“1917”
Movie Review
Hook: Start with an interesting fact, question, or a general statement about the historical period the movie covers.
Movie Information:
Title: "1917"
Director: Sam Mendes
Release Year: 2019
Genre: War Film
Brief Overview: Tells a story about a British soldier assigned with another soldier to warn the Devon's battalion of an ambush they were about to march into, and it shows their journey while facing warfare throughout.their path
Thesis Statement: 1917 shows meticulous detail into WWI, explaining how soldiers would live during the war and things they would have to do.
Main Plot/Storyline: In the movie 1917, we go on Blake and Schofield's journey to deliver a warning to Colonel Mackenzie and his regiment about the ambush they would soon march into. We start with Blake receiving the special mission at base camp, and as he ascends into no man's land with Schofield, they had to run because they had no protection from enemy fire and then they came across an abandoned farmhouse where they find a pilot, even though he is an enemy soldier they keep him alive in hopes to get answers from him but this backfires when the pilot stabs Schofield while he isn't looking and kills him and then gets shot by Blake. After friendly troops arrive to Blakes aid they transport him as far as they can go until they reach a broken bridge but he had to leave them because he had no time, and while crossing the broken bridge he comes across enemy fire and gets into a gun fight with an enemy soldier which he eventually kills. After Blake leaves the area, he comes across a town ransacked by the opposing side and hides and fights against enemy soldiers until finally reaching the trenches and finding Colonel Mackenzie to deliver the warning.
Historical Context: The movie exemplifies at showing a British soldier during WWI showing a great example of the war and also how he had to deliver messages while running from warfare, similar to how people had to during the actual time period.
Strengths of the Movie: They showed a great depiction of life inside and outside of the trenches they also showed a good example of being inside the war as a civilian or soldier.
Historical Accuracy/Portrayal: I believe they showed it pretty accurately, especially when Blake was running to give the warning and the other soldiers unknowingly ran into combat.
Cinematography/Visuals: The lighting in 1917 helped show close-up details that made the movie seem a lot more realistic
Acting: I believe they played their characters accurately, showing relationships of people who knew each other, and they made the characters seem like they were really in the war.
Sound/Score: The dialogue contributed heavily because it helped the movie keep going and added a lot of character and feeling to the film as well as adding story to it.
Direction: I believe it was very effective, I think what the director wanted the audience to get out of the film is exactly what we interpreted of it.
Impact/Emotion: The movie evoked lots of emotion in me. It made me think deeply about what life was like during this time period and how bad I would've been to live in the trenches.
Weaknesses of the Movie (if any): I don't believe this movie had any weaknesses.
Historical Liberties: The film did an amazing job staying true and accurate to the time of WW1.
Pacing/Engagement: In my opnion the movie did a great job keeping me entertained and it was always very fast paced/engaging.
Clarity/Organization: Yes, in my opinion, the storyline was always obvious.
Supporting Evidence: The movie did a great job telling the plot.
Relevance to the Topic: It connects very well to the topic of WW1 because it was a movie that took place during that time period.
What You Learned: It gave me a much deeper understanding of WW1 and how it functioned/ more of the military logistics.
Impact on Your Understanding: This movie helped me understand WW1 much better because it did a really good job showing what life was like back then and how they were surviving.
Emotional Response: This movie made me feel very sad, but also inspired me because of the ending.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this to students who are interested in learning about World War 1.
I would recommend this movie because of its amazing storytelling application.
Restate Thesis: Briefly rephrase your main argument about the movie in a new way. When one wants to learn more about WWI or has no idea about it, you can look at this movie and get some ideas of how soldiers lived and how they were impacted, and how society has been impacted by it.
Final Thoughts: In my opinion, this movie offers great value to all audiences watching it. While showing you the hardships of war and how people got through this time period.
Overall Rating (Optional): I would highly recommend this movie to all audiences, 5 out of 5 stars.