Sam Mendes’ “1917” is being touted as a major best picture contender despite it not having been screened for critics yet. There were excellent reactions in regards to a test-screening which took place just a few weeks ago in New Jersey.
The stirring new trailer released today only enhances our expectations for Mendes’ WWI film, but that song in the middle doesn’t fit at all, gosh, for the love of God, get rid of it.
The film was shot by DP extraordinaire, and 14-time Oscar nominee, Roger Deakins. Deakins won his first Oscar in 2018 for his staggering work in “Blade Runner 2049,” a second Oscar and 15th nomination is a real possibility for him with “1917.” Like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman” before it, the majority of “1917” was shot to appear as one single take.
“It was fundamentally an emotional choice,” Mendes told Vanity Fair this month about the single-take approach to “1917.” “I wanted to travel every step with these men — to breathe every breath with them. It needed to be visceral and immersive. What they are asked to do is almost impossibly difficult. The way the movie is made is designed to bring you as close as possible to that experience.”
We might have to wait until this coming November’s AFI Film Festival before any press or industry can catch a glimpse of Mendes’ much-anticipated epic— otherwise, “1917” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 25th.