Sam Mendes’ world-renowned film, 1917, closely tracks a day in combat of two British soldiers, Blake and Schofield, who are instructed by their General to hinder the massacre of a battalion of 1,600 men. With their telephone lines cut, their means of communication must now shift to a handwritten note that orders Colonel Mackenzie to suspend a planned attack on the Germans, who have relocated in North France, at the Hindenburg line. To complete the task, the protagonists must undergo and survive intolerable circumstances, which include maneuvering through the enemy’s abandoned trenches and traversing no man's land: rolling hills covered with decaying horses, comprised of dirt and mud, and dotted with soldier’s corpses. The date on which the film takes place, April 6th, is significant not only because it is the day the Americans officially entered the war but also because during this time, Operation Alberich, a German military withdrawal, occurred as an attempt to strengthen their positions in northern France. However, the viewer would not have known of this as the average soldier on the front line was also unaware leading to the confirmation that the main character’s disorientation mirrors that of the audience.
Halfway through the film, specifically about an hour in, the main character, Corporal Will Schofield, finds himself completely mesmerized as he stumbles toward a raging fire and watches as it destroys a church in the center of Écoust-Saint-Mein. Beside it stands a dried-up fountain, bare before the flames of the blazing cathedral, its figure in the shape of a cross. The elements of this scene allow the viewer to interpret the dark shadows and bright glaring flames as a carefully crafted comparison between Heaven and Hell all while evoking a feeling of fear and obscurity that can be traced back to this sacrilegious act.
The director’s effort in juxtaposing the two distinct symbols has effectively foreshadowed the devastation and destruction that is to continue occurring throughout the rest of the film. Scofield is floating down the river, hugging the remains of a dying tree, about to sink into its depths when he sees white cherry blossoms, the earliest signs of spring, flutter onto the surface. At an hour and thirty minutes, the petals gently settle around the
protagonist and amount on a few scattered dead bodies. All is quiet besides the rushing of water at a distance and the chirping of birds surrounding him. Seeing the purity and beauty coming from such a small but significant indication of the end of winter, Scofield is reminded of his dear friend Blake, restoring his vitality to finish his mission and deliver the message.
The tranquillity and utter radiance of nature in this scene, especially highlight a common theme throughout the film, that is, destruction
and war will never be able to hold nature back, and as flora consistently does, Schofield will persist too.
The soft singing to the tune of Wayfaring Stranger from a single standing soldier greets
Schofield in the trees. The exhausted protagonist pauses, behaving similarly to when he stood before the flaming chapel, unable to go on. Like all the other tension in the film, the dulcet tone of the young soldier’s singing is a fitting contrast against the utter horror, death, and destruction Schofield has witnessed. At a minute thirty-five, Schofield takes a seat among the trees while he listens to the song echo his longing for stillness and serenity. Since Wayfaring Stranger appears towards the end of the film, the lyrics are not only relevant for him but for the last wave of soldiers whom’s faces reflect their willingness to run out of the trenches and onto fields of bombs, barbed wire, and toward death.
From the start, Mendes envisioned 1917 unfolding continuously and breathlessly, mending scene after scene to create a “one-take” film, placing the audience in the soldier’s shoes. In an interview conducted by Alissa Wilkinson from Vox Magazine, the director explains that “we experience life as a single shot” and “go through [it] with one unbroken take”. He said his goal was to try and remove as many layers between the audience and the characters as possible, ultimately delivering a completely immersive and emotional cinematic experience. Mendes later goes on to discuss his childhood and the impact of hearing his grandfather's experience in the war has had on his life. Like many historians, filmmakers, and other storytellers, Mendes felt a responsibility to make the sacrifice understood, the pain heard, and most importantly, emphasize the war’s relevance today. He wants his audience to comprehend “what it is like to walk hand-in-hand with death, to not know whether you will ever see your family again, to have your friend die in your arms”. But above all, he wants to emphasize human’s ability to remain afloat with a single glimpse at a white cherry blossom or the sound of a familiar song.
Features images from the 1917 film
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