Introduction
Sam Mendes’s 2019 film 1917 offers a fresh and immersive take on the war movie genre while masterfully incorporating cinematic motifs, including character development, invisibility/verisimilitude, and audio-visual story emphasis. The “traditional Hollywood style” is mainly about concealment and seamless storytelling. Mendes used the “one-shot” technique in 1917 to highlight the immediacy and consistency of the characters’ experiences by giving the impression that the entire movie was shot in one uninterrupted take.
Creating Tension and Immersion Through the ‘One-Shot’ Technique
Mendes cleverly creates a tense and suspenseful mood that also penetrates the entire movie, which adds to the story’s lack of visibility. This is demonstrated in the scene where Schofield is crossing No Man’s Land. The ‘one-shot’ method places the audience in Schofield’s shoes as he navigates the perilous and desolate countryside. His only assurance comes from the words of a newly met officer, who claims that the opposing forces have abandoned the area. The emptiness, silent dread, and fear of hidden dangers reflect the horrors of war and heighten the audience’s absorption by making the story’s development feel almost physical (Mendes). The skillful blending of sound design and visual storytelling creates an unsettling atmosphere that blurs the line between fiction and reality, adding to the film’s realism.
Lance Corporals Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) also benefit from this strategy regarding their character development. The continuous shot emphasizes the characters’ transition from relatively novice troops to battle-tested survivors by tying the audience’s physical and emotional experience to the characters’ journey. Mendes emphasizes this change further by combining music and set design. This is demonstrated by the ear-piercing calm that follows the explosion in the German bunker, which contrasts sharply with the raucous, frantic events at the front.
Character Development and Emotional Resonance
Mendes also thoroughly examines the character arcs to touch on camaraderie and the relationships created in the crucible of war. Schofield and Blake develop a genuinely touching and convincing relationship despite their differences. This friendship is poignantly and permanently altered for Schofield when Blake dies after receiving fatal injuries. Blake’s passing inspires Schofield to take on a seemingly impossible task, revealing a substantial change in his character.
Additionally, the calm scene where Schofield finds comfort in a lone soldier’s song before starting the last leg of his journey emphasizes his development even more. The conclusion of Schofield’s character arc is effectively demonstrated at this moment, characterized by tranquility amid pandemonium (Mendes). Thus, Mendes increases the emotional resonance of the characters’ transitions by deliberate audio-visual emphasis, engrossing the audience even more in the story.
The Moral Complexity and Ethical Dilemmas of War
Belton writes that many war movies “plunge their characters into a world of extremes” (179). The moment in 1917 as Schofield runs through the ruins of Écoust-Saint-Mein at night while being bombarded by German artillery is an excellent illustration of this principle. Belton’s genre definition is supported by the intense action scene and the stark decision between fleeing or imminent death. Further illustrating the harsh nature of the battle, when even a delay or a little humanitarian reprieve can result in death, a German pilot stabs Blake, who had just been rescued from a burning jet.
Additionally, as Belton points out (184), the movie inspires philosophical reflection on the morality of civilization and the conflict between personal ambitions and community necessities. A memorable instance is when Schofield encounters a young French woman caring for an abandoned child. This sequence highlights the conflict between people’s hopes for peace and the group’s need to survive (Mendes), prompting viewers to consider the morality of war. This equivocal portrayal also raises queries about what constitutes “right” and “wrong” in times of war, which the movie purposefully leaves open-ended to encourage more reflection.
Schofield and Blake rescue a downed German aviator in 1917, demonstrating compassion for their adversary. Tragically, the confused pilot fatally stabs Blake, bringing to light the tension between compassion and self-preservation in times of conflict. The episode raises important issues regarding the morality of war.
Do they regret assisting an enemy? Should they have slain him up front? Was the pilot acting out of sheer animosity or out of fear? The movie urges viewers to consider the moral complexity of war and the conflict between personal conscience and military duty by leaving these concerns open-ended.
According to Belton, who calls the genre “the ultimate form of cinema” that examines extreme manifestations of love, hate, action, bloodshed, and death (179), war movies frequently have relatable themes that strike a chord with audiences. When Schofield decided to carry on Blake’s mission in 1917, this thematic component was evident, embodying the notion of love and self-sacrifice in the face of the surrounding violence and death.
In a scene highlighting this issue, Schofield exhibits love and compassion while in strife when he offers the orphaned baby some of his milk. The scene in which Schofield is forced to shoot a young German soldier is another potent example of Belton’s idea of how action, violence, and death are expressed in the war movie genre. When Schofield first encounters the German soldier, he is sheltering inside the wreckage of a bombed-out structure.
Before Schofield automatically pulls the trigger on his gun, their eyes briefly contact, sharing a brief moment of humanity and understanding despite the chaos. A comprehensive examination of activity, violence, and death’s extremities is shown in this scenario. The harsh reality of battle is emphasized, as survival often takes precedence over moral considerations in determining the course of action.
Technical Innovations and Their Impact on Genre Conventions
By emphasizing the film’s technical components, particularly the “one-shot” technique, Karl Vick’s “Escaping the Trench” improves our comprehension of 1917. Vick enjoys how this technique creates a sense of continuity and intensity in real-time, making the audience feel a part of the story (Vick). This finding supports the idea that technical decisions can significantly impact audience perception and understanding of genre conventions. Vick praises Mendes for using the ‘one-shot’ approach to give the story an unremitting feeling of dread and tension. This strategy increases the audience’s emotional investment in the movie by making the audience feel a part of the terrifying reality of the battle.
Vick also explores the subtleties of character development within the story’s framework in his analysis of 1917. He notes that the “one-shot” strategy strengthens the characterization by creating an ongoing link between the characters and the audience (Vick). Thanks to this ongoing involvement, the audience can experience every character’s change in feeling, choice, and action in real time, which fosters a deeper connection with and empathy for the characters. Vick also agrees that this avant-garde approach, combined with Mendes’s particular set and sound design, expands the parameters of the war movie genre. It emphasizes the significance of reimagining established genre norms with groundbreaking narrative strategies to create a powerful cinematic experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mendes’s 1917 complies with the norms of the Belton-described war picture genre and improves upon it using cutting-edge filmmaking methods. By skillfully fusing action, character growth, and philosophical reflection, the movie creates a lasting impression on the audience and stands out among contemporary war movies. 1917 considerably reimagines the audience’s cinematic experience by stretching the limits of the war film genre with its immersive storytelling and skillful examination of human resiliency. The movie encourages audiences to consider the horrific reality of war and the enormous complexity of the human condition in great detail.
Works Cited
1917. Directed by Sam Mendes. DreamWorks Pictures, 2019.
Belton, John. American Cinema/American Culture. McGraw-Hill Companies, 2021.
Vick, Karl. “Escaping the Trench.” Time Magazine, 2020.