Movie Review: 1917 (2019)

by Mei-Mei Wang (Grade 9)

The movie was breathtaking, 1917 by Dir Sam Mendes is about the war between Britain and Germany. Despite the gut wrenching moments, it still captures how beautiful life can be. But how can a movie about the ugliness of life be beautiful? That is what I will be talking about in my review today.

The most eye-catching part about this movie was definitely the cinematography for me. One thing I noticed was the fact that whenever warm light was shown, it was like a symbol of humanity, whether it be the British or the Germans, for example, during the scene where Sco found a French lady, the whole place was dark, even as a viewer I could not see a thing in contrast to the warm light where the viewers are forced to focus on.

Light is usually associated with life or a sense of hope. In this movie, light is used in two ways, for catastrophes and the symbolism of life and humanity.

I also liked the way how when the movie first started, it never showed us the skies and weather being too vibrant such as clear blue skies with rainbows and sunshine. No, it was dull, complimenting the context of the war. 

Another mention I would like to emphasize is the usage of sound and acting. For instance, silence, this movie uses silence to indicate tension and suspense. To warn the audience that something is about to happen, it surprises us along with the way the characters feel real, they groan, they pant, they run, they show emotions, and most importantly, they curse.

This is what makes the characters feel alive. Whenever they are frustrated, we can hear and see it. Whenever they are exhausted their bodies and expressions also carry it. Also, especially with the scene in the forest where a soldier was singing, despite probably having a high chance of being soon killed by the Germans, the soldier still sung with pride, the hope and wish to go home while everyone listened.

”Hope is a dangerous thing” This was said by Colonel Mackenzie when Sco finally reached him. It really struck me how even though everyone held hope in their hearts, they never deliberately said it, it was as if they were afraid of jinxing it.

Another thing I want to point out is the silence that the movie frequently used again, not only to create tension but also to let  it hang, let it sit with the audience, let us take a break and allow the characters to breathe. This is used especially well during the scene where Schofield finally meets Blake’s brother and tells him the message. (almost made me tear up).

And another honorable mention with the final scene where Schofield rests under a tree, again with the light motif used AMAZINGLYYY!! It was like the hope finally shining on him, he can finally be free from this war. I’ve noticed that he’s not the type to really want to fight in the war, he’s not brave, he’s scared in contrast to Blake who is not only empathetic but showed bravery and saved Sco’s life.

My verdict is… this is a really good movie :) on a scale of 10 I would rate this film a 9.8.

Even though it was beautiful with all the breathtaking and all the human moments, there were some parts such as the pacing, at first it started off pretty well but I felt that in the end, it was a bit rather… rushed? In some sort of way, sure I liked when Sco rested under the tree to show his exhaustion, but I also felt that the film was missing something but regardless of that, I really enjoyed all the cinematic tones of this film. Awesome!