how the world between the two armies seemed to have lost all color. No life - not even trees or grass - could exist in this area because of the constant shelling and fighting. Everything there was dead. As I understand, a great deal of historical study went into this particular scene, and I recognized a couple period photographs of the Western Front which were actually used as references.
The only really glaring mistake I could discern from a historical standpoint was the presence of the Mk. IV Landship (that really big tank) in the No Man's Land scene. The Mk. IV was just a few months away from production around this time, but it wasn't deployed in combat until the end of the year. That aside, this film is an insanely accurate portrayal, which is both wonderful and terrifying in its own right.
this film is the definition of every frame a painting
@@Bacchaus66 And WW1 art both in and out of the trenches is a very extensive subject, the short very much mirror that
My great grandfather served in the Devons on the Western Front. He was killed in action at Arras at then end of April 1917. His remains, along with countless thousands of others, have never been found. Lest we forget.
I watched this movie with my Ex after getting back from Afghanistan. The scene with the rat in the trip wire made me stand up in the theater, forgetting where I was for a moment. Was easily the most embarrassed I had ever been in my life.
This isn't a film, it's an experience
I love this!
It's Art.
A moving painting 🎨
💯 this. Saw it in the cinema, just incredible
Speaking of pointless, how is your life going
@paultaylor9498 pointless? Yes. Everything about every day life in trench warfare was pointless.
It's very accurate. Most of war is not "honor and glory." Most of war is pointless death.
I was about 20 minutes in the first time when i realized they filmed it to be seemingly cut-less. I was flabbergasted. You really feel like you went on a real mission with them the entire way
Totally agree!
One of the most powerful cinema experiences I’ve had. The music really helped convey emotion through it all
I love that the final shot is the same one that at the beginning, with a peaceful laying down on a green tree. It gets you on the go from the very min it starts and it doen't give you rest up until the end of it. Wonderful movie...
My great-grandfather enlisted at 16 (lied about his age) and was sent to Egypt as part of the Mid-Lothian bicycle regiment (yes, they rode bikes into combat). He took part in the battle of the Sinai. From there he was sent home for a while and reassigned to the Royal Engineers in France. He finished the war with the Royal Engineers at Somme 1918. My grandmother says he never spoke about his experiences. What is amazing, my great grandfather and his 2 brothers and father all survived the war! These movies about WWI just give us a glimpse into the war, an experience that for us is just a couple hours but for them a lifetime. I highly recommend Peter Jackson's "They shall not grow old." It is a different experience, more like a documentary but it is a fantastic watch.
My friend Randy asked if I'd go to see this with him. I thought, "oh boy, another of Randy's war movies," but I indulged him. When the movie ended and the credits rolled, I couldn't even get out of my seat. Stunned. Such an amazing film.
I was pleasantly surprised at the different type of war this movie was
The most amazing thing about this film is that it's one single shot until he falls asleep. Incredible.
Fun fact: During the running scene when Schofield gets knocked down by other soldiers, that wasn't part of the script.
Someone on patreon told me that! I love they kept it in because that woulda likely happened
@@holddowna Leaving it in really highlights Schofield's determination even more. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend Dunkirk.
Those scenes were filmed on Salisbury Plain, hence why the trenches are bright white from the chalk. French trenches would not have been this colour.
@@MichaelBosley that's not actually true. the battlefield of the Somme, for example, was all chalk under the topsoil. you can still see in aerial shots of the farmland where the trenches were as the soil is still lighter there from all the chalk that was dug up/blown up. Now the land around Ypres, that wasn't chalky, that was all reclaimed marsh with heavy clay. Minor nitpick, these weren't French trenches, they were British and German - though the Somme was chosen as it was where the British and French armies met up.
Benedict Cumberbatch played Sherlock Holmes in the BBC TV show and Andrew Scott, whose character can be seen splashing the alcohol around, played Moriarty in the same show.
He’s so good as Sherlock!
Fun fact: Tolkien was a soldier in WW1 and the contrast between Shire and Mordor is the reflection of home and battlefield
So you know, the actual places WW1 was fought on are still scarred. Tolkien later used it to describe Mordor.
What do you mean by "scarred"?
@@tfpp1 He means the craters and trenches that will take hundreds of years of erosion to erase. Plus, French farmers who own acreage in what was once No Man's Land still have to be careful when ploughing their fields. Unexploded ordnance such as artillery shells, bombs, and grenades are still found. Particularly dangerous are chemical warfare shells containing mustard and nerve gas which is still active more than a century after they were fired in artillery barrages.
@@willmartin7293 Indeed, there are still area's in Belgium that are no go zones. Especially at Verdun.
@@willmartin7293 There are large areas around Verdun that are still uninhabitable today. They call it the red zone.
@@NecramoniumVideo Verdun is in France.
Dan Carlin -ancient hisory podcaster - used to say the worst place in time was any losing army: Then he did a bit on WW1. Now the worst place is either side in a WW1 battle.
Yes he’s great! I’ve listen to one of his hardcore history podcasts before I should listen to more!
@@holddowna "The Rest is History" podcast just did a great series on the start of WW1, highly recommend. Love Hardcore History.
@@holddowna Dan has an incredible five part series called "Blueprint for Armageddon" about the First World War. One of my favourite stories from it is from the British explorer Ernest Shackleton, who went to go explore Antarctica in 1914, right when the war was breaking out. Shackleton wrote about his thoughts prior to heading out:
"We hope in our small way to add victories in science and discovery to that certain victory which our nation will achieve in the cause of honor and liberty."
His expedition fails, the ship and crew stranded for two years and they have to cross over Antartica to reach the other side for a chance at rescue, Shackleton and five other men get in a row-boat and try to row for a whaling station off the coast of South America. They rowed for almost three weeks. When they finally arrived, in rotting fur coats and tattered clothes, Ernest made sure a rescue ship was sent to get the rest of his crew. Finally, he spoke with the man in charge of the station and asked him how things went with the war.
“Tell me, when was the war over?” I asked.
“The war is not over.” he answered, “Millions are being killed. Europe is mad. The world is mad.”
The year was 1916.
Shackleton and his men would not return to England until the Spring of 1917, where he would volunteer for the British Army shortly after arriving home.
I’ve never clicked on one of your videos so fast. This movie was a wild experience in theaters. It’s a masterpiece!
i feel like i saw this in a theater maybe only a couple of months or two before lockdown. i think it was the last movie theater experience i had for couple of years at one point.
Saw it first showing on Christmas day and it hit different. Everything about this film was so well done.
lucky you, mine was The Invisible Man lol
The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.--Sir Edward Grey, British foreign secretary, August 3, 1914
The experience of this movie is incredible and genius that puts you there like nothing before! One of my faves 🍿🥤
Unreal movie experience!
1917 is in my top eleven all time favorite movies. Its incredible!
The scene in the burning city, along with the accompanying score is the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life 😍😍
100k followers! Congratulations! You deserve it you work so hard and your videos are so awesome!
Thanks so much Dean ❤️❤️❤️
This was easily one of the best movies thats come out in many years, the single continues camera shot used in this film and Birdman is simply amazing, and yes the music is incredible, the acting, the set and costume design. Its unbelievable. I hadnt felt as tense watching movie because of the music and cinenematography since watching 1917 until I saw oppenheimer, maybe chernobyl had a similar feel.
It always makes me happy when a reactor really gets the weight of this film and truly appreciates it. Great reaction!
Thank YOU! And thanks for watching !
This was the last film I saw in theaters before the lockdowns started and I'm so thankful I saw it on a big screen. I'm sure you have watched them by now, but the behind the scenes videos on the making of this film make you appreciate it even more. Roger Deakins is, if not THE GOAT, one of the GOATs for sure. Such a fantastic film.
Trust me on this absolutely uplifting MUST SEE Classic Movie that is loaded with many iconic actors/actresses,, "Pocketful Of Miracles" (1961)
One thing brilliant about this movie. There is a trope that has been in a lot of war movies. The guy who talks about his dreams after the war or shows a pic of his loved one, especially a girlfriend, fiance, or wife is the one to always die. The best way to survive a war movie is to never talk about home or your dreams. That's why Blake died.but Scofield lived. It happened in Saving Private Ryan. Capt Hillard (Tom Hanks) was a bad ass leader who survived so much. As soon as he talked about who he really was and his wife back home, he died.
"Are we going to have a little jump here?" *jumps* 😂
Omgggg hahaha
There is a very subtle point shown when MacKay is able to tell Liutenant Blake how his younger brother died. They had showed us scores and scores of anonymous bodies of soldiers from both sides whose relatives would never know how their loved ones died. But in this case, Blake's family would have the closure of knowing their loved one had soldiered courageously and had died honorably in the arms of a friend.
I think my favorite part of this movie is that they used relatively unknown actors for the main roles, but gave some very famous British actors (Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, etc.) relatively minor roles, that only appear for a few minutes. It really hammers home the theme that WW1 was made up of thousands of stories, and that this is only one of many. Casting such charismatic, well-known actors into those little scenes makes it seem like there are other stories taking place simultaneously to this one that we are only seeing glimpses of. One of the most effective ways to cast a movie I've ever seen.
loved that!!
The full circle with the movie beginning being him sitting under a tree and ending with the same shot is just chef kiss. Cinematic masterpiece
Right !
I understand that you are Canadian; the Canadian sector of this battle was Vimy Ridge (this is a big deal in Canada).
Also, 6 Apr 1917 was the date the US officially entered the war.
Yes, the Canadians stormed Vimy Ridge 3 days later and took full control of it on the 13th.
I'm so grateful you gave this your time. My grandad was in and around all of this and it's such a painfully beautiful story
did you notice the film comes full circle? it ends where it began under that tree. its often said of war that it consists of long periods of boredom interrupted by short, sudden outbursts of madness and mayhem. as a contrast you should watch the original masterpiece "all quiet on the western front," about ww1, which won 1930's best picture oscar. the acting can be a little "wooden at times compared to today but the cinematography, battle sequences, humour, endearing characters and overall story are all top notch. thanks for the video.
Blake’s death really affected me. It was so sudden, so real, the color leaving his face and his last words and moments all in the same shot…incredible.
Alfred H. Mendes was Sam Mendes Grandfather, that fought in WW1. A Portuguese descendant born in Trinidad and Tobago. This movie was inspired by Alfred's stories from fighting in WW1.
The trenches were narrow, because they were designed to lower the blast radius of bombing if they were hit in the trench, its Also why they're built with lots of turns
Wow thanks for this fact
The casting of more well known actors as officers and lesser known actors as the main characters was a brilliant move. Though I will say it wasn't until watching reactions like this one did I realize that this film was basically Tommen Baratheon rushing to save Robb Stark with King George VI, Professor Moriarty, Merlin, and Smaug.
I didn’t realize it was Tommen!!! But I love this hahaha
Saw this in IMAX opening weeeknd and it was one of the best movie experiences of my life!
Surprising amount of laughter in this reaction for such a solemn movie?
I think I said it was nervous laughter 😅😅
@@holddowna that's understandable!
When I saw this in the movies I nearly cried when the man was singing because it’s true about in battle men would sing to cheer the lads up before going over the top
You're right to be impressed by the attention to detail, it really is extraordinary. A big part of this is they firmly rooted the story in a specific time and location, i.e., immediately before the Battle of Arras and in the sector where the Germans did pull back from a salient in order to strengthen their defensive line. The British trenches there were rough and waterlogged because they were trying to push forward and the water table was high. The Germans were positioned on a well drained and chalky soil and had been there since 1916, so their trenches are so solidly built. It is also why, after the explosion in the bunker, Schofield is blinded by the dust, and they emerge from the tunnel into that pale scene of destroyed equipment. It's even more pronounced in the last trench scene, where he's pushing through the Devons. Having toured the battlefields in the area, that sort of chalky white is just below the surface. Honestly, even the details on the uniforms are so well done that even the most pedantic button counters can't find much to fault,
Ames - oh wow, yeah No Country For All Men was visually captivating too. Didn’t know about Deakins. When I first watched this last year, I didn’t know about the “one shot”. Wasn’t until they were easing down the crater and the camera followed them with the water in the foreground, so smoothly, that I said, “Hey, has this been one shot?”. Most impressive thing from behind the scenes stuff, is how they rehearsed the long scenes before the trenches were dug, and marked key points on the property, then created the sets. Also, so stunning when those flares were going, creating the most unique lighting I’ve seen. Hope you delve into the making of it. So cool.
Hi M! Can’t wait to watch the behind the scenes on this one!!!!! Hope ur well!!
You picked up on everything including the significance of the cherry blossom 🌸 ❤. That was Blake telling him to keep going. Films like this dont come along very often.
I haven't seen this film since it was first released. You've inspired me to watch it again. It is a fantastic film. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome commentary as always. Besides the score, the thing that I love about 1917 is that is is filmed to look like it was just one take.
Yep I agree so amazing!!!!!
Mendez created the ultra all-immersive film when he made this gem. You can feel the labor of love put into this one from the outset.
I like the final scene where the trenches are dug into Chalk. We think of the WW1 battleground as being mud. But north of the River Somme are Chalk hills as shown in this movie.
I am a combat veteran ( Vietnam ) I really don't have the words to thank you enough for this. Every war is horrible in it's own way . I don't think you can possibly know the good you have just done.
May God bless you.
Thank you for your service ❤️❤️❤️ thank you for watching ❤️
The behind the scenes "how it was filmed" documentary is incredible, having to build the actual trench networks and practise matching their movement speed to their dialogue (and reshoot when they moved too fast / slow lol). The smoothness of hooking up of the cameraman and fall away railing to crane him down.... just wow
The making of this movie and how they did all the shots is incredible. 1917 Behind-the-scenes Extended Featurette on One Long Shot. it's just 11 mins long
I highly suggest watching the making of documentary. The way they timed the uncut scenes and the entire pathway he ran was mind boggling. It deserves all its praise.
Must!
I've never seen this movie. But Ames has the professional attention span to tell me about it.. Showing emotions and feelings are what story telling is about. There's reason you don't watch certain movies unless you're in a strong mood.. Thank You Ames.x seeing you laughing is better. Cheer's Beautiful.x
This was the last movie I saw in theaters before the world got shut down in 2020. I loved it so much, I saw it twice.
You're reacting to all my fav movies. It's awesome to see n glad to see you enjoying it all !
More to come!
I knew so many WWI veterans, my grandparents' generation. Those guys were tough as hell, and shaped most of the 20th Century. They didn't talk much about their war experiences, but you knew they'd been through some awful things. I miss those men.
Epic film, it’s like one long moving painting. Also congrats on 100k!
They did a good job with the trenches and no CGI all over the place. Well done.
Trench warfare like this is what inspired Tolkien to write about the Dead Marshes in The Two Towers. Pretty grim.
The trenches are very accurate, Ames. The French and English had a policy of providing just the bare necessities in the frontlines to protect their troops because it was thought that if the trenches were too comfortable, then their soldiers might lose their desire to fight. That is why you see some English soldiers trying to sleep inside holes they dug in the trench walls. The Germans had the opposite philosophy. They built their trenches deeper and reinforced them with concrete walls to provide better protection. They also took advantage of the layers of chalk deposits which were dozens of yards deep in that part of France so that they could build unground living quarters that were as much as 40 feet deep. It gave the German soldiers a safe place to sleep and eat when they were not on duty, and the chalk deposits could absorb the blasts of most artillery shells except for really large ones. But rats plagued both sides because of the large number of dead people and animals in No Man's Land, plus the food scraps that would inevitably accumulate in the trenches after years of living in them by hundreds of men.
Wow!!!
"Pocketful Of Miracles" is also by the very same iconic Director that also brought us Classics like "It's A Wonderful Life" & That is Frank Capra.
Asghar Farhadi Iranian director, is one of my favourite directors, three of his films I own, About Elly (2009), A Separation (2011) & the salesman (2016) I highly recommend...
Amazing movie! both of my grandfathers served in WW1, one in The Battle of Delville Wood and the other in The Battle of The Somme, as a kid I heard some stories from only one of them who got wounded at Delville Wood, the other never spoke a word about it, I was told he suffered from being gassed at The Somme.
Ames you caught it 😊 a lot of people claim this was a one shot but it wasn't. They used several tracking shots and very good editing 😊
The year this came out was a great year for movies. I thought for sure 1917 would win best pic. Parasite wins instead which is fine because it was also amazing. You also had Jojo Rabbit(which I thought should've won), and Ford vs Ferrari. I know next to zip about cars and racing, but that movie gets better every time I watch it.
Hands down my favourite war movie. Unrivalled in almost every aspect.
This movie gets me every time. Pure brilliance.
The entire film looks like one continuous shot. Absolutely amazing.
I saw this in the theater with a bunch of WW2 vets. There wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end. I'm a teacher and when I talk about catharsis I use the end of this movie as a prime example.
no you didnt.
I honestly have no words for this movie, its just another masterpiece.
Lee Enfield 303 rifle. I fired a clip of rounds in the cadets in the 1970's on firing range on Salisbury Plain. Awesome rifle.
I was fortunate enough to watch this in the cinema. Made me proud to be British lol. All jokes aside, it's a brilliant movie.
2:07 This is a quote from a Rudyard Kipling poem called The Winners.
I am 76 and my dad was a sergeant in the Lancashire Fusiliars in WW1 my dad was in his 50s when I was born and he told me nothing as I was only 6 when he died though my older brother told me dad was gassed [survived of course] Dad was at the Somme battle.
I’ve never been a huge action movie fan, but THIS film… is a viewing experience I recommend to EVERYONE! I’ve never been moved, and captivated by a film since I’ve seen this. It’s an amazing story, with its correlation to WWI 😢 I LOVE THIS FILM and it deserved more than the 3 Oscar’s wins
I'm sitting here with my Grandfathers Doughboy Helmet, he was in the Army, and Artillery and survived 5 campaigns, He would never tell us anything of it, except when we were little He would tell funny stories about how they would steal Chickens & Eggs from the French people after He died we found a stash of Photo's that were so Horrific, as far as you could see there wasn't a single Blade of Grass,
JR Tolkien was a combat veteran of WW l. In an interview he said his inspiration for the dead marshes in Lord of the Rings, came from seeing corpses floating just below the surface of the water in the shell craters in no mans land.
oh, I saw this film in the cinema and it was truly an unforgettable visual experience. the plot is amazing as well, but the way some scenes are shot gives you chills! // hi, Ames! ☺️
Hi POLINA! This WOULDA BEEN AMAZING in theatres! So nice to see you! ❤️❤️
Start to finish, a true cinematic masterpiece. Up there with Saving Private Ryan, the emotions it brings out of viewers is a testament to the incredible effort the film took to create.
And the score is legendary.
Rob Stark!!! And Blake was played by Tommen Baratheon, youngest child of Cersei and Jamie Lannister.
Yes!!!
Commending my grandparent's generation ... the burning town scene is beautiful.
Ames, as a Canadian you might appreciate this movie takes place right before the Battle of Vimy Ridge (Apr 9th 1917)
I need to watch some Canadian stuff!
I never tire of this film. Visually stunning, brilliant acting. The main thing that's not accurate is the waterfall, and the geography is a bit off apparently. None of that matters really, as the rest is so good. Some people say it's unrealistic to have so much happen to one guy in a 24 hr period, but having read first person accounts of this war it does not surprise me in the least.
Lots of people are making suggestions for more WW1 movies, and one I haven't seen recommended yet is Regeneration. It's primarily about Doctor Rivers, who treated the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and it's more about the psychological impact of the war. Was released in the USA as Behind the Lines.
i think one of best shot movies is this movie it’s a single shot frame the ENTIRE movie no cuts or anything
This movie had absolutely no business being as good as it was. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
100k! Congrats, and great job!
Thank YOU!
All Quiet in the Western Front - should be the logical and most immediate follow up film here.
Both sides must be experienced and seen at their fullest.
Also, for anyone interested, as an absolute must, check out Otto Dix's works on WWI. Insane, in the full sense of the word.
Congrats on 100k subscribers!
Thank u❤️❤️❤️❤️
Great reaction Ames like always love this epic movie, Despite the movie is inspired by Sam Mendes' grandfather, the two main characters played by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay are not based on real people. Instead, both of the characters are more of a loose reinterpretation of Alfred Mendes' own experience during the First World War.
There are some fun-facts about it. In case you didn't realise the way director Sam Mendes chose to present the shooting seem like just one take. In layman's term, the one-shot approach refers to a single long take that occurs in real-time minus the traditional edits often seen in most movies. Interestingly enough, "1917" isn't literally shot in one take, but it is via the magic of clever editing and elaborate camerawork.
Creating an illusion as if "1917" was shot continuously in a long, single-take is very cool. And believe us, it is, but the process itself wasn't exactly smooth sailing even with veteran English cinematographer Roger Deakins in charge as the director of photography. Deakins, who has been nominated for 14 Oscars before finally winning one for 2018's "Blade Runner 2049", had to endure a series of tricky challenges to get the shot from behind the scenes.
For instance, during the movie's climactic scene where George MacKay's Schofield has to run across a battlefield, he has to combine different camera techniques including using a 50-foot Technocrane (telescopic crane) to accomplish the task. A series of long shots were also utilised to be stitched together later in post-production by editor Lee Smith, with the longest take being around 9 minutes. Given the nature of its filmmaking technique, the shots tend to stretch from 20 to an incredible 50 takes, totalling around 65 days of filming.
Long sections of this movie take place in trenches. The production team had to dig out entirely new trenches to be used in the film, so that the trenches’ geography adhered to the events depicted in the script. As a result, the crew ended up digging more than 5,200 feet of trenches (in other words, almost a mile) to be used during filming.
In the climactic sequence, in which Lance Corporal Schofield runs across the battlefield and the camera tracks him, he bumps into other soldiers on two separate occasions. Both times, he falls to the ground, rolls over, and jumps back up to carry on running. This wasn’t scripted; George MacKay accidentally bumped into a couple of the extras playing soldiers while they were filming and just played it off so he wouldn’t ruin the take. Keep up the good work.
Hey! Thanks for this comment!!!! Appreciate it!
8:06 This scene was 100x louder in the theater and the explosion scared the living shit out of me
Mendes said in the commentary that when Blake died, the actor actually was able to make his face go white. They didn't do anything in post to his face.
What !
Another great WW I movie is War Horse about a young British lad and his love for his horse 😊 and I know you love horses
I always wanted to do content on TH-cam but this film was the big push I needed to do it and ended up being my first film review 4 years ago. It's such a triumph of a film in every aspect. I recommend it to everyone, any chance I get.
This is the last movie I saw in a theater. I had to sit in the lobby for about twenty minutes after the film ended before I could go outside because I was so shaken by it.
The exact moment i started watching this the movie Dunkirk started on tv here in Denmark . 2 amazing movies and watching along with Ames .. whats not to like...