Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: George MacKay, Dean- Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch
Script: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns

In 1917 at the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (MacKay) and Blake (Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers - Blake’s own brother among them.

Audiences, and the film world in general, have been talking about this movie, a lot, even before its release, and even more so since it hit cinema screens.

Now, if you missed it on the big screen you have the chance to watch it in the comfort of your own home - and given the current circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown that is in fact the only place you can watch it!

The main draw of 1917 is the idea of the film being shot in one continuous take. This is of course something that is almost impossible to achieve in a normal film, but in a war film with guns, explosions and horses it is downright ridiculous to even attempt it. But if anyone was capable of such a daring feat Sam Mendes would be high up on the list of people you would call on to attempt it.

And whilst it doesn’t quite manage to convince us - there is at least one blatant cut during the film - it is as close as perhaps anyone is likely to come with a war movie featuring so many dynamic elements such as leading actors, dozens of supporting cast all performing in all-out action sequences as bullets fly, planes whizz overhead and explosions go off. It’s a bold, bloody and resolute attempt to create a continuous shot all-action war movie.

Of course when you have a director with the quality and experience of Sam Mendes you expect brilliance. So you also need other great people around him. You can’t get any better than Thomas Newman as director of sound and Roger Deakins as director of photography. This results in a film that is perfectly directly, beautifully lensed and all set to an immersive soundtrack.

Dean-Charles Chapman may be less well known than George MacKay but both are on excellent form and if you need gravitas you only need to look to the likes of Mark Strong, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch to round out a fantastically talented and experienced supporting cast.

BONUS FEATURES ON DVD:

• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Sam Mendes


• Feature Commentary with Director of Photography Roger Deakins


• The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes - Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1


• Allied Forces: Making 1917 - Learn how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award® winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Sam Mendes' vision to life.


• The Music of 1917 - Composer Thomas Newman and filmmakers discuss the important role of the Academy Award®-nominated score
  

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD & BLU-RAYTM, INCLUDING TWO HD EXCLUSIVES

• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Sam Mendes


• Feature Commentary with Director of Photography Roger Deakins


• The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes - Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1


• Allied Forces: Making 1917 - Learn how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award® winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Sam Mendes' vision to life


• The Music of 1917 - Composer Thomas Newman and filmmakers discuss the important role of the Academy Award®-nominated score


• In The Trenches - Go behind the scenes with the cast of 1917


• Recreating History - Filmmakers offer a detailed look at the production design challenges of recreating the First World War

1917 will be available on 4K Ultra HD combo pack, which includes 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray

• 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience


• 1917 4K Ultra HD is available with HDR10+TM, providing a premium HDR picture quality. HDR10+ transforms your movie watching experience with incredible brightness and contrast for each scene, delivering brighter brights and deepest darks


• Blu-ray unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theatre-quality surround sound

1917 is available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD from the 18th May 2020 from Universal Home Entertainment.

Author : Kevin Stanley