How many classic World War I films can you name? I’ll list a few — All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Paths of Glory (1957) and 1917 (2019). I don’t count Wings (1927), The Blue Max (1966) or Zeppelin (1971) and I’ve never seen The Big Parade (1929). There just aren’t a lot of great movies about the Great War. My apologies to any I may have missed; I’m just glad that we have a new contender for the best movie about World War I.

Sam Mendes’ film is framed as one long take, as British soldiers Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay) are sent through no man’s land to reach a battalion set to attack the next day, with orders to stop the attack or risk annihilation. Their trek has many segments, which are brought to the screen with spectacular cinematography, dynamic music and terrific writing and acting. It is an incredibly memorable movie that conveys some of the experience of men facing death with very meaningful insight and compassion.

That said, there are some things about this experience that didn’t ring true for me. It could have, and probably should have, been a whole lot rougher; for instance, there is no mention or depiction of mustard gas. Characters don’t always act in ways that I expected. One key shooting moment is not presented with any clarity, which was intentional, but confusing.

1917 is not, however, merely a spectacular technical achievement. While it details a very specific, special assignment undertaken by two soldiers, the story embraces and enhances the universal experience shared by men far from home, overwhelmed by circumstance and conditions, hoping only to survive another day. When the film ends it is a vast relief for the viewer, similar to — on a much smaller scale — that which the soldiers themselves must have felt when transferred away from the front. It is a tremendous movie, one of the best of the year. ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. 7 February 2020.